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This is news to me. And it it may be to all the moms who let their babies and toddler chew on and play with their keys.

In 2001, the California Attorney General sued several major key makers who were making keys with up to 2.5% lead. The lead is a standard additive in millions of keys in use across America. The suit was settled and keymakers agreed to reduce the amount of lead in their keys to no more than 1.5%, and spend thousands of dollars in educating the public via pediatricians and child care providers about the dangers of lead in keys.

The settlement warns that keys, particularly brass keys like house keys, mailbox and padlock keys, still contain significant amounts of lead, even those made after the settlement.

Parents are warned against letting babies and toddlers play with keys, and washing their hands after playing with keys. It also advises to not keep keys where they would touch food or snacks.

Well, I thought I was a fairly well read mom, but I didn’t know anything about this. And I used to live in California when my son was a baby, and I considered his pediatrician’s office to be knowledgeable about things like this.

Am I the only one who didn’t know?

Source — Major Manufacturers Agree to Reduce Amount of Lead in Door Keys Under Settlement of Proposition 65 Lawsuit

Tags: babies playing with keys, carkeys, housekeys, keys, lead, lead poisioning, toddlers playing with keys