It's unacceptable that despite public education and decades-old legislation that lead poisoning continues to be a serious threat to public health.
A bill being proposed in Albany might help, and we urge lawmakers to get it passed.
Cheaply made products marketed for children are continually being recalled for lead content. Vinyl baby bibs being sold by a national retailer were recently found to have high levels of lead. Babies, of course, will sometimes chew on their bibs.
Lunchboxes and toys have also been recalled, and a new - and especially dangerous - problem is the discovery of high lead levels in jewelry young people use for body piercing.
The warnings come too late for children that have already been exposed. Once lead makes its way into the bloodstream, it damages tissues and brain function. The damage is irreversible.
It's outrageous that these products are being made available to the public.
The health effects of lead-based paints were addressed years ago, when public health officials realized that children were sometimes eating paint chips and developing dangerously high levels of lead in their bodies.
Lead paint was banned in 1970 and landlords have since been required to gain certification that pre-1970s properties have had lead paint removed or properly sealed.
The latest wave of potential exposure to lead comes largely in the form of products manufactured in China.
The law now being proposed would restrict the sale of jewelry and toys containing high lead levels, and require proper labeling of products containing any amount of lead.
Violators could be fined as much as $2,500 for each illegal sale.
Greater restrictions and enforcement is the only way to keep these dangerous products away from children, and we want our lawmakers to act.
Cheaply made products marketed for children are continually being recalled for lead content. Vinyl baby bibs being sold by a national retailer were recently found to have high levels of lead. Babies, of course, will sometimes chew on their bibs.
Lunchboxes and toys have also been recalled, and a new - and especially dangerous - problem is the discovery of high lead levels in jewelry young people use for body piercing.
The warnings come too late for children that have already been exposed. Once lead makes its way into the bloodstream, it damages tissues and brain function. The damage is irreversible.
It's outrageous that these products are being made available to the public.
The health effects of lead-based paints were addressed years ago, when public health officials realized that children were sometimes eating paint chips and developing dangerously high levels of lead in their bodies.
Lead paint was banned in 1970 and landlords have since been required to gain certification that pre-1970s properties have had lead paint removed or properly sealed.
The latest wave of potential exposure to lead comes largely in the form of products manufactured in China.
The law now being proposed would restrict the sale of jewelry and toys containing high lead levels, and require proper labeling of products containing any amount of lead.
Violators could be fined as much as $2,500 for each illegal sale.
Greater restrictions and enforcement is the only way to keep these dangerous products away from children, and we want our lawmakers to act.
