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McDonald's Recalls Cadmium-Tainted Shrek Glassware


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US News: McDonalds recalls shrek glasses

The fast-food mega chain has pulled approximately 12 million units of Shrek drinking glasses which were recently discovered to have cadmium in the paint designs. Though on the exterior of the glass, the danger lies in that the cadmium could get onto a child's hand, and from there into their mouth. Although the glasses have a low level of the metal, long-term exposure could become very hazardous. Research has shown that cadmium, a known carcinogen, can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems.

Introduced on May 21 as a promotional movie tie-in for the final movie in the franchise, 'Shrek Ever After', the product was priced at $2 and about 7 million have been sold since then, with an additional 5 million in stores to be shipped. Almost every parent in America was compelled to buy one, as the much loved characters of Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, and Puss In Boots adorned the glasses.

Fueled by an anonymous tip last week that cadmium could be seen on the glass when viewed with an X-ray gun, samples were received on May 27 and sent to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for further investigation. Early today the voluntary Shrek glass recall was announced and consumers were warned to stop using the glasses.

The official recall notice can be found on the McDonalds website, but overwhelming interest (or outrage) has caused the server to crash. The site states that "McDonald's is asking consumers to immediately stop using the glass out of an abundance of caution." Starting June 8th, people seeking a refund will find instructions at www.mcdonalds.com/glasses, or alternatively they may call McDonalds' toll-free number at 1-800-244-6227.