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Q&A: Are Christmas tree lights covered in lead?
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It's a image repeated in homes across the country. Mom and Dad sitting in the middle of a tangle of Christmas tree lights, trying to un-knot the strings and figure out which light needs to be changed. While it's frustrating enough just being there, Mom and Dad could in fact be risking their health by handling light cords coated in toxic levels of lead.
Lead is used in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that coats the light cords. There is a risk of that lead can be ingested from hand to mouth contact or that lead will be released into the air during installation and removal of the lights.
In a study conducted by Lelia M. Coyne, a chemist and certified lead risk assessor in Lincoln, Neb., and Mark R. Pierce, a Cornell extension associate in the department of Human Ecology, the two researchers tested ten strings of lights. Some were new and others were purchased as far back as the 1970s. The two researchers found significant levels of lead in all of the lights, with no notable difference noted between old or new lights.1
Lead has been linked to a number of health problems, particularly in children. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the levels of lead in other products, including paint, no standards exist for Christmas tree lights.
References
1. 'Tis the season… to beware of lead in Christmas lights," Cornell Chronicle