September 20, 2007

RECALL OF LUNCH BOXES MADE WITH LEAD

Pasadena Public Health Department urges residents and others to stop using lunch boxes distributed as part of a nutrition campaign, and keep them away from young children.

Some of the insulated green canvas lunch boxes, also distributed by California Department of Public Health and Pasadena Unified School District, have tested positive for elevated levels of lead. A slogan on the lunch boxes reads “Eat Fruits & Vegetables and Be Active” in English and Spanish (see photos below). The lunch boxes were distributed at health fairs and other public events.

No known cases of lead poisoning have resulted from use of the lunch boxes, which were manufactured by TA Creations in Canton, China.

Anyone who has such a lunch box should return it to Pasadena Public Health Department, 1845 N. Fair Oaks Ave.; or the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program office at Villa-Parke Community Center, 363 E. Villa St.

There will also be a disposal box at Pasadena Public Health Department’s lead poisoning prevention booth during a health fair Saturday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Madison Avenue between Orange Grove Boulevard and Mountain Street in Pasadena; and household hazardous waste collection facilities will accept the lunch boxes for disposal

As a precaution, residents are advised to return insulated blue lunch boxes, some of which have the slogan “Eat 5 a Day and Be Active” and others that feature the WIC logo. The blue lunch boxes were also distributed at health fairs, although none of them have tested positive for lead.

“Most children and infants with elevated lead levels do not demonstrate any symptoms,” said Dr. Takashi Wada, director of Pasadena Public Health Department. “The only way to know if a person has absorbed lead is with a blood test.”

Parents and families in the Pasadena area who are concerned about lead poisoning should contact their physicians or other health care providers. Uninsured individuals and families, or those who do not have health care providers, are advised to call the Pasadena Healthcare Link nurse advice line at (626) 744-7445 for information about where they can go to be tested for lead poisoning.

For more information about lead poisoning, call Pasadena Public Health Department’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (626) 744-6171 or visit www.cityofpasadena.net/publichealth.

Additional information about lead poisoning can be found at www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo (click on Diseases & Conditions).