U.S. Safety Group Recalls Crayons Made in China
The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday recalled 11 brands of lead-containing crayons imported from China and urged parents who bought them either to throw them away or return them for a refund.
Hundreds of thousands of the crayons have been sold at a variety of outlets across the country, the commission said. Three of the brands contain enough lead to pose a poisoning hazard to young children who might eat or chew them. The other eight brands have less lead content but enough to add to the overall “lead load” of children who might eat them.
“Throw these crayons in the trash or take them back to the store for a refund,” said Commission Chairman Ann Brown. She said that parents can be assured crayons are safe if the package contains the label: “Conforms to ASTM D-4236” or a similar number.
The Federal Hazardous Substances Act bans children’s products containing hazardous amounts of lead, which can cause irreversible brain damage and impair mental function.
Commission officials said that crayons made by the nation’s leading crayon manufacturer, Crayola, also were tested and were found to be safe. A spokesman from Binney & Smith Inc., the manufacturer of Crayola products, said that the imported crayons represent only 3% to 5% of the nation’s $130-million crayon market.
The only known case of lead poisoning from the harmful crayons occurred in Phoenix, where high levels of lead were found in an infant who consumed a Chinese-manufactured crayon that was distributed by Concord Enterprises in Los Angeles. Concord, which distributed “12 Jumbo Crayons,” already has recalled them in cooperation with the commission.
The other two brands deemed most hazardous were distributed by Toys R Us, through its nearly 250 retail outlets, and Glory Stationery Manufacturing Ltd., which--like Concord Enterprises--distributed crayons to various retailers across the country.
The Toys R Us crayons were sold as a house brand and labeled as “Safe 48 Non-Toxic I’m A Toys R Us Kid! Crayons.” The company said that it would pull the brand from its shelves and issue refunds to buyers who return the crayons. But company officials disputed the commission’s conclusions and cited independent tests showing that the crayons do not contain dangerous levels of lead.
“We are complying with the request of the CPSC and have been taking them (the crayons) off the shelves and issuing refunds to persons who return them,” said Carol Fuller of Toys R Us.
Glory Stationery Manufacturing said that those tested by the commission were a sample batch that was never sold to the public and that it has none of the tainted crayons in stock.
The other eight brands and distributors of crayons found to have lower levels of lead:
* “64 Crayons, School Quality, No. 8064,” A. J. Cohen Distributors, Huappauge, N.Y.
* “64 Crayons, No. CR 64-64 CT,” Baum Imports, New York.
* “12 Super Jumbo Crayons,” Dynamic Division of Agora International, St. Albans, N.Y.
* “8 Crayons, No. 5 CL 850,” Dynamic Division of Agora International, St. Albans, N.Y.
* “Fun Time 72 Crayons, No. B541,” Overseas United, New York.
* “64 Crayons, Kidz Biz,” Bargain Wholesale, Los Angeles.
* “64 Crayons, SKU No. 51-02600,” Universal International, Minneapolis.
* “Feido, 12 Crayons, No. CC8812,” Kipp Brothers Inc., Indianapolis.
Commission officials said that they would closely monitor any crayons imported from China and would conduct studies on crayons manufactured in other countries as well as the United States.
