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Questions
and Answers about
Lead
in Vinyl Mini Blinds
California
Department of Health Services -- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch
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Why
are vinyl mini blinds a hazard?
The U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that vinyl
(plastic) mini blinds imported from China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Mexico
contain high concentrations of lead and can be hazardous to young children.
Lead, which is used to stabilize the vinyl, becomes a dust on the surface
of the blinds, particularly when they are exposed to heat and sun.
Children are vulnerable to lead exposure from mini blinds if they touch
the blinds and then put their hands in their mouths or if they mouth the
blinds directly.
Children under the
age of six are especially vulnerable to lead which can cause behavioral
problems, learning disabilities, reduced growth and hearing loss.
How
dangerous are these blinds?
The lead content of
the vinyl blinds that CPSC tested varied
greatly. Some blinds had lead levels were high enough that a child
ingesting dust from less than one square inch of the mini blind each day,
for about 15 to 30 days, could have his/her blood lead level raised to
at or above the level of concern for children (10 micrograms of lead per
deciliter of blood).
Like any source of
lead, the amount of the hazard depends on the amount of lead in the source
and on how much the child actually takes in. Intake is different
for each child. In the few cases where vinyl mini blinds were believed
to be associated with elevated blood lead levels, children had mouthed
the blinds directly.
How
can I tell if my mini blinds are vinyl?
Examine the brackets
that attach your mini blinds blinds to the wall. If the brackets
are plastic, you probably have vinyl mini blinds. (Metal blinds usually
have metal brackets, to which a magnet will stick.) The slats on
vinyl blinds will either crack or spring back when you to bend them.
Metal blinds will stay bent.
Vinyl blinds are thicker
than metal but let more light through. The light from a flashlight
can be seen through a vinyl mini blind, but not a metal one.
What
should I do if I have vinyl mini blinds in my home?
CPSC
recommends that you remove vinyl mini blinds from your home, especially
if the blinds are located where children can easily touch them.
Once the blinds are removed, you should make sure to replace
them with new vinyl blinds that are labeled "No Lead Added" or "Non-Leaded
Formula". You may also choose to replace the blinds with new metal
blinds, new wood blinds or other window coverings.
If you have children in your home under age 6, and you
are concerned that they may have ingested lead from vinyl mini blinds,
ask your child's doctor or clinic for a blood test to tell whether or not
your child has an elevated level of lead in his/her blood.
How
do I remove the blinds safely?
Although lead will
not pass through your skin, you should wear disposable rubber gloves while
handling the blinds.
-
If you have curtains hanging
over your blinds, take the curtains down first.
-
Draw the blinds up as
far as they will go, so they are bunched up tightly against the top of
the window.
-
Pull the blinds carefully
out of their brackets.
-
Cut through the slats
blinds with a sharp pair of scissors to prevent them from being re-used.
-
Wrap the blinds in plastic
garbage bags and dispose of them in your regular household trash.
-
Wash the window sill and
surrounding window area with soapy water and flush the waste water down
the toilet.
-
As an extra safety measure,
you may want to steam clean the carpets or wet wash the floors near the
areas where the blinds were hanging.
-
Make sure to wash your
hands with soap and water when done.
Can
I test the blinds to be sure they contain lead?
The home lead test kit that are available at most hardware
and home improvement stores, may indicate whether there is lead in your
mini blinds. HOWEVER, the Consumer
Product Safety Commission does not recommend using these kits to test
for lead in mini blinds because such kits have not been evaluated for this
kind of testing. Instead, CPSC recommends removing the vinyl mini
blinds from your home.
Can
I wash the lead off the blinds instead of getting rid of them?
Washing is not an
effective way of removing the lead hazard from vinyl mini blinds.
Tests done by CPSC showed that lead dust
re-formed quickly on blinds after they were washed. The safest long
term solution is to remove the blinds.
Can
I get a refund for my vinyl mini blinds?
Because CPSC has not issued a formal recall, retailers
are not required to refund money for vinyl mini blinds that are returned.
Some retailers are voluntarily giving refunds or credit for blinds that
are returned to them. Policies vary widely by retailer and location.
Check with the store where you bought your mini blinds for specific information.
What
if I am renting a home that has vinyl mini blinds in it?
Share this information about the hazards of lead in vinyl
mini blinds with your landlord and urge him/her to replace the blinds in
your home, especially if there are children under age 6 living there.
Your landlord may be willing to replace the blinds voluntarily, but currently
there are no laws that require your landlord to remove the blinds.
Do
other vinyl products contain lead?
CPSC has not identified
any other vinyl products that contain lead. Most vertical blinds
(those with slats running from top to bottom) are manufactured in the U.S.
and do not contain lead.