Decorative character drink glasses contain 30% lead, according to health experts in the US
Superman, Wonder Woman and the Wizard of Oz drinking glasses have hit the headlines after it was discovered that the decorative enamel in the glass contained 16-30% of lead – up to 1,006 above the recommended lead levels.
Wizard of Oz’s Tin Man was found to carry the highest levels of lead when it was tested by the ToyTestingLab in Rhode Island, US. In fact, most of the Oz character drink glasses exceeded the government's limit – the Lion by 827 times and Dorothy by 770 times. Other danger glasses discovered were the superheroes - Batman, Superman and the green Lantern.
The character drinking glasses also contained high levels of cadmium. Cadmium was recently discovered in ‘Shrek’ glasses from McDonalds. Health experts were so concerned about the amounts of lead or cadmium used in the glasses, that it resulted in 12 million of them being recalled.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently deciding if the Oz and Superhero glasses are strictly children’s products and if they are, the lead levels will mean they are pulled from shelves.
