Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire is warning parents to take extra care following tests revealing some children’s paints, including Tarton Collection Kits which are imported from China, contain significant levels of lead which can damage the nervous system.
UK regulations say lead levels in face paint should be around 20 parts per million but analysts have found some face paints contain up to 16,900 parts per million of lead.
One company responsible for importing the paints has been fined £14,000 for breaching product safety laws but unfortunately only 300 of the 7,200 kits sold to retail shops in the UK have been recovered.
Mr Knight said: “This is a very worrying situation. Parents should be extra vigilant because lead toxicity can damage body organs and is especially dangerous to young children, even at low levels.
Mr Knight said anyone with a child’s face paint set who has concerns should contact the East Riding Trading Standards office on 08454 04 05 06.