Toys 'R' Us recalls 27,000 art kits for lead paint hazard

About 27,000 art kits manufactured in China are being recalled from Toys "R" Us stores because they contain excessive levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.

The kits were sold in Canada and the U.S., a company spokesman confirmed Thursday. The CPSC warned that ink on the Imaginarium Wooden Colouring Cases and black watercolour paint in the kit contain unsafe levels of lead. No injuries have been reported.

Children are most vulnerable to lead exposure because they absorb it more easily than adults. Due to their low body weight, any amount of lead is more dangerous to children than it would be to adults.

The kits, which contain crayons, pastels, coloured pencils, pens, paintbrushes, pencils and water colours, were sold at Toys "R" Us stores in the U.S. and on its website toysrus.com from October 2006 through August 2007 for about $20 US.

Consumers should take thekit away from children and return the product to any Toys "R" Us for a store credit.

The announcement follows a larger recall issued in mid-August when Mattel Inc. recalled 436,000 die-cast Sarge cars worldwide because the toys were found tocontain high levels of lead.