Amazon shoppers are being warned against using several home products sold by the massive online retailer, many of which have 4 and 5-star customer ratings.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a statement recommending anyone who has purchased a faucet for their kitchen or bathroom sink on Amazon to review their order history and confirm what they bought has not since been deemed a “hazard” by health officials.
Per the May 14 announcement, the CPSC conducted a product sweep that found “certain bathroom and kitchen faucets sold on Amazon.com were tested and found to contain lead” that can leach into water at levels that can be particularly harmful to infants, young children and those that are pregnant. The products the organization said triggered the public warning are:
- VESLA HOME Kitchen Faucet sold by VESLA HOME (retails on Amazon for about $30)
- KZH Bathroom Faucet sold by Yajie Sanitaryware (retails on Amazon for about $40)
- CEINOL Bathroom Faucet sold by CEINOL-USA (retails on Amazon for about $50)
- Rainsworth Bathroom Faucet sold by Le Chang SANITARY (retails on Amazon for $50 to $138)
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Lead exposure in children can cause nervous system and brain damage, stunted growth, developmental delays, hearing and speech problems, behavioral problems and learning disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to large quantities of lead in adults and children can cause acute lead poisoning, with symptoms that can include abdominal pain, anemia, coma, constipation, encephalopathy, fatigue, nausea and seizures.
THE CPSC said it contacted the companies to ask for a formal recall of the products manufactured in China, but “none of the Chinese firms has agreed to conduct an acceptable recall.”
“CPSC is taking extraordinary steps to protect Americans from toxic faucets that threaten our children,” said CPSC acting chairman Peter Feldman in a statement. “This Commission will not hesitate to warn Americans when necessary. CPSC remains focused on the biggest threat to American consumers: hazardous goods from China.”
Health and safety officials recommend consumers in possession of the “toxic” faucets should immediately stop using them, then properly dispose of and replace the items with faucets “that comply with NSF/ANSI Standard 61,” which the CPSC said sets the standard for product safety, including the maximum allowable levels of lead and other contaminants.
Until the faucets can be replaced, the CPSC tells consumers that since lead cannot be boiled out of the water, “only consume water from the faucets after running the water for 15 seconds” to mitigate the amount of lead potentially leached from the product.
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