85 per cent of childrens' drinks contain lead exceeding federal limits for young kids
By Rosemary Black
Both organic and conventional juices were among the lead-tainted products, according to the Environmental Law Foundation, a Bay Area-based environmental nonprofit that used a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified lab to test 400 samples of 150 products marketed to kids.
Of 146 products, 125 were contaminated with enough lead in a single serving to require a warning label under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, which is also known as Prop. 65.
Besides juices in flavors like apple and grape, the products included fruit cocktail mixes, packaged pears and peaches and some baby food, according to Inhabitots.com.
The Environmental Law Foundation has sent notices to law enforcement officials as well as to manufacturers, retailers and distributors of the lead-tainted products, asking that they begin to comply with Prop. 65 or to place "clear and reasonable warnings" on the food packages.
Excessive lead exposure can cause anemia, hearing damage, behavioral problems, learning disabilities and a host of other problems in children, according to the Mayo Clinic.