Millions of toys have been recalled because they contain hazardous lead. But there may be something else in your living room this holiday season with the same danger. Many fake Christmas trees contain lead. We show you how to keep your family safe in this Seven On Your Side Consumer Watch.
Families break out their fake Christmas trees every year. But danger can lurk on the limbs. Many trees are made in China and come with a warning label that they're made with lead.
Researchers like Dr. Steve Patch with the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina Asheville have been studying lead in fake Christmas trees.
Said Dr. Patch, "We assembled it with our hands and then wiped our hands to see how much lead dust had gotten on our hands."
They found high levels of lead in trees more than 5 years old. The good news they say is that newer trees tend to have less lead. Said Patch, "It seems like there's less risk for the new trees. But our study has not been exhaustive enough that we can say there's no risk."
Lead can cause brain damage. It wipes right off the tree limbs. Explained Patch, "Handling the product and then not thinking about washing their hands off carefully and then perhaps handling food or putting their hand to their mouth."
We asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission why lead trees are allowed. They tell us that because lead poisoning comes from repeated or extensive exposure, they don't believe lead trees are a hazard. But they recommend the same advice as Dr. Patch, "I'd recommend that people just use caution in washing their hands carefully after assembling these trees."
Here are some tips to keep your family safe:
For $20 dollars, you can have the UNCA lab test your tree for lead by logging on to www.leadtesting.org .
Don't allow children to touch the tree, wash your hands after touching it, and vacuum dust under the tree with a vacuum with a HEPA filter or you'll spread the lead dust around the house.
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