Stuffed toy promotional Aflac ducks dressed in doctors’ coats and stethoscopes should be thrown away because the buttons on the lab coat worn by “Doctor Duck” contain toxic levels of lead that if ingested by young children could make them sick and in need of a real-life doctor, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in a news release.
The recall affects about 635,500 ducks, which were manufactured in China, imported by Communicorp Inc., of Columbus, Georgia, and distributed by Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company of Santa Clarita, California.
The Doctor Duck toys are six inches tall and have a white body with yellow beaks and feet. Each is dressed in a white lab coat with buttons and a stethoscope, with “Aflac” printed on the front of the duck’s lab coat. The plush toys were distributed by Aflac to consumers as a promotional toy.
While no injuries have been reported to date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions that lead is toxic and young children who accidentally ingest the buttons can suffer serious adverse events, including damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems.
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