McDonald’s Recall Throws Spotlight on Injury risk from Cadmium Exposure

It doesn’t look like McDonald’s wants to be at the receiving end of injury claims resulting from parental ire over its massive recall of drinking glasses last week. It is no accident that the company is offering a three dollar refund to parents who come in to return the glasses. The glasses were initially sold for two dollars each. McDonald’s clearly recognizes the risk of injury the glasses pose to children.

Last week, McDonald’s announced a massive recall of approximately 13.5 million drinking glasses that were painted with characters from the Shrek movies. It was meant to be part of a promotional effort with McDonald’s teaming up with the makers of the last of the Shrek movies, Shrek Forever After.Soon, testing showed that the paint, used in the designs of the glasses, contained cadmium, an injury causing substance. The designs featured four Shrek characters including Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots. As soon as McDonald’s found the high cadmium levels in the paint, it informed the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and announced the recall in an effort to stop any child from being injured.Parents who have bought these glasses can return these to the nearest McDonald’s restaurant for a refund.

It’s also the right time for Atlanta injury lawyers to focus attention on the risks of cadmium. It seems like concerns over lead-tainted products are slowly declining, and cadmium-related hazards are coming up in their place. Cadmium is a known carcinogen, and is found in shellfish, cigarette smoke and industrial settings.

Studies have indicated that exposure to high levels of cadmium can injure the lungs. Exposure over a period of time, leads to the development of cancer, as well as accumulation of cadmium in the kidneys, possibly contributing to kidney disease. Prolonged exposure has also been linked to loss of bone mineral density. Excessive exposure to cadmium can cause severe stomach irritation. More alarmingly, injuries from the effects of cadmium exposure seem to be amplified in children compared to adults.