A nationwide warning has been issued about Chinese-made faucets that may be leaking a toxic chemical linked to cancer and autism in drinking water.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) flagged four bathroom and kitchen faucet brands sold on Amazon for potentially leaching lead at levels above federal safety limits.
Prolonged exposure to heavy metals like lead has been linked to learning disabilities, autism, cancer, kidney disease, birth defects and cardiovascular problems.
The CPSC found that the brands—CEINOL, KZH, Rainsworth, and VESLA HOME—lacked required safety certifications and may be releasing unsafe levels of lead.
These faucets, priced between $30 and $70, were purchased by thousands of Americans.
CPSC Acting Chairman Peter Feldman said: ‘CPSC is taking extraordinary steps to protect Americans from toxic faucets that threaten our children.
‘This Commission will not hesitate to warn Americans when necessary. CPSC remains focused on the biggest threat to American consumers: hazardous goods from China.’
CPSC has urged consumers to immediately stop using and dispose of these faucets or only consume water from the faucets after running the water for 15 seconds.
The CPSC found that the brands—CEINOL, KZH, Rainsworth, and VESLA HOME—lacked required safety certifications and may be releasing unsafe levels of lead
‘These warnings follow a CPSC enforcement sweep targeting dangerous faucets manufactured in China,’ CPSC shared in the alert.
‘None of the Chinese firms has agreed to conduct an acceptable recall. Earlier this week, CPSC issued a public health and safety finding to expedite public warnings about these faucets because individuals may be in danger from these product hazards.’
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for lead in drinking water at zero.
It says there is no safe level of lead exposure.
However, the EPA’s action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb), or 0.015 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
If lead levels exceed this threshold in more than 10 percent of customer taps sampled, utilities are required to take corrective action.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that public health actions be taken when a child’s blood lead level reaches or exceeds 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA mandates that plumbing fixtures and fittings used for drinking water must not contain more than 0.25 percent lead by weight, as defined by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act.
Under the Safe Drinking Act, the EPA requires that the plumbing fittings and fixtures used for drinking water should not contain lead more than 0.25 percent.
Prolonged exposure to heavy metals like lead has been linked in some studies to learning disabilities, autism, cancer , kidney disease, birth defects and cardiovascular problems
The plumbing products in US are required to meet certain safety standards to ensure that they would not have any risk of metal contamination, particularly lead.
While Amazon has standard policies that requires sellers to follow relevant rules and regulation, the sheer number of products can make the law enforcement challenging.
In a press release, CPSC said that they will announce enforcement actions against additional companies ‘in the coming days’.
Moreover, CPSC recommends that consumers use only cold water from the taps if necessary to use products.
Hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water and is therefore more likely to contain greater amounts of lead
CPSC’s announcement came just days after dozens of popular toothpaste brands were found to contain lead and other toxic metals.
Lead Safe Mama, a small business focused on lead-poisoning prevention, sent 51 toothpaste products to an independent lab for testing.
The lineup included household names like Crest, Colgate, Sensodyne, Orajel, Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, and Hello.
A staggering 90 percent tested positive for lead, 65 percent contained arsenic, 47 percent had mercury and 35 percent were found to have cadmium. Many products were found to have more than one of these toxins.
All four of these substances are known neurotoxins, capable of damaging brain cells and affecting cognitive development at certain levels.
DailyMail.com reached out to the following brands or their parent companies for comment: Crest, Colgate, Orajel, Sensodyne, Tom’s of Maine, Burt’s Bees, Hello, Primal Life and VanMan.
In an emailed statement, a Crest representative said: ‘All our products are safe to use and comply with all regulatory requirements and standards including those set by US Pharmacopeia (USP) and the FDA. We will not market a product until we have thoroughly evaluated its safety.
‘We are aware of the report/testing published on the website Lead Safe Mama and are interested to learn more about the testing methodology as well as the findings.’
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