WASHINGTON
- February 14 - The unanimous 3-0 vote by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to grant Public Citizen's petition to
protect consumers from lead poisoning by banning hazardous candles with lead wicks is both
welcome and long overdue. While consumers wait for the CPSC to complete the long-delayed
process that it is just now starting, they can take actions to protect themselves from the
dangers of lead-wicked candles. Because lead-wicked candles are indistinguishable from
candles with wicks made from other metals, consumers should stop buying candles with metal
wicks, not burn the ones they have and return them to the store, unless there is clear
proof that they do not contain significant quantities of lead.
In 1973, Public Citizen petitioned the CPSC to ban lead-wicked candles. The agency
denied the petition, relying instead on a voluntary agreement with the candle industry to
stop making lead-wicked candles.
By the late 1970s, however, the manufacture and sale of lead-wicked candles resumed,
exposing millions of children to the well-documented neurological and developmental
dangers of lead. Consequently, on Feb. 24, 2000, Public Citizen again petitioned the CPSC
to ban lead-wicked candles and order a recall of all metal-wicked candles. The CPSC has
now granted that petition.
While she voted to grant the petition, Commissioner Mary Sheila Gall also voted to
refer it to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This delaying tactic is
unacceptable because it could result in children continuing to be exposed to toxic levels
of lead.
Lead wicks are unnecessary in candles, and the industry has acted recklessly by
continuing to manufacture them. Now the agency should complete the notice and comment
necessary to complete the rulemaking as rapidly as possible.
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