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INDIANAPOLIS — Around 600,000 promotional ducks distributed over 12 years are being recalled because they contain phthalates and lead content that exceed federal content standards.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall involves 6″ Aflac plush promotional ducks distributed to consumers as a promotional item. The ducks include:

  • Accident Duck
  • Business Duck (only with no model number printed on the sewn-in tag are included in this recall)
  • Fishing Duck
  • Police Duck
  • PGA Duck
  • One Day Pay Duck
  • Heisman Duck
  • Lifeguard Duck.

The recall was initiated after recent testing showed that components of some promotional ducks contained phthalates at levels that exceeded the applicable federal standards. A component of the fishing duck contains lead at a level that exceeded the applicable federal standard.

Communicorp started the continued testing after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection detected elevated lead levels in small buttons on the coat of a promotional Dr. Duck on May 12, 2020. That discovery prompted the recall of around 635,000 promotional items distributed from January 2005-July 2020.

All the promotional ducks that are being recalled were produced by a vendor with whom Commuicorp no longer does business. The company said it is destroying inventory produced by that vendor. Its promotional ducks produced by new vendors have passed comprehensive tests.

The CDC says phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable. Some types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system in animals. Phthalates and lead are toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues.

Anyone with the recalled ducks should dispose of them. Anyone with questions can contact Communicorp at 800-642-3522 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.