NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday signed legislation to mandate that warnings be placed on Christmas decorations that use lead-based electrical cord casings.
The lead products are typically used on electrical cords for Christmas lights and other holiday decorations, such as pre-lit artificial trees, according to the governor’s office.
“As we decorate our homes for the holidays, New Yorkers shouldn't have to worry about accidentally exposing children and loved ones to lead poisoning,” Hochul said in a statement.
“This legislation is a simple, common-sense way to keep New Yorkers safe as we participate in beloved holiday traditions. Let's have a safe, healthy and happy holiday season,” she added.
The new law defines "seasonal and decorative lighting product" (SADLP) and mandates any product sold in New York with a lead-based electrical cord casing have a warning label.
Warning labels must read: “Warning: handling the coated electrical wire of this product may expose you to lead. Wash hands thoroughly after use.”
Any manufacturer who violates the new law will be subjected to a $500 fine.
According to the governor’s office, the vast majority of holiday and decorative lights are manufactured overseas, where lead is applied to wire coverings to keep the plastic from cracking and to act as a flame retardant.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long warned that exposure to lead-based products is harmful for both animals and humans. Children are particularly at risk and no safe blood lead level in children has ever been identified.
“Decorating for the holidays should never put your family’s health at risk, but many decorative lighting products contain lead in quantities that are harmful to both children and adults,” state Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement.
“Lead has been taken out of gasoline, paint, and dozens of other household products in the last five decades because it is poisonous and does irreparable harm to developing minds,” he added.
Federal law bans the sale and manufacture of lead in house paint and gasoline and New York enacts stringent limits on paint on children's toys and furniture and some glazed tableware, according to Hochul’s office. The sale of most other consumer products containing lead in the state, however, is not as strictly regulated.
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