Hundreds of thousands of children’s cups recalled in the US for fears they could cause LEAD POISONING
Hundreds of thousands of children’s cups sold across the country have been recalled after they were found to contain dangerous levels of lead.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall Thursday of about 346,000 CUPKIN double-walled stainless steel tumblers.
The agency said the glasses have lead levels that “exceed the federal ban on lead content.”
If ingested by young children, lead is toxic and can hinder brain and nervous system development.
The baby industry has been under pressure to remove harmful contaminants from products, but recent research by a consumer watchdog found that many baby food products contain higher levels of toxic metals now than they did five years ago.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall Thursday of about 346,000 CUPKIN double-walled stainless steel tumblers.
Consumers were warned to “immediately remove cups from the reach of children and stop using them.”
The recall includes 8 oz. and 12 oz. tumblers sold in pairs.
Both sizes sold on Amazon and the CUPKIN website between January 2018 and March 2023 for around $20 each.
The glasses come in 12 different colors with matching straws: Blue and Green, Pink and Purple, Blue and Grey, Peach and Teal, Black and White, Coral and Yellow, Green and Pink, Polignac and Potpourri, Brown and Peach, Rust and Salmon, Aqua and Periwinkle, and Cobalt and Mint.
At the bottom front of the cups is the word ‘Cupkin’.
It is not clear exactly where the lead is found in the product, but since 2009, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has stated that all children’s products must not contain a lead concentration greater than 0.009% (90 parts per million) in paint or any similar surface coating.
He Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that young children exposed to lead may have impaired brain and nervous system development.
Experts believe that about 2.5 percent of children under the age of five have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead.
As a result, they may have problems with slower growth, learning, behavior, hearing, and speech.
The effects of lead exposure can be permanent.
Lead is toxic to children above 10 mcg/dl. According to the CDC, no safe level of lead in children has been identified.
Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, usually over months or years.
Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems.
Signs of lead poisoning do not occur until dangerous amounts accumulate.
Symptoms in children include developmental delay, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, sluggishness, fatigue, and abdominal pain.
There may also be vomiting, constipation, hearing loss, and seizures.
Amazon and Soojimus, the maker of the cups, are contacting all known buyers directly, and Cupkin customers can contact Soojimus for a full refund.
No injuries have been reported, but the CDC says there are often no obvious signs when a child is exposed to lead.
The agency recommends talking with your health care provider about having your child have a blood test if they may have been exposed to lead.
TO study published last year by Florida State University researchers found that lead poisoning has robbed Americans of 2.6 IQ points on average, usually from gasoline.
