McDonald’s decision to recall 12 million “Shrek” beverage glasses that contain cadmium in their colored designs bears the hallmarks of a classic product-safety scare.

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 more information emerged Friday, events surrounding the recall became less clear. Federal regulators indicated the “Shrek” glasses do not pose a hazard. Yet that statement is difficult to quantify because there is a dearth of federal standards regarding acceptable levels of cadmium, an element found in everything from leafy green vegetables to cigarettes.

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. While there is no federal cadmium standard for children’s jewelry, the levels found in the recalled jewelry was “through the roof,” said agency spokesman Alex Filip.

In contrast, the “Shrek” glasses “are not toxic,” Filip said.

Children’s toys are the only products that have a safety standard for cadmium. Toys cannot contain more than 75 parts per million of the metal. 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. Filip said those decisions could be finalized in the coming weeks or months.

The CPSC identified the manufacturer of the “Shrek” glasses as ARC International of Millville, N.J., a subsidiary of a French glass and tableware company. The U.S.-based firm could not be reached Friday for comment.

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.”

The company added that “the CPSC’s evolving assessment of standards” prompted the voluntary recall.

The impetus for the recall came from U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., who received an anonymous tip last week warning of “high levels” of cadmium in the “Shrek” glasses and alerted the CPSC.

“Cadmium is a dangerous, known carcinogen and should not be on the surface of children’s toys nor products intended for use by children. Period,” Speier said in a statement.

Two other testers also evaluated the “Shrek” glasses for cadmium and shared their findings with Speier’s office. Both described the cadmium levels as low but echoed the congresswoman’s sentiments that any amount in a consumer product is worthy of concern.

“It’s not something I’m going to panic about,” said Jennifer Taggart, one of the testers, an environmental lawyer and author of “Smart Mama’s Green Guide.” “But (my children) are also not going to use those glasses. Why take a risk? I’m pleased the CPSC and McDonald’s decided to recall them, because they don’t need to have cadmium in this paint.”

She tested all four glasses last week after her son asked for them. Taggart said she used a device called an XRF analyzer, which uses X-rays to detect levels of different elements, including cadmium.

Jeffrey Weidenhamer, a professor of chemistry at Ashland University in Ohio, tested green pigment from two glasses using the same method employed to measure cadmium in coatings for children’s toys. One sample came out at 670 parts per million and the other at 956 parts per million. The CPSC standard for children’s toys is 75 parts per million.

“This standard is set to be very protective of children, and rightly so because cadmium is something that bio-accumulates in the body over a lifetime,” Weidenhamer said. “So the risk is chronic exposure.”

Cadmium is a soft metal often used in paint pigmentation, batteries and electronics. It’s also used in some fertilizers, which means it ends up in soil and whatever grows in that soil. Leafy green vegetables in particular take up cadmium from the soil, said Dr. Bruce Fowler, a cadmium expert with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Tobacco also absorbs the metal. Smokers have about twice as much cadmium in their kidneys as non-smokers, Fowler said. Most people’s cadmium intake comes from their diet or cigarettes, Fowler said.

The metal gets into the air when fossil fuels like coal or oil are burned or when municipal waste is incinerated.

Long-term exposure to cadmium leads to a buildup of the substance in kidneys that can cause kidney disease.

Cadmium affects the body differently than lead and isn’t absorbed as easily. Lead affects the nervous system, which is particularly problematic for young children because it can stall their neurological development.

Taggart and Weidenhamer said use of cadmium as a substitute for lead in products such as jewelry has increased over the last few years. Part of the reason is that the price of cadmium has decreased as nickel-cadmium batteries fell out of use, replaced by more environmentally friendly options such as lithium-ion batteries.

Legislators in different states are working to curb the use of cadmium. In Illinois, there is a bill sitting before the governor that would prohibit sales and distribution of children’s jewelry with more than 75 parts per million of cadmium. State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson originally introduced the bill to limit cadmium in all children’s products to 40 parts per million.

At least one industry group, however, is calling for further study before vilifying cadmium in products such as the “Shrek” glassware. The Ohio-based Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products said the heating process used to finish the McDonald’s glasses physically altered the cadmium and made it part of the glass, preventing the metal from leaching onto hands or lips.

“The society strongly opposes what appears to be an unscientific, extra-legal reaction on the part of government, including the CPSC, which needlessly alarms citizens and has the potential to harm and cost jobs in a distinguished American industry,” the group said in a statement.

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune ®  wawong@tribune.com egabler@tribune.com