“Disturbing” Lead Levels Found in Women’s Handbags

After the Center for Environmental Health tested hundreds of purses bought at popular retailers like Target, Macy’s, Wal-Mart and Kohl’s for lead, the findings were disturbing: many bags had 30 to 100 times the lead content that the FDA allows for childrens’ products.

In many cases, the test only involved wiping the purses to see how much lead would rub off while others were tested for total lead content. The findings are concerning — especially for women with infants and children — because the lead can rub off on a mother’s or child’s hands…which could end up in their mouth.

“This is something every woman of childbearing age ought to be paying attention to,” said Dr. Alan Greene, a lead expert and pediatrician at Stanford University told ABC News.

High levels of lead exposure has been linked to learning disabilities in children Alzheimer’s later in life.

As a result on the CEH’s study, H&M and New York & Company stores have agreed to pull handbags off their shelves and begin testing for lead content in their purses. The CEH is hoping other retailers will follow suit, and eventually, lead standards for handbags will be implemented by federal agencies.