With the new school year set to begin, Health Canada and Amscan Canada announce a voluntary recall of Favor Set brand pencils due to a high lead level in the coating of the pencils.
Under the Hazardous Products Act , pencils with more than 600 mg/kg of lead in the applied coating are prohibited from being sold, imported or advertised in Canada. Pencils that have already been purchased should immediately be taken away from children.
Health Canada tested the model and found the coating on the pencils to contain a high amount of lead. As a precautionary measure, Amscan is recalling all 16 models of Favor Set brand pencils sold in various stores across Canada since January 2007. Approximately 140,000 units are included in this recall. The pencils were manufactured in China.
275034 Prehistoric Party Favor Set
275049 Keep on Truckin Favor Set
277037 Championship Baseball Favor Set
277042 Championship Soccer Favor Set
277721 Championship Basketball Favor Set
277751 Championship Football Favor Set
278128 Camouflage Favor Set
278222 Pirate Party Favor Set
279756 Hearts & Flowers Favor Set
279760 Unicorn Magic Favor Set
279763 Frogs & Lizards Favor Set
279765 Princess Favor Set
279766 Shimmering Butterfly Favor Set
279780 Underwater Friends Favor Set
279781 Safari Party Favor Set
349949 Glitzy Girl Favor Set
There is no risk of lead exposure from holding a pencil with a coating that contains lead. However, sucking or chewing on a pencil with a coating that contains lead can cause adverse health effects, especially in young children. To date, Health Canada has not received any reports of incidents or injuries from use of these pencils.
If a child has sucked or chewed on a pencil with a coating that contains lead and you suspect lead poisoning may have occurred, contact your family physician who can order a blood test to measure a child’s blood lead level.