If you're thinking about buying your kids a fidget spinner this holiday season, you may want to think twice. This inexpensive and addictive little toy is already the topic of choking hazard warnings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And Thursday morning the US Public Interest Research Group revealed that some of the spinners sold at Target (TGT) contain dangerously high levels of lead. 
 
 The Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass tested at 33,000 parts per million for lead -- some 300 times the 100 parts per million allowable for children's toys. The lead level in another model, the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner in Metal, tested at 1,300 parts per million. 
 
 The response from Target and the manufacturer: These particular spinners are recommended for consumers over the age of 14. That means CPSC lead restrictions for children don't apply, according to the companies. Products marketed to those over the age of 12 have no specific lead-level prohibitions. 
 
 "The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reviewed and explicitly defined fidget spinners as 'general use products.' They are not defined by the CPSC as toys," said Target spokesman Lee Henderson in a prepared statement. 
 
 Fidget Spinner craze sweeping the nation 
 
 Noting that US PIRG had provided Target with its lead testing results, Henderson added that the retailer's product safety team reviewed the consumer advocacy group's data and decided there was no need to pull the products from its shelves or website. 
 
 "The two fidget spinners cited in their letter are clearly marked on the package as 'appropriate for customers ages 14 and older,' and are not marketed to children," Henderson said in an email. "As a result, the fidget spinners identified are not regulated as toys or children's products and are not required to meet children's product standards." 
 
 The manufacturer, Bulls-I-Toy, said in a letter to US PIRG that because the product packaging says this spinner model is for youngsters who are at least 14-years-old, "There are no mandatory CPSC requirements for it." 
 
 Regardless of how the CPSC classifies these spinners, they're marketed as toys for kids, said Kara Cook-Shultz, toxics director at US PIRG. Not only are they sold in the toy aisles, alongside the spinners sold to 6-year-olds, until Thursday, the description of the brass spinner noted that the gadget has an "educational focus" and is appropriate for ages "6 and up," on Target's website. 
 
 After publication of this story, Target updated its website to reflect that the toy was appropriate for ages 14 and up, which matches the age range on the product packaging. 
 
 "All fidget spinners have play value as children's toys regardless of labeling," said Cook-Schultz. "We can't sit idly by while children play with these toxic toys. And, yes, they are toys." 
 
 Lead poisoning is considered most dangerous for young children because their rapidly growing bodies absorb the substance more readily, and they're more likely to put products in their mouths and near their noses, where the lead is most easily ingested. But lead is dangerous for everyone. 
 
 In children, lead can lead to hyperactivity, lack of appetite, behavior problems and learning disabilities. In adults, lead poisoning leads to brain and nervous system ailments, stomach and kidney problems, as well as high blood pressure, weakness, muscle problems and headaches, according to WebMD. 
 
 Some lead exposure victims facing new threat as adults 
 
 Target's spokesman failed to comment about why the retailer would sell a product that could be dangerous for adults. A spokesman for Bulls-I-Toy said the company's products meet CPSC guidelines. When a reporter noted that there are no lead guidelines for adult products, he reiterated: "As a company, we follow the guidelines issued by the CPSC." 
 
 Meanwhile, the CPSC has been warning about other spinner hazards. 
 
 "As the agency investigates some reported incidents associated with the popular product, fidget spinner users or potential buyers should take some precautions," said CPSC Acting Chairwoman Anne Marie Buerkle in an August statement. 
 
 Some of the pieces can break off and create choking hazards, she said. Moreover, light-up spinners often contain lithium coin cell batteries. If swallowed, these batteries can cause severe internal burns. Several reports have also said the devices can catch on fire while charging. 
 
 The CPSC noted that the agency classifies most spinners as "general use" products, rather than children's toys. Thus, they're not required to meet a variety of toy safety standards, including those that limit lead or phthalates content. 
 
 US PIRG's Cook-Schultz said the debate about whether the lead-laced products are a child's toy or an adult "stress-reliever" is beside the point: "These products are not safe," she said. "Let's get them off the shelves." ||||| By Dev Gowda and Kara Cook-Schultz, U.S. PIRG Education Fund 
 
 Introduction 
 
 The negative health effects of lead poisoning are well known. Unfortunately, lead remains a problem in our everyday lives. While much attention has been focused on tainted drinking water, such as the lead crisis in Flint, Mich., lead still remains a problem in toys. While lead in toys has become less prevalent in recent years, U.S. PIRG Education Fund tested several models of one of today’s hottest toys, fidget spinners, for the toxic heavy metal. Laboratory results indicated that two fidget spinners purchased at Target and distributed by Bulls i Toy, L.L.C. contained extremely high levels of lead. 
 
 U.S. PIRG Education Fund calls on Target and Bulls i Toy to immediately recall these two fidget spinners and investigate how such high levels of lead were found in these toys. Also, we call on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to classify these fidget spinners as toys and hold them to federal standards for lead in children’s products. 
 
 Background on Lead 
 
 Elemental lead is a metal occurring naturally in soils and rocks. It has a variety of commercial uses including in batteries, plastics, and radiation shielding. In the past, lead was also added to gasoline and paint. Because of lead’s toxicity, in 1978 it was banned in household paint, in products marketed to children, and in dishes and cookware in the United States. Lead is not discernible by sight or smell. 
 
 Lead exposure is particularly damaging for young children because of its impact on development. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to undermine IQ, attentiveness, and academic achievement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes clear that any amount of lead in a child’s blood is unsafe. Moreover, since the effects of lead exposure cannot be reversed, it is especially important to prevent lead exposure to children in the first place. 
 
 Unfortunately, toys can pose a risk in part because lead is used in other countries and can be found in imported products. Additionally, lead may be incorporated into plastic. Lead is used to soften plastic and make it more flexible, but when the plastic is exposed to sunlight, air, or detergents, the chemical bond between the lead and plastic breaks down, forming lead dust. Children can inhale or come in contact with this dust when they put toys in or near their mouths. 
 
 Federal Standards for Lead 
 
 With a few exceptions, federal law requires that all children’s products manufactured after August 2011 contain no more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead content in all accessible parts. The CPSC defines accessible parts as parts that a child could reach through “normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product.” 
 
 Paint or similar surface coatings on all children’s products are subject to a limit of 90 ppm of total lead. (Household paints are also subject to this rule.) 
 
 Exceptions to these standards include metal components of bicycles, which cannot contain more than 300 ppm of lead. Components in electronic devices, inaccessible parts, and other items are exempt from the lead standard. 
 
 Note that these limits do not meet the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which recommends that all products intended for use by children contain no more than trace amounts of lead, defined as 40 ppm, the high end of typical lead concentrations in uncontaminated soil. 
 
 Lead Found in Fidget Spinners 
 
 Several fidget spinners were tested for lead content by a CPSC-accredited laboratory. The fidget spinners were analyzed in accordance with CPSC-CH-E1001-8.3 using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS). The toys that tested for high levels of lead were then re-tested a second time to confirm the results. The results of the second test are included in this report. 
 
 The lab results showed two fidget spinners contained extremely high levels of lead: 
 
 
 
 Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass: 
 
 The center circle tested for 33,000 ppm of lead. 
 
 The arm tested for 22,000 ppm of lead. 
 
 This fidget spinner was purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, LLC, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Although the box says for ages 14+, the Target.com website where it is available for sale says both that it is for children 6+ and 14+ and specifically states that it is “framed as a toy”. See screenshot from Target.com website below. Moreover, it was found in the toy aisles of numerous Target stores throughout the country and is marketed as a toy. Below is a picture of the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass in the toy aisle of a Target store. Therefore, we believe that this product should be treated as a toy since it’s marketed for use by children under 12 years. 
 
 Screenshot from Target.com website. 
 
 Fidget spinner in Target store. 
 
 
 
 Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal: 
 
 The center circle tested for 1,300 ppm of lead. 
 
 The arm tested for 520 ppm of lead. 
 
 This fidget spinner was purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, LLC, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Although it says it’s for ages 14+, it was found in the toy aisles of numerous Target stores throughout the country and is marketed as a toy. Therefore, it should be held to federal lead standards for children’s products. 
 
 Furthermore, the BullsiToy.com website where Fidget Wild products are found is clearly a website for toys. Below is a screenshot of the Bulls i Toy website. The products they sell are marketed towards children and should, therefore, be classified as toys by the CPSC. 
 
 Alarmingly, when U.S. PIRG Education Fund notified the CPSC about the elevated lead levels in the fidget spinners, the CPSC responded in an email (screenshot below) that these fidget spinners are general use products, not toys, so the CPSC will not hold them to federal lead standards. When we alerted Target and the toy's distributor to our findings, they pointed to the same CPSC statement and refused to address the problem. Belying that statement, U.S. PIRG Education Fund staff found these fidget spinners sold in the toy aisle of Target stores and on the Target.com website, which includes a statement that the product is intended for children ages 6 and up. Furthermore, common sense dictates that fidget spinners are meant for kids and therefore should be classified as toys. U.S. PIRG Education Fund calls on the CPSC to classify these fidget spinners as toys and hold them to the federal standard for lead in children’s products. 
 
 Recommendations 
 
 For consumers: 
 
 Adults and children alike should stop using these fidget spinners. 
 
 Call on the CPSC to classify all fidget spinners as toys so that they will be held to federal standards for lead in children’s products. 
 
 Subscribe to email recall updates from the CPSC and other U.S. government safety agencies available at www.recalls.gov. 
 
 For Target, Corp and Bulls I Toy, L.L.C.: 
 
 Immediately recall these fidget spinners and remove from store shelves and Target.com website. 
 
 Issue a public statement about the recall due to high lead content. 
 
 Investigate how these toys came to contain such extremely high levels of lead and make findings public. 
 
 Ensure that other fidget spinners sold or manufactured do not contain high levels of lead. 
 
 Notify customers who purchased these fidget spinners, where contact information is available, that they should stop using the fidget spinner due to high levels of lead and offer a return for full refund. 
 
 For U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: 
 
 Ensure that all fidget spinners are classified as toys and that they must meet federal regulations for children’s products. 
 
 Investigate any misleading marketing by Target, Corp. and Bulls i Toy, L.L.C. and take appropriate action. Although the labels on the toy boxes say 14+, they’re clearly being marketed to children under 12 years. 
 
 Conduct testing for other fidget spinners, especially those labeled “brass” or “metal”, for lead. 
 
 U.S. PIRG Education Fund is a consumer and public health non-profit organization. We work to educate the public about dangers in toys, and for more than 30 years we have published an annual report titled Trouble in Toyland. Our survey of toys has led to more than 150 recalls and other enforcement actions. ||||| - High levels of lead have been found in one of the more popular gadgets this year: fidget spinners. 
 
 In recent lab results, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found two fidget spinners sold at Target have “extremely high levels of lead.” The advocacy group requested Target and its developer, Bulls i Toys, LLC to recall the products and investigate the how lead seeped into them. 
 
 The two fidget spinners containing the lead are, “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass,” and “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal.” 
 
 According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, lead's toxicity resulted in its ban in household paints and products marketed to children in 1978. Exposure to children is damaging because it can impact development, and any amount of lead in a child’s blood is unsafe. It can affect nearly every body system. 
 
 U.S. PIRG also called on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to reclassify fidget spinners as toys, rather than its current category of general use products. The organization argues that the two fidget spinners are marketed towards children. On Target’s website, the “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Bass” is recommended for ages 14 and over, as well as, 6 and over. 
 
 CPSC could hold the products to federal standards for lead if classified as a toy. Children products must not contain more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead in "accessible parts," according to federal requirements. 
 
 In the report, the lab results were tested twice to confirm the results. For the "Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass," the center circle tested for 33,000 ppm of lead, and the arm tested for 22,000 ppm of lead. The center circle of the "Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal" was tested for 1,300 ppm of lead and the arm tested for 520 ppm of lead. 
 
 While U.S. PIRG notified the CPSC, the agency held firm that the fidget spinners are not toys. 
 
 In the meantime, U.S. PIRG still recommends for adults and children to stop using the fidget spinners. The report did not address whether there have been any injuries after a product purchase. 
 
 View the full report here. ||||| Fidget spinners are one of the hottest new trends of the year, but ahead of the holiday shopping season, a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, says testing found dangerous levels of lead in some. 
 
 The safety group is not aware of any reported cases of kids getting lead poisoning from fidget spinners, but they urge awareness and transparency on the part of the retailers, especially when putting the items in children's toy sections, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. 
 
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no safe level of lead when it comes to children. It can cause serious health problems, including brain damage. It's something a mother from Portland learned the hard way, and now she is trying to help other parents. 
 
 "You don't know what that means the first time you hear that your kid has lead poisoning," Tamara Rubin said. 
 
 CBS News 
 
 Rubin said her sons still suffer debilitating effects from lead exposure in their home 12 years ago, when she says contractors used unsafe methods to remove lead paint. Now, the mother of four helps other parents learn more about products that may contain lead. 
 
 Her "Lead Safe Mama" Facebook page has more than 15,000 followers. She tests consumer products that concerned parents send to her, including hundreds of fidget spinners. She said many of them had concerning levels of lead. 
 
 "It's on the center, it's the part you're interacting with so it's definitely a hazard for children," Rubin said. 
 
 Rubin's blog caught the attention of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. They tested 12 fidget spinners found in children's toy aisles in Target stores across the country. 
 
 
 
 Two of the products tested with high levels of lead. One contained levels reaching 33,000 parts per million. That's 300 times higher than the legal limit for children's products. 
 
 "They should take these toys off the shelves," said Kara Cook Schultz, U.S. PIRG's toxics program director. 
 
 "The reason that lead is a large concern – especially in children's products – is that when children are exposed to high levels of lead they can experience things like memory loss, learning disabilities," she said. 
 
 Tamara Rubin 
 
 When the group contacted Target and asked them to take the product off the shelves, Target declined, saying the two products are not designed for children. 
 
 According to the packaging, they are marked for ages 14 and up, and Target says, "They are not defined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as toys" and as a result "are not required to meet children's product standards." 
 
 The toy's manufacturer, Bulls-i-Toy, similarly stated in a letter to the safety group: "The products in question are clearly labeled 'ages 14+'…there are no mandatory CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) requirements for it." 
 
 The CPSC says fidget spinners marketed to children under the age of 12 would be subject to federal testing regulations including lead testing, but those marketed for use over age 12 are considered "general use products," which would not be subject to those same tests. U.S. PIRG is pushing to change the guidelines for these popular gadgets. 
 
 CBS News reached out to Bulls-i-Toy for comment but has not heard back. ||||| Catherine Hettinger has an inventor’s mind: When she notices a problem, she tries to imagine a toy or device that can remedy it. 
 
 So when she heard about young boys throwing rocks at police officers and people walking past them while visiting her sister in Israel, her wheels started turning. She started brainstorming devices that could distract young children and provide them with a soothing toy to play with. 
 
 First, she thought of a soft rock that kids could throw. But then she tossed that idea aside, still thinking about other options when she returned to her home in Orlando, Fla. It was there that she eventually developed the idea that would become the original fidget spinner — more than two decades before the wildly popular device became the must-have toy for both kids and adults this year. 
 
 Buy now: Fidget Spinner, $26, Amazon 
 
 “It started as a way of promoting peace, and then I went on to find something that was very calming,” Hettinger, now in her 60s, told MONEY of the fidget spinners, which she first began imagining back in the 1980s. 
 
 The toys now come in different designs and have hit the mass market after the patent expired on Hettinger’s original product in 2005, meaning companies can sell the product independently from her. But Hettinger isn’t upset about the sudden popularity and capitalization of her invention. In fact, she’s excited about it. 
 
 “Maybe if it was some kind of exploitative product — like a new style of cigarettes — and my only motivation was to make money, I’d have a different attitude,” Hettinger said. “But I am just thrilled.” 
 
 Catherine Hettinger courtesy of Sara Hettinger 
 
 READ MORE: Meet the Fidget Spinner, a New Toy Craze Entrancing Kids and Grownups Alike 
 
 The modern iterations of the devices made out of metal or plastic and have a bearing in the middle that allows it to be spun. Some of the products have prongs on them, while others are circular. The spinners, which range in price from just a few dollars to hundreds, are intended to calm nerves and help with stress and anxiety. The handheld gadgets are now so popular that different versions of fidget spinners make up all of Amazon’s top 20 best sellers for toys and games as of May 2. 
 
 “When you start seeing these things flying off the shelf at your local 7-11, you know things are heating up,” Hettinger joked. 
 
 Hettinger grew up in Oklahoma and attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York — a college known for its engineering and technology programs — before moving to Florida. The first fidget spinner debuted in 1993, and her patent approved four years later. But they didn’t take off — instead, she made rounds at fairs selling a couple thousand devices and frequently tried selling them to toy companies. 
 
 Once she had her patent, she booked a meeting with Hasbro, the third-largest toy maker in the world, and even found herself using the fidget spinner to ease her nerves before the meeting with the company’s vice president. “That was one good thing about this product: If I walked into their headquarters spinning it, it totally calmed me down,” she recalled. “It’s not an easy thing for most people to walk in and close big deals.” 
 
 Hasbro didn’t pick up the spinners, sending her a rejection letter after testing it on consumers. But now, Hasbro sells the fidget spinners — almost 20 years after it denied the original product. 
 
 Chloe, Hettinger's granddaughter, plays with the original fidget spinner. Sara Hettinger– 
 
 So why the sudden boom in popularity? Hettinger isn’t sure, but she speculates as a result of the recession in 2008, people may be looking for ways to calm their nerves and have fun. “That was always the concept — to help people,” she said. “I experienced it for myself.” 
 
 “There’s a real need for this, ” she added. 
 
 And given the device’s sudden popularity, Hettinger is working on a way to sell her original spinners, which have not been on the market throughout the current craze. She’s going to launch a a Kickstarter — called the Classic Spinner —soon and sell her version online. 
 
 While she’s excited about the spinner’s newfound popularity, she’s still got an inventor’s mind and continues to observe her surroundings and think up products that can make life easier for people. 
 
 Her latest project is a diet and fitness application for iPhones that she’s working on with the help of the Inventors Council of Central Florida, a Florida-based group that she is a member of that works on new ideas together. 
 
 “The culture we live in now — the times now — everyone has a need for fun. People are realizing it — and it’s true,” she said. 
 
 Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the year Hettinger’s patent expired. It expired in 2005, not 2017. Additionally, this story misstated what inspired her to create the fidget spinner. Hettinger was inspired after hearing about boys throwing rocks at people and police — she did not see it herself.
– A maker of one of the hottest products of the year has just found itself in a bucket of hot water. According to a consumer advocacy group, two fidget spinners supplied to Target by Iowa-based Bulls-i-Toy contain lead at up to 330 times the federal legal limit for toys. Inspired by a 15,000-strong Facebook group run by a woman who tests consumer products for lead, the US Public Interest Research Group tested 12 fidget spinners sold by Target and found two with unsafe lead levels, reports CBS News. Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass was found to contain 33,000 parts per million at its center, while Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal contained 1,300 parts per million, reports the Washington Post. Federal laws limit lead in "children's products" to 100 parts per million. The group is now asking Target to remove the products and recall those already sold. But Target isn't complying, arguing the Consumer Product Safety Commission classifies fidget spinners as "general use products" marketed to users 14 and up, making them exempt from regulations on toys. Bulls-i-Toy seconds that, noting the products are "clearly labeled" for ages 14 and up. But FOX 13 notes the fidget spinners sold in Target toy aisles had actually been listed on its website at one point with a manufacturer's recommendation for users "6 years and up." Given that lead exposure can cause learning disabilities in children, among many other issues, US PIRG's toxics director maintains "these products are not safe," per CBS. (They're also a choking hazard.)