Stainless Steel Cups Sold on Amazon Recalled Due to Lead Contamination

Lead levels in the Cupkin Double-Walled Stainless Steel Children's Cups exceed the federal content ban.

More than 345,000 children's cups have been recalled due to unsafe levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Thursday. Soojimus is voluntarily recalling 8-ounce and 12-ounce models of its Cupkin Double-Walled Stainless Steel Children's Cups — which were sold on Amazon and the Cupkin website — due to them having "levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban."

The recalled 8- and 12-ounce cups were manufactured in China and sold in pairs, with 12 different color combinations including a matching straw: blue and green, pink and purple, blue and gray, peach and teal, black and white, coral and yellow, green and pink, polignac and potpourri, brown and peach, rust and salmon, aqua and periwinkle, and cobalt and mint. The recalled cups have the word "Cupkin" printed on the front bottom of the cups. The cups were sold in pairs online at Amazon.com and Cupkin.com from January 2018 through March 2023 for about $20.

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(Photo: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Soojimus issued the voluntary recall after "receiving feedback from consumer advocates and additional follow up testing," which led to the discovery that the cups "contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban." Although lead, a toxic substance, is constantly present in small amounts and people are exposed to it daily, exposure to large amounts can lead to lead positing. Mayo Clinic notes that lead poisoning can be difficult to detect, and signs and symptoms typically don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated. Symptoms of lead poisoning include joint and muscle pain, headache, abdominal pain, and mood disorders, among others. Soojimus said liquid in the recalled cups is "not exposed to lead due to the double walled construction," adding that the exposure to lead can occur if the cup bottoms are mistreated.

"When we initially developed these cups, our manufacturing partner confirmed multiple times that absolutely no lead was used in any part of our production process," Cupkin said in a message shared to its website. "Learning that our manufacturing partner and not one, but two CPSC-accredited labs let us down is a heavy set back both financially and emotionally, However, no matter the cost...we are going to be as transparent and proactive as possible to resolve this ASAP."

Due to the health risks the cups pose, consumers who purchased the products are urged to "immediately take the cups away from children" and discontinue use. Soojimus and Amazon are contacting all known purchasers directly, and consumers can contact Soojimus for a full refund.