In the United States, McDonald’s has announced that it will pay customers a premium to return the ”Shrek Forever After” glasses that were recalled last week because of cadmium in the paint, according to The New York Times. The fast food company sold about 7.5 million of the drinking glasses for $1.99 with a food purchase and $2.49 without food.
Separately, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D, Calif.) is inquiring into what measures McDonald’s is taking to ensure that products sold to children are safe. The committee has requested all documents related to last week’s voluntary recall of more than 12 million glasses sold to promote “Shrek Forever After.”
McDonald’s recalled the glasses on Friday after the Consumer Product Safety Commission found cadmium in the paint. The commission said, however, that the glasses were not considered toxic and that the risk to children was low. In fact, the level of cadmium in the glasses was significantly lower than the level in some children’s jewelry that prompted three recalls earlier this year, including the recall of 55,000 necklaces sold at Wal-Mart, according to Dow-Jones Newswire. Long-term exposure to cadmium has been associated with a variety of health problems, including kidney and bone ailments.