McDonald's in a jiffy: Recall on cards

McDonald's has decided to recall 12 million Shrek glasses on the wake of reports that the glasses contain cadmium in their colored designs. This has resulted in a classical product safety scare for the people. Cadmium is a known carcinogen, and the Illinois-based fast-food giant was selling the glassware in a large-scale promotion tied to the popular children's film franchise.

But as soon as more information became available, events surrounding the recall have become less clear. According to Federal regulators the above mentioned glasses do not pose a hazard. Yet this statement is hard to believe because of the fact that federal regulators do not have any standards on the acceptable levels of cadmium.

Still, the backdrop to the McDonald's recall is serious. Dangerous levels of cadmium have been found in children's jewelry this year, making the substance the consumer-safety bogeyman of the moment. In the past six months, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced three other cadmium-related recalls, all involving children's jewelry.

Agency spokesman Alex Filip has said, "the Shrek glasses are not toxic." Children's toys are the only products that have a safety standard for cadmium. McDonald's avoids any children's classification by identifying the "Shrek" glasses as an "adult promotion," not a child's product like a Happy Meal toy. The CPSC said it is working to set a safety standard for cadmium in all consumer products.

Neither the CPSC nor McDonald's would reveal the level of cadmium found in the "Shrek" glasses. But McDonald's said in a statement that a CPSC-accredited laboratory had found the products "in compliance with all applicable federal and state requirements at the time of manufacture and distribution."