He would not discuss whether the new standard, which the agency expects to release this month, will be higher or lower.Īs the testing began, the agency approached McDonald's. The commission's preliminary 'acceptable daily intake level' of 0.03 micrograms for each kilogram of body weight has since been changed based on further research, according to spokesman Wolfson. Using a formula that assumed only half of the cadmium on a child's hand would make it into the mouth, the agency concluded that just eight touches of the Puss in Boots glass would expose that 6-year-old to as much cadmium as they could safely ingest in a day.

Wipes on a second Puss in Boots glass picked up 10.54 micrograms. That was 26 times greater than the commission's preliminary 'acceptable daily intake level' for the 6-year-old. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ī set of three towelettes from one Puss in Boots glass picked up 15.83 micrograms of cadmium, according to the government documents. While these are microscopic amounts - it takes 1,000 micrograms to make one milligram - cadmium is so toxic that micrograms matter, according to public health authorities including the U.S. A child who weighed more could tolerate more cadmium, one who weighed less could tolerate less. The Puss in Boots glass recorded a much higher reading.Īgency staff had judged that an average-sized 6-year-old of 45 pounds who ingested just 0.6 micrograms of cadmium in a day would hit a hazardous level. Three of the glass designs released relatively low amounts of cadmium - so low that they were not deemed a health hazard, according to a CPSC official with knowledge of the results. Testing for those elements effectively turned up nothing. Those wipes were then analyzed for the presence of any cadmium - as well as lead, mercury, barium or chromium, other elements the agency considers a hazard at high enough levels. The designs of each glass were wiped 30 times total with three water-moistened towelettes, a way of mimicking contact with a human hand. The glasses were being subjected to a test typically used to gauge the risk posed by lead in vinyl products. Less than 24 hours later, on the Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, another scientist was checking in: 'Any news?' he e-mailed. In an agency that often describes itself as understaffed, the push was on. 'Glass samples arrived (at) 5pm - testing now,' one agency scientist e-mailed colleagues May 27 at 5:08 p.m. The CPSC documents show that to find out, agency scientists improvised a scenario involving an average-sized 6-year-old (the younger age range of children who'd be attracted to the glasses, according to an agency analysis).įirst, they got two sets of four glasses each from a McDonald's near the agency's headquarters in Bethesda, Md. The simple presence of cadmium in the glasses might not be a problem - the question was whether people who handled them could be exposed, and whether that exposure represented a health hazard. When young consumers put their contaminated hands to their mouths, whether because they're eating or just being a kid, they'd be ingesting a poison. The agency's testing showed that children could rub off some cadmium when they touched the glasses. Manufacturers say there's no viable alternative if they want bold 'fire engine' red for their designs, and that oranges and yellows are difficult to produce without it.Ĭadmium pigments are ingredients in enamels that are baked into a glass's exterior. It is also a carcinogen.Ĭadmium is used in a range of consumer products - in glassware, it is a pigment. The concern has been long-term, low-level exposure to a metal that when ingested accumulates in the body for decades and at high enough levels can punch holes in kidneys, soften bones and, according to some new research, hinder the development of young brains. There have been no reports of illness from the glasses, and no one has suggested that a child could be stricken just by handling one. 'Staff took an approach at the time that was highly protective of children, and McDonald's took a proactive approach in conducting the recall,' safety commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said in response to questions about the 124 pages from the file, many of them completely whited out, that the agency provided to The Associated Press.

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