NERC in the News
Reusable Store Bags Scrutinized for Lead Levels
Parkersburg (West Virginia) News and Sentinel, January 30, 2011
By Ashley Hill
MARIETTA - Reusable grocery bags are growing in popularity, but a recent report reveals that reusable bags at a number of national chain stores contain excessive amounts of lead.
The report, issued earlier this week by the Center for Consumer Freedom, says that of 44 organizations whose bags were tested, 16 are selling or distributing reusable bags that contain lead in excess of 100 ppm (parts per million), which is the limit many states have established for heavy metals in packaging.
Marilyn Ortt, coordinator of the Marietta Area Recycling Center, said she's hopeful the study won't discourage folks from opting for reusable grocery bags instead of paper or plastic.
"There are reusable bags that don't have (lead) on them," she said. "I think that absolutely the lead has to be gotten out because lead is dangerous to the environment and the bags can be made without the lead.
"Apparently including lead is a cheaper way to go for many things, " she added. "We read about it being in paint on children's toys and now this."
Bags that were made from non-woven polypropylene - the most commonly used material in reusable grocery bags - are the ones on which the CCF focused. The material is usually made in China and can be produced in many different ways that either include or exclude toxic heavy metals.
Giant Eagle, CVS and Walgreens are among the retailers whose bags were tested. Plastic and plastic-coated rigid inserts placed in the bottoms of some bags for added stability were also tested separately from the bags themselves.
According to test results, a Giant Eagle bag that features a "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" image contains 523 ppm, and its insert contains 165 ppm.
The company is taking steps to eliminate that lead content.
"All reusable bags sold in our stores are safe for use," said Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan. "Moving forward, all reusable bags for sale in our stores will be free of lead."
The largest amount of lead found in any of the bags tested turned up in a CVS bag, which contained 697 ppm. That bag was recalled by the company, according to the CCF.
An insert in a Walgreens bag that was tested contained 298 ppm. Tiffani Washington, Walgreens' media relations manager, said the company has already moved to address the problem.
"We have issued instructions to our stores to remove that style of bag from the sales floor while we gather more information," she said. "The reusable bags we sell without plastic inserts were not part of the CCF testing, and we currently test our reusable bags for compliance with The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse regulations prior to purchase."
Made up of state officials and an industry advisory board, the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse was formed in 1992 to promote the standards of Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation, originally drafted in 1989. The goal of the legislation was to cut down on the amount of heavy metals entering the waste stream, one-third of which is comprised of packaging. Nineteen states have adopted those standards, though Ohio is not among them. [The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse is administered by the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.]
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, once taken into the body, lead spreads in the blood and is accumulated in the bones. Lead can adversely affect the nervous system, kidney function, immune system, reproductive and developmental systems and the cardiovascular system, depending on the level of exposure. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is also affected by lead exposure.
Most commonly, lead has neurological effects in children and cardiovascular effects, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, in adults. Even low levels of lead may contribute to behavioral problems, learning deficits and lowered IQ in infants and young children.
Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Jennifer House pointed out that the majority of lead-poisoning cases are a result of exposure to lead in homes, especially to lead paint in homes that were built prior to 1970.
Still, she said people should be mindful of the reusable grocery bag issue.
"Wash your hands after you touch grocery bags," she said. "It's a good thing to do anyway, even if you're not concerned about lead."
