Children's toys made in Chinahave been recalled for fear they could contain high amounts of lead. But what about toys and necessities for your pet?
Using a lead surface do-it-yourself test kit, Target 7 tested various pet supplies and toys.
A yellow dog ball did not show any lead levels, but a green ceramic pet bowl did test positive for lead.some results. A white ceramic pet bowl that came with a warning ("the materials used as decorations on the exterior of this product contain lead") yielded a stronger positive result, as did a bird cage.
To determine how dangerous the levels of lead were, Target 7 took the two ceramic pet bowls and the small bird cage to Assaigai Analytical Environmental Labs for further testing.
John Biava, vice president and lab operations manager, confirmed the presence of lead in all three samples. He said the lead levels his lab analyzes are based on the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard of 600 parts per million (ppm). Those safety standards are based on lead in paint.
Biava said the green bowl showed a small amount of lead at 62 ppm, but the white bowl tested at 990 milligrams per kilogram (milligrams per kilogram is the metric equivalent of parts per million).
Regarding the bird cage, Biava said, " We found just over 8, 200 ppm, so that's over 10 times the level of lead allowed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission."
Target 7 contacted the CPSC, which said that the lead paint ban extended to house paint and children's products and that the lead levels set under the federal Hazardous Substances Act extended to the exposure of products to people.
A spokesperson in the pet industry told Target 7 there's no acceptable amount of lead content published for pet products.
Dr. Michael Melloy, a veterinarian at El Rinco Pet Hospital, said a bird cage with a lead reading of 8,200 ppm could be seriously detrimental to a pet's health.
"Birds are really profoundly affected by lead, because it accumulates in the gizzard -- which is a muscular part of the stomach -- stays there for a long period of time and it can be absorbed over time and can really cause serious intoxication," Melloy said.
Regarding the ceramic dog bowls, Melloy said the dogs would have to break the bowl then eat and digest the pieces in order to cause any harm.
Target 7 contacted Petsmart, the maker of the bird cage, to tell them about the lab test results. A representative with the company told Target 7 their quality assurance team, as well as a third - party lab, are currently testing the bird cages. The representative said the comp any expects to have their results in a week and a half.
A spokesperson with the Food and Drug Administration told Target 7 the FDA would look into the lead levels of ceramic pet bowls.
If you want to make sure your pet's bowls are free of lead, Melloy recommended stainless steel bowls or those made from high- impact plastic.
