McDonald's Shrek Glass Recall from Cadmium

The Shrek glass recall has parents scuffling to their cupboards and closets. The McDonald's recall of Shrek glasses is due to paint with cadmium. The familiar Shrek images contain paint with a toxic metal called cadmium. Parents are advised to keep the glasses away from their children.

My family enjoyed watching the Shrek movies together. Shrek entertained my children for years. We also stop at McDonald's for a quick meal but did not buy the glasses that are part of the McDonald's recall. Who knew they would contain cadmium?

The Shrek glass recall includes glasses with images of Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots. They were part of a "Shrek Forever After" movie campaign. The glasses were originally sold in the United States and Canada for $2 apiece. It certainly seemed like a sweet deal before the McDonald's recall.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning about the Shrek glasses on Friday. Scott Wolfson, CPSC spokesperson, stated, "A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall."

The Shrek glass recall was voluntary. Some families buy decorative glasses to put away on a shelf. Others (like mine) use every glass that enters the house. If the glasses are handled frequently, users are exposed to cadmium more often.

To some extent, we are exposed to cadmium everyday. Foods we eat contain cadmium such as shellfish, kidney and liver. We are advised to limit our intake of shellfish when toxicity levels are high. Everyone should also watch the amount of cadmium consumed in their daily diet.

With diet in mind, McDonald's had a difficult time convincing us their menu offerings were healthy. As diners avoid fat and calories, they might not have thought of the Shrek glass recall as they bought a commemorative cup. McDonald's is sure to try to make it up to customers with future promos.

If you have Shrek glasses that are part of the McDonald's recall, you can return them to get a refund. Official return information will be released by McDonald's shortly. Meanwhile, don't let your kids play with or drink from the glasses.

Resources:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimoremomblog/2010/06/shrek_glass_recall.html
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CanadaAM/20100604/shrek-glasses-100604/
http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/factsheet-on-cadmium-health-risks-post-mcdonalds-glasses-recall