Dangerous Lead Levels in Capitol Gift Shop Products

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Obama today released a report finding that products from the Capitol gift shop contain dangerous amounts of lead. Jewelry and other inexpensive children's gifts sold in the four Capitol gift shops contain enough lead to cause permanent medical harm and may be fatal to small children if ingested. Rep. Waxman and Sen. Obama call on the Bush Administration to ban lead in children's products.

"Lead in jewelry and other products used by young children is dangerous and unnecessary," said Rep. Waxman. "No parents should have to worry that a gift or souvenir purchased in the Capitol will poison their children. The Bush Administration should give families an early holiday gift by banning these unsafe products."

There is no known safe level of lead exposure for children. Dangerous – even fatal - blood lead levels may result from a single acute exposure to lead or repeated exposure to smaller doses. Children have become seriously ill and one child has died from ingesting lead-containing jewelry and other trinkets.

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Obama have repeatedly asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban the use of lead in children's products. On December 4, the CPSC scientific staff took an important first step, recommending that CPSC adopt a mandatory limit on lead in children's jewelry.