For many parents and children, picking out a new lunch box is a familiar part of back-to-school preparations. But now, safety is more important than which cartoon character or superhero appears on the box. In 2005 the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit environmental organization, found lead in the polyvinylchloride (PVC, or “vinyl”) plastic of several lunch-box samples it tested. Since CEH released its findings, several states--including New York and Connecticut--have issued recalls for soft insulated lunch boxes made by several manufacturers. (See the New York and Connecticut recalls for the names of some of the distributors, manufacturers, and products.) When a Consumer Reports staffer recently visited two New York-area stores, she found lunch boxes from Fast Forward, one of the companies mentioned in the recalls. In the past, Consumer Reports staffers have found recalled lunch boxes on sale in local discount stores--boxes that our tests found still contained lead. (See our safety blog for more on lead in kids' products.)

In those lunch boxes, the PVC plastic linings contain fairly high levels of lead. Consumer Reports' own tests confirmed that some of this lead can transfer in small amounts to hands and to unwrapped food stored inside. Normal use of the tested lunch boxes would not generate lead exposure high enough to cause severe lead poisoning. But over time, exposure to those lunch boxes can cause enough lead to accumulate in a child's body to cause problems such as learning deficiencies and delayed physical and mental development. Since lead can come from many sources, and even low levels can bring added risk, it is important to minimize all avoidable exposure.

Although there are several other safer lunch-box alternatives available, some lunch box manufacturers have continued to use lead as a stabilizer or coloring agent. The Food and Drug Administration expressed concern about the lunch boxes in July 2006, when it warned manufacturers that lead and lead compounds were not approved for use in PVC plastic that comes in contact with food and that lunch boxes containing lead compounds could be subject to enforcement action. But an agency official has since indicated to a Consumer Reports reporter that "an enforcement action is not necessary at this time."


What you can do

Lunch boxes can be checked for lead using a special lead swab, such as the LeadCheck test kit. Eight-swab kits are available online at LeadCheck.com for $18.45, and two-swab kits can be found in hardware stores for less than $10. (Only one swab is necessary to determine the presence of lead.) Though a negative result does not completely ensure against lead content, a clear, positive result will identify plastic that contains a high level of lead.

If you're concerned about lead and want to limit your child's exposure, you can take these precautionary measures:

Wrap food. Our tests found that lead from lunch-box linings did not migrate through plastic wrap. But wrapping food does not eliminate your child's lead exposure from handling the bag's lining.

Buy a different lunch box. Parents who want to completely avoid lunch boxes with lead should discard bags that test positive for lead content, that have been recalled in their state, or that were recalled in 2005 in New York or Connecticut, and look for replacement bags that are made and lined with nylon or another non-PVC material.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, urges manufacturers to take special measures now to ensure that their products, especially those made for children, do not contain lead.

See our Back to School Guide, as well as our report on backpacks for more information.