McDonald's in poison paints scare

The glasses, a promotion for the latest Shrek film, were available in the US in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall, warned people to stop using the glasses immediately.

McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds for the glasses which sold for $2.

The CPSC said that "long-term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects."

Cadmium is a carcinogen that also softens bones and causes severe kidney problems.

In the case of the Shrek-themed glasses, the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium, which could leach from the paint onto a child's hand, then enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to his or her mouth.

Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows in paint. A US McDonald's spokesman said a pigment in paint on the glasses contained cadmium.

"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," said the CPSC.

It would not say how much cadmium leached from the paint in tests, but said the amounts were "slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency."

It said the glasses have "far less cadmium than the children's metal jewellery that CPSC has previously recalled".

Concerns about cadmium exposure emerged in January, when children's jewellery sold at major national chains contained up to 91 per cent of the metal.

Safety experts fear that children could ingest cadmium by biting,

sucking or even swallowing the items.

The consumer protection agency has issued three recalls this year for jewellery in the US. All the products were made in China, although the glasses in this case were made by an American company. However, it is not clear where the paint came from.

Around seven million of the Shrek glasses have been sold with another five million in stores or warehouses.

McDonald's said: "We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use, adding: "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately."

A McDonald's spokeswoman said the UK was not affected.