Given that nowadays people are doing what they can to support the planet, reusable green bags are increasingly replacing disposable plastic shopping bags. However, a newly completed survey demonstrates that a number of these reusable alternatives could have unacceptable levels of lead in them.

Recent experiments conducted on bags by independent laboratories at the Publix University of South Florida revealed several of the reusable green bags had lead quantities of 194 parts per million. Although this is below the government stipulation of 300 parts per million for many items, it exceeds the government’s standard for children’s products, which is only 100 parts per million.

Bags tested in another distributing region of Wegmans grocery stores in five states in the East coast highlighted concerning quantities of 799 parts per million, substantially higher than the aforementioned standards of 300 parts per million. These bags were removed from the stores and are no longer being sold. After these results were revealed, more supermarkets sampled their bags, with many containing less lead, while others exceeded acceptable levels.

These findings result in confusion among customers, should they or shouldn’t they use the bags? According to experts, the danger is not from the tote bag’s properties at the food market, but relates to what transpires once the bags are eventually thrown away. 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 are still a better choice than the plastic bags which most people throw away and which clutter landfills.

Surveyors state that since the intention of the bags is to help protect the environment, then the companies that make them should do a better job of ensuring they are certainly beneficial for the planet. While they without doubt prevent plastic bags from filling up landfills, if they can hard the ground after they eventually are thrown away, then those responsible for producing them are undermining the purpose of saving the environment.

With this contradiction in whether or not the bags are as good of a choice of an environmentally friendly alternative as formerly thought, buyers are questioning their available options at present. First, due to the findings, the makers of the bags that violated the safe standards are being asked to voluntarily eliminate the quantity of lead which bags contain. Another significant detail to consider is that there exist several companies on the market who make eco friendly bags which do not have unsafe levels of lead in them. Therefore it would be incorrect to conclude that there are no safe opportunities out there to purchase eco shopping bags. In fact the hyperlinks within this article will take you to a lead free manufacturer of reusable bags, among many other safe manufacturers out there.

An alternative is for the customer to use 100 percent cloth bags, as it’s simply bags developed from plastic substances which are controversial. Another option is to make sure the bags you use are produced in the U. S., as some of the offending bags were made in China.

Health specialists assume that more testing is in the works for these eco friendly reusable bags in the future. In the meantime, shoppers ought to look for the less decorated and plain colored bags, since these typically contain less lead content and are generally safer than colorful alternatives. Remember to do your research about the producer you are working with to ensure you get bags that are truly environmentally friendly and do not contain unsafe levels of lead. Plus, one can always ask for a paper bag and then recycle it.