BOSTON -- Before your kids put on those Halloween costumes you may want to know that some costumes could be dangerous, especially for younger kids prone to putting things in their mouth.

After some shopping at a CVS drug store and a Goodwill store and testing of random costumes, a technician found that many costumes passed the test but some, such as a black plastic witch's cape, did contain potentially hazardous levels of lead, a harmful chemical that can be poisonous in a child's bloodstream.

"This cape definitely contains a substantial amount of lead and too much cadmium," said Sia Asfhari of RMD Instruments. "Cadmium is another poison."

The items, such as fake plastic teeth, were tested under an X-ray fluorescent machine. Most were OK, but popular packages of face paint had problems.

"Unfortunately we found lead in 10 out of the 10 products we tested and we found six out of the 10 products had nickel, chromium or cobalt, which are top allergens," said Mia Davis of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Apparently, some of the products Halloween revelers use to disguise themselves has hidden risks.

"It's perfectly legal to put heavy metals in kids' face paint," Davis said.

Consumer protection laws do not necessarily cover many of the products, which means parents should be on the alert.