(NaturalNews) Behind the pretty labels and fancy advertisements lurks a silent and hidden danger. Often, the very image elaborately displayed is really not what it appears to be. This couldn't be any truer than for decorative drinking glasses, which are often found loaded with alarming levels of lead and cadmium. Drinking glasses are one of the last places where brain-damaging metals should be; the cadmium and lead can dust off with each drink, delivering toxic doses of poison into the mouth, into the body.

Four M&M's World retail stores are recalling 1,202 one-pint glasses and 6,335 shot glasses decorated with colorful and elaborate M&M's characters, because the decorative images are heavily contaminated with lead and cadmium -- two silent destroyers of health.

This isn't the first time that decorative glasses were found loaded with heavy-metal-laced artwork.

Popular McDonald's children's cups loaded with lead

In 2009, ToyTestingLab of Rhode Island found lead in the enamel used to color popular children's glasses made in China, issued by McDonald's. The Tin Man design, based off The Wizard of Oz, had the highest lead levels, 1,006 times greater than the federal limit for children's products. The Lion-decorated cup exceeded federal lead levels by 827 times, and the Dorothy by 770 times. Other contaminated cups included the DC superheroes Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and the Green Lantern. All the cups were also beaming with the often overlooked heavy metal cadmium.

FDA recalls M&M's collectible glasses over cadmium and lead levels

Recently, the FDA announced a recall on six different kinds of M&M's collectible glasses. The retail stores involved in the recall include the NYC, Las Vegas, Orlando and London locations.

The products affected include all the red-colored glasses with the words "hard on the outside, soft on the inside."

Maybe the slogan should read, "Pretty on the outside, dangerous on the inside." This would be a fitting phrase for both their decorative glasses and their colorful candies, which are loaded with dyes.

The blue-colored cup is loaded with lead and cadmium too, showing a picture of a blue M&M's character with the words "Who's your candy?"

Finally, all green-colored cups are to be returned, boasting the words "Eye candy."

The recall is only effective for decorative drinking glasses sold between January 8, 2014, and April 16, 2014.

The affected glasses can be identified by the SKU# printed on the sticker affixed to the bottom of each glass. The SKU numbers for the glasses are:

Red shot glass: SKU# 835986
Blue shot glass: SKU# 835989
Green shot glass: SKU# 835990
Green pint glass SKU# 835993
Red pint glass: SKU# 835991
Blue pint glass: SKU# 835992

The glasses can be returned to the following stores:

M&M's World New York City
1600 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

M&M's World Las Vegas
3785 South Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

M&M's World Orlando
8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail
Suite 1132
Orlando, FL 32809

M&M's World London
1 Swiss Court
London
W1D 6AP

The company can be reached at: 1-800-848-3606.

Sources for this article include:

http://consumerist.com

http://blog.usfoodsafety.com

http://consumerist.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com