Lead found in popular Hannah Montana items
Some products branded with Disney's popular Hannah Montana character contain high levels of the toxic metal, says the Center for Environmental Health.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- High levels of lead were found in various items branded with Disney's (DIS, Fortune 500) popular Hannah Montana character, the Center for Environmental Health said Tuesday.
Vinyl backpacks, a vinyl purse and other Hannah Montana items purchased from Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), Target (TGT, Fortune 500) and Toys "R" Us stores contained the toxic metal, some of them in excess of the federal standard for lead paint, the CEH said.
According to the organization, it purchased 28 Hannah Montana products in stores and online. Five of them tested between three and fourteen times the federal standard, which is between 1,800 and 8,300 parts per million.
"Lead can impact girls' learning and development throughout their youth and later can reduce their ability to have healthy children. It's the worst of both worlds," said CEH director Michael Green in a statement.
The CEH called on parents to avoid exposing their children to vinyl items, calling it a "poison plastic."
Representatives from Wal-Mart, Target and Toys "R" Us stores were not immediately available for comment.