OAKLAND, CALIF. - Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from store shelves after California's attorney general raised concerns that the toys have illegal levels of lead.
The response comes a day after a letter sent by Attorney General Jerry Brown said testing of the holiday toys revealed lead levels that violate federal law.
The products were identified as two of Target's "Message Bears" -- one a pink stuffed bear with "XOXO" across the chest and the other a brown stuffed bear with "I Love U" across the chest, with "love" represented by a heart.
Investigators from the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit watchdog, found that the bears' inflated vinyl letters contained well over federal limits for lead.
Beth Hanson, a spokeswoman for Target, said the company has pulled the toys and is investigating.
The center bought the toys at stores in California.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
