I'm all for non-toxic living. I wish there wasn't things like lead and mercury and the many other cancer causing agents...but I also think that worrying about power cords can make you extremely fearful as well. I have many cuts on my hand from too much hand washing to prove it!

All electrical cords contain lead. It's what protects the wires from catching fire. Think back your whole life...how many of your parents wrapped the power cords in cloth? how many parents dusted power cords? How many of us washed our hands every time we plugged something in or used a phone that had a cord on it? How many of us are sick because of it?

I think it would be great if we could clean up the environment and come up with safer solutions, but also take things in context. I have a doctorate and I grew up with lead paint, leaded gas, and probably numerous other things. I'm ok so far!

I have my kids tested once a year for lead just as a precaution even though we live in a 2003 house. We have power cords all over the house and in the kids bedrooms too. None of them are wrapped in cloth, and I don't dust them. The kids have also never once been found to have even a trace of lead in their blood. Which I'm very thankful for!

Again, I'd love to see things change, they really need to! but in the mean time not put people in a panic either! Don't even get me started on the fact that all faucets contain lead! Even in brand new houses! It's from the brass! Again though...whose going to stop bathing and drinking from their faucets?

When I originally asked Debra about lead in power cords it was because I have a kidney disorder and, according to my hair analysis, I tend to retain heavy metals, so it is appropriate for me to be very cautious, especially since I am prone to carelessly sticking my fingers in my mouth.

I am currently reading a book about Vitamin D (Naked at Noon) and the key point that I am getting is that when we read that the latest study proves that something is good or bad for people, I, for one, really need to step back and ask myself what is right for ME in terms of MY genetics, MY current state of health, MY geographical location, MY circumstances, etc, even if someone I trust is saying it. For me it is a real challenge to break my habit of uncritically accepting the latest decree as truth.

Back to the subject of lead, I was recently reminded that some of the full spectrum fluorescent light bulbs are wrapped with lead tape. I choose to wash my hands after handling them.

Luckily for those who wish to avoid lead in power cords, the European Union has done something about it. Power cords can use other chemicals other than lead to bind the PVC; PVC is just cheap and helps to make the PVC more flame retardant.

The EU has a directive which was enforced as of July 2006. It's called RoHS and basically bans the sale of consumer electronics with significant quantities of 6 hazardous substances, including lead. It's still possible that lead will be in a power cord but doubtful that it will be added as a binder.

The benefit we get in the US from this directive is:

1) Manufacturers who sell in the EU are likely to go lead-free on products sold in the US. I tested a Toshiba laptop cord purchased in early 2006 and it was lead free, although there was still a lead warning in the paperwork. Dell makes computers for the US market which meet RoHS.

2) You can get replacement cords that are lead free.

www.digikey.com has power cords which are RoHS compliant.

www.newark.com has extension cords (I think Volex brand)

3) Large cable manufacturers (i.e. Belden, which makes network cable and audio / video bulk cable) are going lead free even on their flame retardant (plenum) cable. Small cable builders who claim to use brand name cable sell on the Internet, even if they do not claim RoHS compliant, at least the cable is clean.

I used Leadcheck swabs on power cords in our kitchen. They turned pink (almost instantly) on approx 70% of the cords including the baby bottle warmer. None of the RoHS cables I bought ever tested positive for lead.

Those do it yourself lead check tests have been shown to be unreliable. Your best bet is to have it actually tested at a lab that has the proper equipment to test for lead. If it was so reliable to use those lead check swabs why wouldn't the labs use it instead of equipment that costs thousands of dollars.

I would agree with earlier comment that you should avoid all PVC products. It is also a good idea for electrical cables/equipment to check for RoHS compliance. You should be able to find ethernet cables, USB cables, etc. that are RoHS compliant.

greetings,
i am disabled with several chronic illnesses, including multiple chemical sensitivities and mercury poisoning. i have an old electric hospital bed, which fortunately was unplugged due to issues with EMF.

last night i discovered that one of my two cats had completely chewed thru the thick plactic power cord that goes to the hand control, and chewed thru the several copper wires inside the cord, all brightly colored with plastic. and the second thick cord that runs to the outlet plug has teeth marks over several inches, but the cat had not yet broken thru to the inside wires.

i'm concerned about the cat having lead poisoning. i explained to my vet and told her that i recalled that most cords had lead. she said not to worry unless this specific cord had a label on it warning of lead. i'm wondering if the warning labels are a recent addition. haven't all older cords always had lead? it seems that's what i'm interpreting from comments above. so, shouldn't i assume that that is lead if it's an old cord?

i thought of trying the OTC swab lead test on the cords, but not sure of reliability.

unfortunately, i don't know for sure which cat did this, so we'd have to do blood lab test on both cats to check for acute lead levels.

i've had this hospital bed as rental for almost three years, so i'm baffled why the cat suddenly decided to chew on this. it did occur to me that once the cat did lick or bite the cord, if it does have lead, then is it true that lead has a sweet taste? whcih could encourage the cat to continue to chew the cord? if you have an ideas, please share.

gratefully, kendra

The Lead-Check Swabs do work if lead is exposed on the outer surfaces of electrical cords. They will not work if the cord has some type of sealing finish on the outer surface preventing the lead from leaching thru. If the lead is exposed to your hands, the swab kits will detect it. If it's sealed inside you are in no danger of it getting on you unless you grind, cut or scrape thru the protective outer coating.

Although I agree with Debra and the person "whose family is doing just fine according to tests" that we can't eliminate every exposure to every potential problem (most of us just can't afford to take this to the nth degree), I also agree with the person concerned about being especially careful if you have extenuating circumstances.

If we are already sick, or just recovering or have a known problem with excreting dangerous things, it does pay to be as careful as one can afford to be. For instance I only have 3 organic T shirts that I found at various times on sale. They aren't dressy and if I confined myself to these, I think I would be depressed enough to make myself worse instead of better.

As with most things it needs a sense of balance. I feel I do OK with regular T shirts but am very careful what I wash them in to both remove chemicals as well as not add to the problem.

The Lead-Check test kits work great on electrical cords, power cables, computer cables, mini-blinds, bathtubs, mirrors (the backing paint is full of lead) and christmas lights. They do not work well on some types of paint.

A recent statement from the CPSC caused people to believe the kits did not work at all, which is not true. If lead is leaching from a product where it can get on your hands, the kits will detect it.

Hi Debra

I noticed something while browsing thru the daily recalls from the CPSC. When an item is recalled for violation of the lead paint standard, its because the paint has excessive levels of lead. The key word is excessive.

There is no valid reason for any lead to be in the paint on a childs toy period. There is no valid reason for lead to be in any paint a person comes in contact with. The days of having to use lead in paint for color and durability were gone a few decades ago.

Until people wake up and say enough is enough, we will continue to see dangerous additives in kids toys along with everyday products. The only way a manufacturer will remove the danger is after they lose millions of dollars in lawsuits. The manufacturers care nothing about non-toxic products or green living until they have been hit in the bank account.

Virtually all electrical cords have lead in them to stablize the PVC. Lead is actually less dangerous than the tin and cadmium used in some products. The suggestion that the lead in electrical cords poses a danger is wrong. The lead particles are completely encased in the PVC and not biologically available.

I once managed a vinyl insulation compounding plant. We had to take stringent precautions to protect our employees from the lead, but once compounded, the lead is safely covered.

Lead adds to the life of the insulation, delaying products from being added to the waste stream. Remove the lead and we mayhave more electronic waste.

To add: According to Elson Haas, MD, in Staying Healthy with Nutrition:

"Evaluating lead exposure and measuring lead levels in humans is not easy. Blood and urine tests are not very good indicators because lead is cleared fairly rapidly. With acute toxicity, both of these body fluids may have high measurements, but most exposure is chronic. Heai-analysis is the simplest and best test for evaluating chronic lead poisoning, which has become much more common with chronic exposure."

I bought the cutest $50 mushroom lamp, made in China, yesterday in a small toy store. At home, I found a cancer and birthdefect warning. Being a nutritionist and environmental advocate, I was shocked - also, I live in Canada, where nothing seems to have such warning labels.

I phoned IKEA, who guaranteed their cords to be lead-free - perhaps because they also don't sell anything with PVC.

I also phoned the Home Depot and was urged to return this lamp, or any item that suggests you to "wash your hands after use".

I strongly disagree with the previous posting. Look up "PVC Hazards" online and you'll see that it is the most toxic plastic to date, with or without lead. PVC never fully degrades and will outgas from its production to its landfill days (=centuries) and leach into the water ways.

As suggested earlier, the only way to stop this insanity is to stop supporting it with our $$$.

"Truth is not determined by majority vote."

-unknown

I just bought a Toshiba, RoHS compliant Portege R500 notebook computer, and it came with the lead warning seal also. When searching for the part number of the ac adapter, it shows as being RoHS compliant, so I'm guessing just because it's RoHS compliant, does not mean that it is totally free of lead...Probably just that the amount is under a specific threshold, but enough to cause the warning sticker. However, I know that power cords from Dell or Gateway, cause I owned one of those notebooks, have not contained this lead warning. And I find it very scary that the warning states that you WILL be exposed to lead, not that there is a possibility of exposure.

Why would they only have to warn California? The laws are different, however, shouldn't we all be warned. I recently had the same issue on a computer cord. Dell claims to not have lead in their products, however on the cord, it says made in China and had a stong odor. hmmm?

A strong smell from any plastic is not an indication of lead, true, but it is an indication of VOCs. Most VOCs (including the breakdown products of most plastics, including vinyl and PVCs) cause cancer. We should be just as concerned that plastics cause cancer as we are concerned with heavy metal poisoning. Both are risk factors for severe illness that should be avoided and replaced in consumer products.