Disney Tinkerbell and Papyrus Greeting Card Jewelry Recall: Lead Risk

About 426,000 children’s jewelry toys have been recalled due to high levels of lead, including the “Tiny Tink” series of Disney Tinkerbell charms and children’s birthday bracelets sold with Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards.

The recalls were announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday. The Tinkerbell jewelry sets, imported by Playmates Toys, were found to have a metal connector that contained levels of total lead in excess of 300 parts per million. The Papyrus bracelets, imported by Schurman Fine Papers, were found to have paint containing excessive levels of lead. Both toys are in violation of the federal lead paint standard.

The Disney toy jewelry recall affects 252,000 charms sold with the Tiny Tink and Friends toy jewelry sets. The charms have a metal ring and cylinder that are used to attach them to a the toy necklace, bracelet or key chain. Only the units with metal rings and cylinders are affected by the recall. The recall affects the following products:

• Tinker Bell’s Lil’ Tinker Bracelet, Item #’s 74634 and 74641, UPC #’s 0 43377 74634 8 and 0 43377 74641 6
• Rosetta’s Rosebud Key Chain, Item # 74631, UPC # 0 43377 74631 7
• Silvermist’s Water Lily Necklace, Item # 0 43377 74632 4

The toys were sold at retailers nationwide from November 2008 through November 2009 for between $6 and $8.

The Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards bracelet recall affects 174,000 wooden bead bracelets that were sold attached to greeting cards with the words “Happy Birthday To You” on the front. The bracelet is multi-colored and includes a wooden bead shaped like a butterfly. The greeting card includes a UPC number of 734524634013 in the lower right corner, and also has “BD 63401” and “Jean Card & Gift Company” on the back.

The greeting cards and bracelets were sold in card stores nationwide and by other retailers from February 2004 through September 2009 for about $7.

High levels of lead paint in children’s toys is heavily regulated due to the risk of long-term damage that may be caused by lead poisoning. High levels of blood lead levels, which typically result from children ingesting lead paint chips that flakes off the walls of older homes, can result in nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures, growth or mental retardation, coma or even death. However, even low levels of lead exposure have been found to be potentially dangerous.

Any consumers whose children have these toys should take them away immediately and contact the manufacturers for a replacement or full refund.