Super Eco

Photo credit: urbanlane, SXC

Poor little guy—he must've cried for a week after Mom took his toy train away because it was covered in lead-tainted paint. These kids today ... All their toys are filled with dangerous stuff. Good thing I don't have to worr—what? My brand new purse from H&M has lead in it? Not just the big metal buckle but the whole darn thing?!

Seemingly nobody gets immunity when it comes to unsafe levels of lead in consumer goods. Case in point: fashion retailers H&M and New York & Co. have settled a lawsuit brought by consumer watchdog group the Center for Environmental Health over toxic levels of lead alleged to be lurking in their handbags, wallets and other accessories. The CEH claims that some items contained as much as 13 to a jaw-dropping 115 times more than the legally acceptable limit of lead for toys in children (300 parts per million; there's no legal limit set for accessories such as purses). The fact that higher levels have been found in handbags and wallets that women handle all day long every day hasn't alarmed anyone else until now?

Lead is listed as a carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies. Lead exposure has been linked to higher rates of infertility in women plus an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and more. Scientists are increasingly concerned that there may be no safe level of lead exposure, especially for pregnant women and young children.

We're glad the CEH was looking out for us—but unless you live in California, don't get too comfortable yet. The recent settlement was handled in California courts and doesn't apply anywhere outside the state. Although H&M has made noises about company-wide measures to address the problem, New York & Co. has remained mum. And as you might expect, those two retailers aren't the only ones that have been found to have problems. The Center for Environmental Health has sounded alarms about high levels in items from other retailers, including Target, Macy's, Wal-Mart and others.

Make sure you're not carrying a contaminated handbag or wallet by reviewing the list of companies the CEH has notified about high levels of lead.