California Recalls 56,000 Lunch Boxes Due to Lead Toxin

Courtney Mills

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The California Department of Public Health recalled 56,000 lunch boxes on Thursday, citing unsafe level of lead in the paint coating the boxes. The lunch boxes appeared to have been made in China, and were handed out at Public Health fairs and several other events in California. The lunch boxes urged consumers to "Eat fruits and vegetables and be active."

Surprisingly, the California Department of Health was aware of the presence of lead in the lunch boxes in mid July. The director of the Department of Public Health Mark Horton announced that the potential health hazard was uncovered in July of this year, but that the lunch boxes had to undergo several more weeks of more sophisticated testing to reveal the severity of lead toxicity.

Lead is a heavy metal and a neurotoxin that is particularly dangerous to young children. It can produce a number of highly toxic effects, including brain damage and damage to the central nervous system, organ damage, and in severe cases even death.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.