Add recalls to the list of Halloween hazards

Halloween always prompts a host of safety warnings. You’ve heard many of them before: Make sure costumes can be seen in the dark; be careful when placing candles and, of course, beware of tainted candy. This year, we’re sad to say, we’ve got one more caution to add to the list: Check out your costumes and accessories,  candy containers and decorations to make sure they have not been recalled because they contain excessive levels of lead.

Already, in the weeks before the holiday, a Halloween product has been caught up in the onslaught of lead recalls. Last week, the agency recalled a Frankenstein cup because its paint contained excessive amounts of lead. We won't be surprised if there are more recalls before trick or treating time.

In fact, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio had 16 Halloween products tested for lead by Ohio's Ashland University. The results: three products, including the Frankenstein cup, significantly exceeded the CPSC's standard for lead. The other two products--a witch candy bucket and a skull candy bucket--have not yet been recalled. UPDATE: 55,000 skull pails were recalled on Oct. 17. The pails, containing a mixture of candy, were sold at retail stores nationwide beginning in September for two dollars.

So as you get ready to carve your pumpkin and buy treats for the neighborhood kids, take the time to sign up to for recall product alerts at the CPSC's web site. And while you’re at it, check your holiday stash from last year to make sure it doesn’t include previously recalled items such as the vinyl Creepy Cape costume sold by Family Dollar (a fire hazard) or the Mr. Potato Head pumpkin decorating kits sold by Target (a choking hazard because the kits contained small parts).

If you spot any of these items on store shelves, make sure you notify the store manager as well as the CPSC.