Seconhand items, firsthand danger of lead

I posted the above article because it supports my belief that lead is still a problem in our environment. I suspect it is a bigger probelm than we think not only for humans but animals as well.


From the Oregonain January 21,2011
http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2011/01/in_portland_the_city_that_love.html


Portland loves its thrift stores. It's not just the vintage aesthetic but the ethic of reuse, undoubtedly strengthened by a struggling economy. Vintage tableware and ceramics, toys and decorative items often cost a fraction of their brand-new counterparts.

So let me say this: Secondhand shops rock.

But also this: Buyer beware.

A study in the December issue of The Journal of Environmental Health found dangerous levels of lead in used consumer products. The authors visited secondhand stores, junk shops and antique stores in Oregon, Virginia and New York. They purchased 28 items they had determined contained lead using a simple lead test and then had those items further tested using X-ray fluorescence at the University of California at Berkeley. Nineteen violated the federal lead limit, which is between 300 and 600 parts per million, depending on the product.

A metal ice cream scoop had two times the federal limit, and a salt shaker lid had a shocking 714 times the limit.

"Most Americans think that because we have these laws in place we're safe," said Laurel Sharmer, professor emerita of State University of New York at Potsdam, who now lives in Monmouth. She co-authored the study with Anna Harding of Oregon State University and Steven Shackley of UC Berkeley. Lead harms a child's developing brain and can lower IQ.

A lot of us were probably exposed to lead as children, I said to Sharmer, and I guess we're lucky to be OK.

"But are you?" Sharmer asked. "Would you be a lot smarter than you are now?"

And note that lead can harm adults, too, causing numerous problems, including kidney damage, and increasing the risk of brain cancer.

Now just to be clear: Manufacturers still make tableware and other items such as crystal or paint that contain lead, but there are limits on how much can be in those items and many manufacturers have phased it out completely. Federal laws don't regulate lead limits in secondhand stores or require that owners test items. So those places may be selling items with dangerous lead levels.

The researchers are particularly worried about people who decorate for a shabby chic look, such as an old dresser with peeling paint. A blue shutter that researchers found had 23,161 parts per million of lead. An $895 door in McMinnville tested positive for lead.

But it's in all sorts of other home items, too.

So what should thrift store shoppers do to be safe?

One thing is to buy simple lead test kits, although they're expensive. A pack of eight LeadCheck swabs cost me $30 at a local hardware store. You pinch either end, shake it and squeeze. You then rub it on an item for 30 seconds. If it turns pink, the item has lead. Generally the darker the color, the more lead it contains.

You can stretch a test swab out one of two ways. As long as it doesn't turn pink you can keep using it on multiple items until it dries out. Or, you can squeeze a little on Q-tips to test five or six items.

I visited a couple of secondhand shops and asked if I could do a simple lead test. To my relief, the employees said no problem. Of the three items I tested at each store, one at each place contained lead. At one a lovely cup and saucer made in Italy turned my test swab bright pink. Now to be fair, I can't be certain whether items exceeded federal lead limits because I don't have access to a Spectrace/Thermo QuanX energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer the way the study's authors had. And researchers have found that lead has caused neurological damage in children at levels much lower than the government standards.

Some secondhand shops alert consumers. Goodwill knows there's the danger of selling items containing lead and posts this in all its stores: "Goodwill makes every effort to comply with governmental recall notices regarding consumer products. However, Goodwill does not independently test for lead or other contaminants in consumer products."

"We hope the signs encourage consumers to exercise good judgement," said Goodwill General Counsel Bob Barsocchini in a written reply to my questions.

Now researcher Sharmer, who wrote the study, wants to see customers ask secondhand shop owners: Can you prove what you're selling doesn't have lead? If the seller can't -- and don't just take the seller's word for it -- she would like sellers to supply lead test kits so customers can check for themselves.

Although that would be ideal, it doesn't seem practical to me. Even if purchased in bulk, the tests would be a prohibitive expense. Sharmer did say it could become an affordable option if businesses could get state and federal tax credits for buying the tests.

But what can be done for the time being?

Shopkeepers could post signs warning of potential lead or even put lead warning stickers on items they're pretty sure contain it, said Barbara Zeal, program coordinator for the state's Lead Poison Prevention Program. An item bought only for decoration in a house without children isn't as much of a concern as an item bought to eat off or give to a child to play with. Shop owners could also distribute the state's information on lead dangers, which they can get for free online. A great example of a place selling secondhand items that clearly warns of the dangers of lead is The ReBuilding Center on North Mississippi Avenue. Signs are posted throughout that say: "Materials painted in 1978 or earlier may contain lead-based paint. To learn more about lead hazards and safety, call the lead hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD." The center also puts small stickers with the same message on anything suspected of containing lead. It doesn't accept any items with peeling paint. The center also tests its air every year for lead levels to ensure its employees aren't breathing it.

Manager Tom Patzkowski estimates that 10 to 15 percent of their building materials contain lead, mainly the older doors, windows and trim. "We do our best to let people be aware of the hazards of lead paint," he said.

That's about the best a shopkeeper selling secondhand can do for now.

-- Carrie Sturrock

Glad you posted this Charis many people don't realize or remember that not that long ago lead was used in many of household items.

Anytime we purchase vintage furniture we either strip the old paint off or seal the painted item with 3-4 coats of a clear sealer... our house is full of vintage items!

Not to mention all the lead that still reamins in the soil around our older homes.