Rockler Ice Cream Scoop Hardware Health Hazard?

[Garrett Ellis]

I hate to be picky but what is the reason for the warning on both the chrome and brass ice cream scoop kits from rockler? Is it just the fact that they might contain lead?

Surely there's not enough to really harm anyone, right?? I guess maybe if they eat with the scoop for every meal for the rest of their life...

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Where did you see the warning? I just had to look that up. Craft Supplues has a stainless one for cheaper. I personally don't think anything toxic is in Stainless Steel. Oh, maybe chromium, nickle, cobalt, molybdenum. I was thinking of making a few.

I THINK the answer to toxicity in brass is lead. Don't know about chrome, unless the base metal is pewter, then again, lead is the culprit. I think you would need to eat a few scoops to die from lead poisoning.

[Josh Reet]

There are some pretty strict laws about labeling for lead. I got one of those stickers on the last coffee cup I bought.

[Barbara Gill]

Doesn't that warning mention California? If you check out all warning labels you will find that in California everything causes cancer even the electric cords.

[Greg Just]

It is because of the laws in California. The scoops are made in Taiwan and have been found to have traces of lead. It is my understanding that these will only be available in stainless steel in the future.

Here is the warning from the Rockler Website:

Proposition 65 Warning: This product may contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

It is only on the brass scoop, not on the chrome version.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Doesn't that warning mention California? If you check out all warning labels you will find that in California everything causes cancer even the electric cords.

Barbara...

I am assuming that your comment was somewhat tongue in cheek; I know how much fun folks in other states have with their views of what life in California is all about.

However, as someone who was in on the original implementation and refinement of Proposition 65 many years ago, I would add that many thousands of products over the years have contained toxic ingredients that were harmful even when the product was used according to instructions. The fact that that number has been drastically reduced throughout every state in the US has its origins in California's Proposition 65. Drinking water quality standards, air quality standards, cleanup levels for toxic waste and most of the environmental health protections that are taken for granted today can be traced to the original programs that were developed in California in the 70s and 80s. Most of the federal environmental protection programs came into being after California's programs were already up and running and many of the federal programs were patterned after California's programs.

As for Garrett's original question, nope, it's highly unlikely that the amounts of whatever triggered the Proposition 65 warning in the ice cream scoop (quite likely heavy metals and most likely lead) will cause an adverse health outcome is probably very low. That said, is wasn't too long ago that we were receiving products from abroad that had levels of lead that were high enough to raise blood lead levels in children to a point were cognitive deficiency could be easily measured after only months of ongoing exposure. That this is no longer a common occurrence is another testament to the value of Proposition 65.

The Proposition 65 warning is, first and foremost, a warning. It is not a categorical statement that using a particular product will give you cancer or birth defects. It is, instead, a statement that the product contains ingredients that are know to cause cancer or birth defects. As such, it provides the consumer an opportunity to make an informed decision about a purchase. It also puts unscrupulous manufacturers on notice that products that hurt people can be traced back to the point of origin.

If someone is concerned that they do not know enough about a particular product that has a Proposition 65 warning, clarification of specific risks is typically available at the manufacturer's websites or one can contact the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (www.oehha.ca.gov) for additional information.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bob - thanks for posting! Always interesting to get a little background on something we come in contact with just about every day. Appreciate the website also!

[Mike Minto]

don't know why you'd say 'tougue in cheek' - it actually does list electrical cords on WC's prop 65 warnings page! mike

[Ryan Baker]

Anything with brass in it will get the warning label because of lead risk, though it shouldn't be much. I don't know why anyone would want a brass ice cream scoop anyway, unless it's just for show.

The labels go on electrical cords because the insulation on electrical cords contains lead ... sometimes a significant amount. Christmas light strings are some of the worst, and contain quite a bit of lead. Not sure why -- probably a lubricant used in manufacturing or something. Don't lick the cord and wash your hands after working with them and you should be fine.

Still, I actually like seeing the lead warning labels showing up on a lot of products these days. It makes you more aware of what's in some of these everyday products all around us.

[Bob Borzelleri]

don't know why you'd say 'tougue in cheek' - it actually does list electrical cords on WC's prop 65 warnings page! mike

Because the statement, "If you check out all warning labels you will find that in California everything causes cancer even the electric cords." is either tongue in cheek or simply wrong.

A Proposition 65 warning requirement can be triggered because of a risk of birth defects; it doesn't have to mean that cancer is at issue.

That said, the last time I looked, nothing in Proposition 65 says that electrical cords cause cancer. It states that the PVC in some electric cords contains lead. While most of us frequenting this board have likely outgrown the inclination to chew on plastic cords, many toddlers have not and washing your hands after handling objects that can release lead upon skin contact might not be all that bad an idea. Elevated blood lead levels are nothing to sneeze at, but cancer is another risk entirely.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lighten up folks.

Please.

[Ernie Kuhn]

Ken,
Amen!
Ernie