US investigates drinking glasses with lead

The glasses did not release high amounts of lead from the decorations, and no one would be injured by handling them. The issue is whether the glasses, made in China and purchased by AP at the Warner Brothers Studios store in Burbank, Calif., comply with federal law on how much lead can be in a children’s product.

Vandor told AP the glasses are targeted to adult collectors and that they passed testing for lead.

But commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said yesterday that the agency considers the glasses children’s products and was collecting samples for its own testing.

That determination mattered because if regulators concluded the glasses were not children’s products, the glasses wouldn’t be subject to strict lead limits. The federal limit on children’s products is 0.03 percent — AP’s testing showed the lead content in the colored decorations was 16 percent to 30.2 percent.

Soon after the commission said it was investigating, Warner Brothers said it would stop selling the glasses in “an abundance of caution.’’ The entertainment giant said that in response to its request, Vandor would approach the safety commission about a formal recall.

A spokeswoman for Vandor confirmed plans to pull the glasses voluntarily wherever they’re sold. The company previously told AP that less than 10,000 of each set had been sold and that the products were made under contract in China.

Last week, while commenting on AP’s test results, Warner Brothers said, “It is generally understood that the primary consumer for these products is an adult, usually a collector.’’

However, on the Warner Brothers website, the superhero glasses are sold alongside children’s T-shirts with similar images and a school lunchbox. An online retailer, www.retroplanet.com, describes the 10-ounce glasses as “a perfect way to serve cold drinks to your children or guests.’’

Wolfson said the agency also would be collecting samples of other glasses highlighted in AP’s investigation. “Those that have decorations that children would be attracted to are the focus of our attention at this point,’’ he said.

The Coca-Cola Co. voluntarily recalled 88,000 glasses that shed cadmium during separate AP testing that re-created what could escape from decorations during regular handling. The glasses came in sets of four and were designed to look like cans of Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Sprite.

Coke said late Sunday that the all-red Coke glass prompted the recall “for quality reasons.’’