California's strange product warning labels

Thanks to a long-delayed effect of the California Health and Safety Code's Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, consumer electronics manufactures have finally been forced to disclose even minute amounts of lead in their products. That means that some products, like Kensington's Pilot mouse, contain scary warnings such as: "The cord on this product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling."  It seems some consumers were so scared with the warnings that they returned the products. Not that we can really blame them all that much, can we?

[Yosh @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Governator: "Iz sayvin yous from birth defectz like mee"

[Yosh @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Governator: "Iz sayvin yous from birth defectz like mee"

[Jim In Holland @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Very short-term thinking - unless we're speaking a pipe draining into a lake, people don't appreciate the cumulative damage of many such devices. It's not the effect of one mouse, but of thousands and millions. Companies dump old hardware every day (and think of the hole where the Newtons are buried... snif) so the law has to account for not just the effects of one object, but tons of it seeming into landfills and waterways.

But hey - it's more fun to be glib and snarky than informed, right?

[Toxic waste @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This article makes the warning label seem like a joke, but why in god's name does a *mouse cord* contain *any* lead in the first place? Even if it's "minute", it's more than zero and hence more than it should be. Maybe this will provide lazy manufacturers of stuff like this with incentive to use materials that have not even trace amounts of harmful substances.

If it were impossible to make mouse cords w/o lead, I'd be out there defending the likes of Kensington. But it's not, so why should they be given any slack whatsoever when they use materials containing any amount of lead? It's laziness. Since Kensington is apparently the only manufacturer of mice in this position, it seems they brought it on themselves.

[JS @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

That warning label seems completely reasonable, if you know the threat that lead poses. Maybe tech companies should sell us safer products. How about that? Huh?

[Myth @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I have to admit, I was a little freaked out by the warning label on the Saitek controllers I bought from circuit city....

But now, a few years later, I'm getting used to the chemo.

[dave @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Umm doesnt solder contain lead?? Isnt almost every electronic device made with components soldered onto a pcb??

[daniel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

There are other soldering options beyond lead.. silver solder for one, copper or brass brazing are also options. I'm not sure if these are direct substitutes, but they deserve some consideration.

[Lewis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

This same warning came on all my christmas lights this year. It certainly gave me a moment of pause.

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

It's not just in California, I recently purchased outdoor Christmas lights that had the same warning all over the packaging, and I'm in New Jersey. Fascinating, and yet, I still bought two sets.

[striegs @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I love how at the end of the article it advises you to go wireless. Huh. Too bad the only lead on my MP3 player happens to be in the power cable, not the USB cord. Invent me some wireless power akin to the SplashPad and I'll be convinced.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

There are small amounts of lead in many plastic coverings on cables. The new strands of lights I bought for Christmas (made by Phillips - not some knock-off compnay) have the same warning on them (you will see that warning on almost anything sold in the US - the manufacturers are not going to create different packaging for California). Frankly, it's VERY important to make consumers aware of this. Exposure to small amounts of lead over a long period of time will allow lead to build-up in the person's system.

Now, should we, as adults, panic when it comes to ourselves? No. Is it important to take note? Yes. Washing your hands is something you should do on a regular basis during the day, anyhow. Not only does it remove things like lead from your hands before you eat those potato chips from the vending machine it also helps stop the spread of viruses and bacteria in a workplace or a household.

Should we, as adults and possibly parents, panic? No, but we do need to take extra care. Small children put all sorts of things in their mouths. We know that as a fact. Those of us who live in older communities (pre-1980 or so) know how important it is to test our houses for lead paint, especially if paint is chipping. I can't see that we really want them sucking on a mouse cord, either.

Lead poisoning is not a joke, in any way, shape or form. It can lead to serious developmental disabilities due to prolonged exposure. While I agree that California does tend to overlegislate, my child's good health is important, not just to me or my child, but the the community and country as a whole. This is the kind of warning that is necessary (and you would be surprised at what other things are showing up with lead in them - like costume jewelery!).

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Crazy mixed up Californians...! Isn't the tiny amounts of Lead particles encased inside the plastic lining? I wonder how much friction on that cord would allow your skin contact with those said particles?

[Grandpa @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

My god you have been brainwashed.

The dose makes the poison. Dirt is naturally full of arsenic but we aren't keeling over from it.

Cumulative effect? It's not that simple. Think of alcohol. You can drink a gallon of vodka over the course of a year with no ill effect. Drink it in one day and you are dead.

[san @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Lead, and various heavy metals, and alcohol are entirely different. Alcohol is in large part broken down in the body and the decomposition products, as well as any intact molecules, are excreted. Lead, although it cannot be broken down, is likewise excreted in some quantity; but it also has a nasty habit of lingering for a very long time if not forever in our tissues, along with alcohol.

Arsenic is prone to building up in tissue, just like lead. And it's not a particularly good idea. One massive dose cause problems, and lots of chronic exposure at low doses causes problems.

All that said, the admonition to "wash hands after handling" is a bit much. I wouldn't let me children chew on the cable and to that end I appreciate the warning, even though I don't let me children chew on anything not more or less approved for that purpose. Still, washing hands after unwrapping, plugging in, or otherwise completing some regular task with the mouse cord is over the top.

[san @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

"along with alcohol"... I meant "unlike alcohol."

Blah!

[striegs @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

Babies should probably be everyone's primary concern, but don't forget about household pets chewing on various cables. Especially young, untrained ones, like my four month-old puppy. He's already chewed through two cables for Christmas lights, and if you're not worried about the short-term consequence of electrocution, you might want to be concerned about the long-term effects of lead poisoning. Then again, consider all the other disgusting and possibly noxious things dogs consume. It's not like I'm an expert on canine toxin tolerances.

[Polly @ Dec 19th 2005 2:14AM]

I ran into the same lead warnings on my Christmas lights. It didn't stop me. However when I ran into that warning on some Christmas hot cocoa mugs ... it stopped me. hmmm, lead-based glazes may be outlawed in the US but probably not China where these mugs were made. MOst likely, the importer just wasn't *sure* so had to put the label on. Just like we do for all the cast beads and clasps on our Web site. Cast beads and findings commonly -- more commonly than we realized -- contain lead. It's soft, has a nice melting temperature and produces the traditional pewter color.
If we don't KNOW the item is lead-free, then we have to say it might contain lead. And guess what, after a year of that on our web site ... many of our manufacturers say their curent stock *is* lead free or at least is low lead (around 100ppm, which is better than the 600ppm the USCPSC says is acceptable). But 3 years ago, our manufacturers couldn't even answer the question....

So -- it's been 3 years of confusion, but it's brought it to our attention and the publics attn, and it's finally working! YOu really don't want your son or neice to get lead poisoning from chewing on their airplane zipper pull or their pewter alphabet-bead necklace.