County Warns of Possible Lead Poisoning From Mini-Blinds

Ventura County’s top health official warned Wednesday that some household mini-blinds could expose children to possible lead poisoning.

The announcement by Dr. Gary Feldman came one day after state Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren filed a lawsuit against several companies that make and sell imported vinyl mini-blinds for failing to warn customers about potential hazards.

Inexpensive blinds from China, Taiwan, Mexico and Indonesia pose the risk because manufacturers in these countries use lead as a binder, Feldman said. As the blinds deteriorate from sun exposure and dust forms on the slats, children who touch the blinds are at risk for ingesting lead, he said.

“There is no safe level of lead,” Feldman said. “It’s astonishing how little lead you have to ingest to get into serious trouble.”

Lead, which can only enter the body if swallowed or inhaled, can permanently damage the central nervous system, leading to learning disorders, impaired growth and behavioral problems, Feldman said. Symptoms of lead poisoning include inattention, learning problems and even seizures, Feldman said.

Feldman recommended that parents check their mini-blinds with inexpensive lead-detecting kits that can be purchased at home-improvement stores. Unlike the imported kind, American-made metal and vinyl mini-blinds are manufactured without lead and so do not pose a threat, he said.

Even if you have mini-blinds containing lead, Feldman said there may be no need to get rid of them.

“If you have no kids in the house and you dust the blinds regularly, there shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “But if you have both, then it’s inadvisable to have [the blinds] in the house.”

Feldman said he knows of no cases in the county where a child was exposed to lead from mini-blinds. But he said it was only recently that people became aware of the potential threat.

He said he became aware of it a few weeks ago when a mini-blind vendor in Thousand Oaks contacted the county’s Solid Waste Department about how to safely dispose of the affected products. Feldman said the vendor had learned about the lead problem through the Internet.

“I was very impressed that the vendor came forward,” he said.

When county officials contacted state and federal health agencies, both agencies had already received several similar inquiries, Feldman said. This resulted in an investigation by the U.S. Product Safety Commission, which last month recommended that people replace mini-blinds if children under age 6 were likely come into contact with them.

Meanwhile, Lungren filed a lawsuit against a dozen companies for failing to warn consumers about the affected mini-blinds. Those named in the suit are Bethel Group, HomeBase, JCPenney, Jencraft Corp., K mart Corp., Kirsch Co., Lotus and Windoware Inc., Montgomery Ward & Co., Newell Window Furnishings, Richfield Window Coverings, Wal-Mart Stores and Window Concepts.

Marie Kroesen, a spokesman at HomeBase’s Irvine headquarters, said the store had posted warning signs at all its outlets before the lawsuit was filed.

She said the retailer, which has stores in Oxnard and Simi Valley, sells only two types of mini-blinds that are made with lead. HomeBase is offering customers who purchased either the Jencraft or Lewis Hyman blinds a refund or an exchange, she said.

“We consider ourselves in compliance with the law,” she said.

A spokesman for Wal-Mart said the company’s Oxnard store had also placed warning stickers on its mini-blinds.