subject: Lead Poisoning Risk Prompts Cost Plus To Recall Tea Glasses [print this page] Excessive amounts of Lead where detected in some tea glasses that had been imported from Morocco by Cost Plus stores. The glasses had high levels of lead in the outside coloring. Even though the coloring was on the outside it still presented a health problem because can rub off onto the skin of your hands and be absorbed into the blood stream.
Lead is a neurotoxin that is dangerous at even small quantities and since the symptoms of Lead toxicity or Lead poisoning don't always show up immediately most people may not even think of it as a problem. Its the slow accumulation that really is a problem in our society. If you knowingly ingest a large quantity of Lead you will probably get treated for it but if you don't notice the buildup in your body you may never realize that it is a cause of serious health problems including cancer, behavioral and learning issues, and seizures. Lead poisoning is the greatest environmental health threat to children under the age of six. Lead causes behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, headaches, mental and physical retardation, and behavioral and other health problems.
The government has been doing a fair job of removing products from the market that contain Lead but the FDA is terribly understaffed and cannot even come close to testing all the products that are available for sale in the U.S. It really started with Lead paint and Lead in gasoline but sooo. Many other products contain Lead and many of them are produced outside of the U.S. that it is almost impossible to monitor them all. Health and safety regulations need to be a priority not just for our government but for all of us as well; we need to DEMAND that testing of all consumer products take place before they are allowed into the marketplace.
