Reusable Bags Should Be Filled With Groceries Not Lead
Now that consumers are doing their part to protect the planet, ecological green bags are becoming an established replacement for disposable plastic shopping bags. But, a recent study has shown some of these reusable alternatives could contain unacceptable levels of lead in them.
Recent experiments conducted on bags by independent laboratories at the Publix University of South Florida showed some of the green tote bags had lead levels of 194 parts per million. Though this is below the government stipulation of 300 parts per million for most products, it exceeds the stipulated level for children’s products, which is only 100 parts per million.
Tests conducted within one other marketing area for Wegmans grocery stores in five states across the East coast showed concerning quantities of 799 parts per million, substantially higher than the previously mentioned stipulation of 300 parts per million. These bags were removed from the outlets and are no longer being sold. After these results were revealed, more companies surveyed their bags, with many containing less lead, while others exceeded satisfactory amounts.
These results cause shoppers to be concerned, should they or shouldn’t they use the bags? According to experts, the harm is not caused by the reusable bag’s properties at the food market, but derives from what transpires when these items are ultimately discarded. At that point, the lead runs the risk of polluting the ground. Since the lead in the bag isn’t the type that can leach easily into food, they still constitute a more suitable option than the plastic bags which most people discard and which clutter landfills.
Surveyors state that as the intention of the bags is to help guard the planet, then the manufacturers that produce them ought to work harder to ensure that they are indeed beneficial for the planet. While they do indeed help keep plastic bags out of the landfills, if they pollute the earth once they have been discarded, then those responsible for producing them are defeating the principle of saving the planet.
With this contradiction in whether or not the bags are as good of a choice of an environmentally friendly alternative than previously thought, consumers are questioning their available options at present. First, due to the findings, the manufacturers of the bags who violated the suitable levels are being asked to wilfully cut down the quantity of lead which bags contain. Another important detail to consider is that there are several providers on the market who make environmentally sustainable bags which contain acceptable quantities of lead in them. So it would be wrong to conclude that there are no safe options out there to purchase green reusable shopping bags.
An alternative is for the customer to use 100 percent cloth bags, since it is the bags made of a plastic material which are controversial. An alternative is to make sure the bags you use are made in the U. S., as a few of the bags containing higher levels of lead were from China.
Health experts assume the likelihood of more tests on reusable bio bags in years to come. Until then, consumers ought to seek out simpler, less ostentatiously designed bags, as these usually contain lower levels of lead and are generally safer than the colorful ones. It’s important to do some investigation about the producer you are working with to guarantee that you get bags that are really environmentally friendly without unacceptable levels of lead. Also, there’s always the option of requesting a paper bag and then recycle it.
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