Children's Pencil Pouches Recalled Because of Lead Hazard

Today the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, together with Raymond Geddes & Co., issued a voluntary recall of Geddes & Co. pencil pouches. "Stuf Keepers" and "Fuzzy Bear Pencil Pouch" have zipper pulls containing excessive levels of lead. The lead in the zippers' paint violates the federal lead paint standard.

About 84,200 of the pencil pouches were sold by school supply distributors from September 1997 to October 2007 for between fifty cents and two dollars. They were available for purchase within schools themselves.

The pouches were sold under two names. "Fuzzy Bear" pencil pouches have style number "67221" printed on the packaging. They are made of soft fabric with a stuffed bear face, measuring 9 inches by 3 inches. "Stuf Keepers" pencil pouches have style number "63525" printed on the packaging. They are made of clear vinyl with a pink, blue, orange, or green zipper, measuring 9 inches by 6 inches.

If you have one of the recalled pencil pouches, return it to the store where you bought it for a full refund. Otherwise, contact Raymond Geddes & Co. in one of the following ways:

Telephone: (800) 533-6273, extension 1124 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday
Web site: http://www.raymondgeddes.com/psa.html
Email: consumeraffairs@raymondgeddes.com

Geddes & Co. discovered the hazardous lead levels in the paint on the zippers during an internal safety audit.

Exposure to lead is particularly dangerous to children. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lead has been linked to irreversible brain injury in children, causing learning disabilities, behavioral problems, seizures, and even death.

The primary lead-poisioning danger comes from environmental sources, such as old lead-based paint chipping off walls, or lead-contaminated soil. However, young children, being prone to putting things in their mouths, may be at risk even from newer items such as these pencil pouches. Paint chipping off of the zipper will introduce exposure to the lead in the paint.