WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Could Christmas lights be a lead hazard?

Could Christmas lights be a lead hazard?

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A viewer called troubleshooter Judi Gatson, saying every box of lights she bought has a lead warning. So Judi went to stores to investigate just how dangerous your decorations could be.

For many families, decorating the Christmas tree is a holiday tradition. But before you let the kids get a hold of that tree and start stringing lights, you need to be aware of a serious warning.

One typical label reads, "The handling of this ... exposes you to lead a chemical known in the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."

Shopper Shirena Alcide of Columbia says, "That is very interesting. You would think they would make that more known to people that that could be a problem; that's definitely a problem."

Other shoppers agree, it's easy to miss and it is a concern.

Every set of lights Judi checked - from big retailers, home improvement stores, drug stores and specialty stores - all have the lead warning. But it's not just on lights, it's also on pre-lit Christmas trees.

So how much lead is in the lights? "Well, that's a very difficult thing to ascertain," says Dr. William Richardson, of the Palmetto Poison Control Center.

Dr. Richardson says, "Well, lead is potentially very dangerous and can effect just about every organ system, predominantly in children, developmental kind of issues."

He says the parents of children - especially young children - should take any lead warning seriously. "I would wash their hands and be on the safe side, and beyond that I certainly wouldn't let a toddler or small child have their mouth on the lights or wires and be handling because that's where the problem is."

So why would Christmas lights contain lead? We contacted several of the light companies. The only company that responded was Sylvania. In a statement Sylvania said, "Plastic wiring contains a small amount of lead which acts as a fire retardant. We are still trying to find methods to reduce the amount of lead in the product. As always we caution consumers not to put products in their mouths and to wash hands thoroughly."

Dr. Richardson says while lead warnings are serious there's no need to panic. "With Christmas lights, I think certainly by far the biggest hazard would be more fire hazard than the lead we're talking about in this situation."

Just use common sense.

Some shoppers, like Arieus Alcide, are making big changes, "There's going to be some changes in the plans. I'll definitely pay attention to that. I'm going to look every time."

Dr. Richardson says there are only two ways to get lead poisoning - by ingesting lead, actually putting something in your mouth, or by absorbing it through inhalation. That could be a problem with the trees, because they may shed lead-laced dust which may cover branches or shower the gifts.

If you have young children and you're worried about that make sure you keep the area clean - or consider buying a live tree. And again, if your children handle the lights or help decorate the tree - make sure they wash their hands.

Reported by Judi Gatson

Posted by Chantelle Janelle