Shoppers shrug off fears about toxic reusable bags

[Dark Knight]

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – So you care about the environment, and you take a reusable shopping bag with you to the grocery store to avoid polluting the planet with countless plastic sacks. Now you find out your bag is made with potentially harmful lead. What's an environmentalist to do?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_lead_in_bags

 

[Mira]

what do we expect?

/quote Reusable bags, mostly made in China, account for about 10 percent to 15 percent of the U.S. market of grocery bags. Wegmans' Chinese-made "green pea" and "holiday 2009" bags had lead levels seven to eight times higher than allowed under New York state packaging regulations. /quote

 

[newone]

I am a person who repurposes her ''plastic shopping bags'' for waste disposal. Given that they are so flimsy they will eventually break down -- I cannot say the same for the ''higher gauge'' materials offered in garbage bags (thinking Glad brand for example). For folks who live in cities where ''poop&scoop" laws are in force, cheap lighter gauge bags come in handy. If you live in an apartment building you have to have bags for the garbage chute too. I resist anything that forces me to buy yet another product. The whole ''kill the shopping bag'' movement is a bit shortsighted (JMO only) as many times I do have my own bag (think knapsack or book bag). I always have a milk crate like container or box in my trunk for groceries which can be taken inside the house.

 

[grayjay]

There might be a class action lawsuit for bags that have a certain logo on them. Mine all have something on them and the stores pushed them. These stores have deeper pockets than they sometimes pretend. Somebody sent the jobs overseas and accepted crap for merchandise over here. Somebody should be in jail.

JMO

 

[Melanie]

I have to confess, I do not bring bags to the store. Instead I take the plastic ones home to clean out the kitty litter poo every day. I have 2 very pampered cats who won't use the box unless it's clean. I go through 2 or 3 bags a day. But, hey, at least I don't throw empty bags in the trash - they do go to good use

Mel

 

[Dark Knight]

I have to confess, I do not bring bags to the store. Instead I take the plastic ones home to clean out the kitty litter poo every day. I have 2 very pampered cats who won't use the box unless it's clean. I go through 2 or 3 bags a day. But, hey, at least I don't throw empty bags in the trash - they do go to good use

Mel

I use the plastic bags for the same reason!

 

[drip~drop]

I use the plastic bags for the same reason!

I also use the bags for recycling soda cans. By the time we have enough to take to the recycle place, the older plastic bags have broken down to almost nothing.
I don't believe they are a huge source of "garbage lasting for eons."
imo

 

[Jack]

Hmm.. I too use the plastic shopping bags for the litter box duties but I also sometimes use the re-useable ones too when I go somewhere that doesn't provide bags. I did not know about the lead and that does concern me. However, up until recently I was unaware that lead is not absorbed through the skin. If you wash your hands before eating you should not have to worry about ingesting lead. With kids its different because they often put things in their mouths.

We handle lots of things with high levels of lead. I was my hands constantly now because you just never know... Don't forget that Christmas lights have lead in them so when you're putting up your tree you shouldn't be munching on snacks at the same time and if you put candy canes on the tree keep them well away from the wires.

 

[Velouria]

what do we expect?

/quote Reusable bags, mostly made in China, account for about 10 percent to 15 percent of the U.S. market of grocery bags. Wegmans' Chinese-made "green pea" and "holiday 2009" bags had lead levels seven to eight times higher than allowed under New York state packaging regulations. /quote

Just wondering if:
1. There's much of anything available for purchase in U.S. stores these days that isn't "Made in China"?

and

2. If there's anything made in China that doesn't test positive for high levels of lead??