991119 Are Reusable Bags Dangerous? – Michael

November 15, 2010
Are Reusable Bags Dangerous?
After a report finds high levels of lead in reusable grocery bags, a U.S. senator calls for the government to investigate
BY JAIME JOYCE

To help the environment, many Americans have made the switch from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags. But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead. Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children. Now, Senator Charles Schumer, of New York, is asking the U.S. government to investigate the use of lead in reusable shopping bags.
"When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about are toxic bags, "Schumer said in a statement. "A quick and thorough investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions," Schumer added.
Shoppers, Beware





A store clerk in Connecticut packs groceries in a reusable shopping bag. This bag was not tested in the Florida study.

The Tampa Tribune newspaper, in Tampa, Florida, bought more than a dozen bags from Florida supermarkets. They paid a lab to test the bags for lead. The results showed that certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials. Some bags had enough lead that they could be considered hazardous waste if people were to throw the bags out with their household trash.
Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off on food. But over time, paint on the bags can chip and the bags can wear out. When this happens, lead can be released.
What Consumers Can Do
The affected bags were found in Florida. But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Publix says that all of its bags comply with current federal laws regarding lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product.
Winn-Dixie has hundreds of stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Officials at Winn-Dixie say refunds will be given to customers who return the bags.
The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures. Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead. Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can switch to cloth or string bags. Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled.
Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags. The store says because shoppers have made the switch to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastic bags.


http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,2031453,00.html


991119 Are Reusable Bags Dangerous? – Michael
Reusable bags are good for the environment but if the reusable bags are not good for the environment then people will not use it. There is a report wrote by a Florida newspaper said that the reusable grocery bags were sold by some supermarkets and the reusable grocery bags contain high levels of lead. That is very bad to human because lead we harm our body especially to children and babies. Lead will cause potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders to children. So, Senator Charles Schumer, of New York, is asking the U.S. government to investigate the use of lead in reusable shopping bags. If there are a lot of leads in the bag then the US government might tell the company that produces the bags to stop producing it. I think using paper bag is another good way to help the environment because paper bag can be recycled. When you use the lead bag for a long time the paint on it will chip off the bag easily and then the lead will be release and then children or adults that are not careful might eat the lead. Our body will think that the lead is a different kind of metal and start using it instead of using the original metal and that is how you let your body start to get worse.