A popular brand of crayons contains toxic levels of asbestos, according to a consumer advocacy group that is calling on retailers such as Dollar Tree and Amazon.com to pull the items from their shelves.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) Education Fund says Playskool crayons tested positive for asbestos, which can lead to lung cancer and mesothelioma if inhaled or ingested. The group tested 36-packs of crayons purchased at a Dollar Tree store in Chicago but noted that they are also being sold online at Amazon, eBay and DollarDays.com. (Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.