UP to 10,000 Nike children's shoes coloured with lead paint, a potentially poisonous ingredient, are being recalled in the SAR and Taiwan.
Retailers said they had removed the red and white Little Air Jordan XIV sneakers from shelves on Friday after receiving an order from the United States sportswear giant.
Nike blamed a Taiwanese supplier for using lead paint. It has been linked to lead poisoning, resulting in anaemia, constipation, colic, paralysis or muscle cramps.
'Endangering the health and safety of our consumers is inexcusable,' the company said in a statement.
'We at Nike deeply regret this unfortunate situation and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused our consumers and retailers.' It is also recalling 100,000 pairs of shoes in the United States.
Hong Kong sports shops last night said the shoes, which sold for $299 a pair, had proved popular with children.
