Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has found herself at the center of a health scandal.

A new report suggests select Hannah Montana-branded merchandise poses a potential risk of lead poisoning to young fans. The findings by researchers at the non-governmental agency the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) caused a stir in the U.S. earlier this week when they were first published.

Researchers purchased a variety of Hannah Montana-related items - including the Girls Rock and Undercover Pop Star backpacks, the Secret Star wallet and the slumber tote - in February and tested the made-in-China products for lead, using “an X-ray fluorescence analyser”. And they claim several items contained above the “federal standard for lead in paint (600 parts per million)”, while others proved to contain “lead concentrations above the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended level (40 parts per million)” - all of which were found in the “vinyl parts” of the products.

CEH officials are now looking into whether the products are in violation of California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 before deciding whether or not to take action.

A spokesperson from Disney, the company behind the Hannah Montana franchise, has refused to comment directly on the case, but says, “We require all licensed producers of products using Disney characters to test their products and to comply with all applicable product safety laws and standards.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Miley Cyrus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.