Lead and Other Toxic Metals in Plastic Play Foods: Results from Testing Citizen Science, Lead Detection Tools in Childcare Settings

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ahmid K ; Ceballos D ; Morikawa L ; Specht A ; Wylie S
• Description:
  A method development pilot study examining citizen science tools for assessing lead in childcare settings identified plastic food toys as an unexpected potential source of lead and arsenic. Collaborating researchers at three universities sought to develop a low cost, replicable approach for use in childcare centers to identify lead. Through graduate Environmental Health courses at Northeastern and Boston Universities, 197 Plastic Food Toys (PFTs) used in a childcare center were tested for lead using a portable X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument and a colorimetric wipe method for detecting surface lead. The XRF identified concerning levels of lead and co-occurring arsenic in PFTs. The XRF analysis found 8.63% (17/197) of PFTs from the childcare center contained more than 100.00 ppm of lead, the U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission's (CPSC) upper regulatory threshold for lead in children's products. However, wipes did not detect removable surface lead. Lead concentrations ranged from 6.14 ppm to 11,999.00 ppm with a median of 40.00 ppm. Additionally, 7.10% of all PFTs tested had detectable levels of arsenic which ranged from 9.30 ppm to 1134.42 ppm and had a median value of 113.20 ppm. Arsenic concentrations in 6.60% of PFTs' exceeded the US voluntary standard for arsenic in children's products of 25.00 ppm (adopted from the EU standard). These findings prompted further sampling of similar newly-purchased PFTs. None of the newly-purchased PFTs tested positive for lead or arsenic (0/87). Several other elements were also identified, particularly in the used PFTs. Because these food-like toys are frequently put in children's mouths, we recommend further investigation of PFTs in circulation via citizen science combining the wipe and XRF method as they provide immediate data to participants. Additionally, CPSC should consider a systematic recall of some used PFTs to prevent exposure disparities by socio-economic status and increased surveillance for other toxic metals in new PFTs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Lead Occupational Health Plastics Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Citizen Science Children Environmental Health Lead-exposure Plastic Toys X-ray Fluorescence Analysis
• ISSN:
  0301-4797
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  321
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069923
• Citation:
  J Environ Manage 2022 Nov; 321:115904
• Contact Point Address:
  Kaleem Ahmid, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston MA, 02115, USA
• Email:
  ahmid.k@northeastern.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Environmental Management
• End Date:
  20220731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d27c0b5fc4df644a0251c59113acabfea2a65a3944138fd736288a55affdba62797f2948af79d7aad317d8d9d2c19e5f8179606d1c288b4eff30e583bfde153b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208245/cdc_208245_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.11 MB ]