Christmas Lights May Pose Lead Hazard

Dec. 23, 2008 -- December is a festive month, but the holiday season is also full of hazards. Falling on the ice, frostbite, overeating, and now this: According to a new study, many types of Christmas lights contain dangerously high levels of lead.

Lead is a toxic metal that can disrupt brain development, especially in kids, causing learning disabilities, aggressive behavior, loss of IQ points, and more. The new study didn't directly link Christmas lights to these problems, but researchers found enough lead on the cords of lights to cause concern.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency sets maximum allowable levels of lead in household dust. "We found that levels in Christmas lights exceeded those levels -- significantly," said Joseph Laquatra, an environmental analyst at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

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Laquatra was shopping for Christmas lights when he noticed a warning on one package. It said the product contained lead, which is known by the state of California to cause birth defects.

California Proposition 65, The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires the state's governor to publish, at least once a year, a list of chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive harm. Manufacturers must also include warnings on products that contain those chemicals.

Other states don't require the same disclosure, but the label made Laquatra wonder if all Christmas lights contain lead, even when the packaging doesn't mention it. Lead is used as a stabilizer in the PVC coating on many types of electrical cords. It helps protect copper electrical conductors from light, heat and moisture.