Hello everyone,
I received a forwarded email from my wife referring to the lead that is found in handbags.
This email was from Carol Schumacher of Holistic Birth Care, birth naturally. My wife is pregnant and we use her midwife services.
I felt that it was appropriate to give you kind readers a “heads up”…
“Oakland, CA-High levels of lead have been found in dozens of vinyl
and faux leather women’s handbags, purses and wallets purchased from
Bay Area outlets of major retailers, according to testing by the
Center for Environmental Health (CEH). The accessories were found to
violate California standards for lead exposure under the state’s
Proposition 65 consumer protection law. The material on the
accessories tested at up to 90 times higher than the federal lead
paint standard (federal regulations limit lead in paint to no more
than 600 ppm).
“We know that women use their purses to carry almost anything, but
most women would be shocked to learn that they are carrying lead in
their purses,” said CEH Research Director Caroline Cox. “With safer
materials available, there is no reason that anyone should be selling
these lead-tainted products.”
Purses and other accessories found with high lead levels were
purchased from major retailers, including Target, WalMart, Macy’s,
Kohl’s, Sears, JC Penney’s, Ross, and other Bay Area stores. Products
with high lead levels were found at all but five of the 21 retailers
from which the nonprofit shopped. Brands found with high lead levels
include Nine West, xhilaration (a Target store brand), Rosetti and
several others. CEH initiated legal action against the retailers and
accessory makers today for violating Proposition 65.
CEH is advising women, and especially pregnant women, to avoid vinyl
and faux leather accessory bags and to keep these accessories away
from children. Lead was found in bags of all colors, and was
prevalent in yellow and yellow-tinted (eg, green and orange) bags,
suggesting that lead could be contained in the material and/or in the
yellow dye.
Scientists are increasingly concerned that there is no safe level of
lead exposure, especially for pregnant women and young children. Two
recent studies, both published in the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences’s peer-reviewed journal Environmental
Health Perspectives, demonstrated the impacts that lead exposure
during pregnancy can have on a women’s unborn child.
One study, investigating children’s IQ scores in relation to their
mother’s blood lead level, concluded that lead exposure during
pregnancy could have “lasting and possibly permanent effects” on a
child’s IQ. The second study showed that lead exposure during the
first trimester (three month period), when some women are not even
aware that they are pregnant, had the most pronounced effects on a
child’s mental development.
Lead is also listed by the EPA and other agencies as a cancer-causing
chemical, and lead exposure has been linked to higher rates of
infertility in women, an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes,
and high blood pressure, among other health problems.
CEH’s legal work has previously uncovered lead threats from toys,
vinyl baby bibs, children’s jewelry and many other products. CEH has
a ten-year track record of protecting consumers from hidden health
hazards and protecting communities from health hazards related to
toxic pollution. CEH also works with major industries and leaders in
green business to promote healthier alternatives to toxic products
and practices.
The retailers we found selling bags that contain high levels of lead
include:
Kohl’s
Target
Macy’s
JCPenney
H&M
Wal-Mart
Aldos
Ross
Forever 21
New York and Co.
Ashley Stewart
5-7-9
Bakers Shoes
Sears
DSW
The brands of bags we found that contain high levels of lead include:
Fluff
Aldo US
Ashley Stewart
Urban Brands (Ashley Stewart)
Bakers
Chinese Laundry
Lulu NYC
Forever 21
Relic
Haddad Accessories
H&M
St. John’s Bay
Worthington
Nine & Co.
Nine West
Apt. 9
Daisy Fuentes
Liz & Co. (by Liz Claiborne)
Dana Buchman (by Liz Claiborne)
Roxy (by Quicksilver, Inc.)
Rosetti
Cul-de-sac (Sears)
Steve Madden
Xhiliration (Target house brand)
Urban Expressions
No Boundaries (Wal-Mart house brand)
Please click here to download a full report about CEH’s findings. (I don’t know the link, sorry)
Did you know…CEH has found high levels of lead in such products as
baby bibs, diaper bags, jewelry, toys, lunchboxes, and candy. See
what we are doing about it.
Shutting Down a Toxic Medical Waste Incinerator (1999-01)
We helped shut down a medical waste incinerator that was polluting
air and water with cancer-causing dioxins, less than a mile from the
San Francisco Bay.
See what else we’ve accomplished.
Recent News
- High levels of lead in jewelry from Saks, Express, other retailers.
- Purses found with high levels of lead; poses special risk to
pregnant women.
- CEH, Clean Water Action sponsor bill to eliminate lead wheel weights.
- See our informational video.
- Working Assets recognizes CEH on its annual donations ballot. Read
more here.
- Frequently Asked Questions about the Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act and how it will affect small businesses.”
Since lead is cancer causing and extremely bad for pregnant mothers, get it out of your body, NOW.
Use “Natural Cellular Defense”, zeolite, to get the lead and other toxic heavy metals and chemicals out,
Please leave any comment you have below.
