Fingerprint Toy Kit May Contain Asbestos

Four days before Christmas, Planet Toys Inc. wants stores to remove the company's CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit from their shelves after some tests had revealed samples of asbestos included in the kits.

The New York toy manufacturer sent a "stop sale" notice Friday, according to a statement on the company's Web site saying an investigation is under way into whether the kits pose a health threat to anyone using them.

The announcement comes about three weeks after the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy group, called on stores to remove the toys from their shelves. Lab studies from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization showed asbestos in some samples of the kit's fingerprint dust.

A spokesman with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates product safety, said the federal agency is investigating the claims but could not say whether an official recall would be issued for the toy.

"CPSC is aware that certain retailers have begun pulling this product off store shelves and CPSC is investigating whether there is asbestos within the product that can harm children," spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

Walgreens stores removed the toy kits from their shelves Wednesday and is conducting its own investigation, said spokeswoman Carol Hively. "It's a temporary measure while we see for ourselves what the test shows," she said.

Officials at Planet Toys had no immediate comment.