Lead in mouse cord?

[fartheststar]

Hi,

Bought a Kensington Optical Elite mouse in Michigan the other day. It was $20 US instead of $50 CDN in Ontario, which is why I made the trek across the border.

On the back of the packaging there's a sticker added to the back of the instruction manual which says something about lead in the mouse cord and that California recognizes this as a health hazard and to wash your hands after touching the mouse cord etc...

I've bought many mice in Canada with no such warnings (but my first time buying a Kensington). What I'm wondering is, do ALL mice have lead in the cords? Does the Mac 1-button one? Do ALL mice packages sold in the US have this warning? I think the rules are more lax in Canada about the info that has to be on the packaging.

I am just wondering whether this is a normal thing or not on packaging of mice in the US.

Normally, I don't touch the cord anyway....

Thanks for your help....

 

[rainman::|:|]

California's little "lead advisories" have gone over the top. Companies now put stickers on products that could conceivably go to California, rather than keep separate packaging (or risk fines). Probably, the wires themselves are made of some cheap alloy that contains a small percentage of lead-- nothing a human will come in contact with, nothing that could pose a problem, but enough to make them put that stupid sticker on it.

Can't say if all mice are like this, i should imagine not-- AFAIK, lead is not a common ingredient in electronics/cabling manufacturing. Interesting question tho, someone from California clarify? Does everything in a CompUSA have "lead" stickers on it...

paul

 

[Makosuke]

I'm in California, and just once, I saw one of those warnings on something really unexpected... I think it was a power cord, but I can't remember clearly now. They're certainly not common in any electronics store I've been in, though, so I expect it's either a CYA sticker for products that probably don't even contain lead (maybe it's used in the manufacturing process), or there is some trace ammount in it. I did think it was odd, though.

 

[briankonar]

i eat lead for breakfast.

mm mmm good.

if your worried about lead poisoning from a mouse cord...perhaps you may want to consider cutting off your air supply. your average daily dose of carcinogens in the air is far more hazardous to your health than the mouse cord. unfortunately...stickers don't stick to air.

 

[keysersoze]

I bought a power extension cord from Fall-aPart a week ago (one of those long orange ones for outdoor work). I read the safety tag for the first time ever, and apparently you are supposed to wash your hands after touching them...seems those cords have lead in them as well. I've used them all my life and have yet to get cancer.

Did you like that Fall-aPart (Wall-Mart)? I just heard that last week. Guess I'm outta the loop in vuhmont.

Edit: for spellinng erorrs.

 

[Krizoitz]

I think as long as you don't start gnawing on mice cords you should be ok

 

[Makosuke]

I've used them all my life and have yet to get cancer.

Actually, lead isn't carcinogenic--it just makes you stupid and breaks your kidneys. So, by analogy, if the lead in your computer is slowly causing brain damage, by the time the symptoms are noticable, you'll be too stupid to realize it.

Seriously, though, there's a lot of lead in the environment (thanks in part to whoever's boneheaded idea it was to create leaded gasoline), and an infintesimal amount in your mouse cord is highly unlikely to ever have any noticable effect on you, especially if you're not an infant (children are far more succeptable to brain damage caused by lead).

That said, lead is a nasty heavy metal, and we really should work to minimize its use in electronics--that's why CRTs are so unplesant to dispose of, for example, and why some places in China where they get dumped are incredible cesspools of toxic metals.

 

[fartheststar]

Nice. I didn't think there was much to worry about. I just haven't bought a mouse in the USA before, and I've never seen any of these warnings in Canada on any electrical or computer products.

I can go on poisoning myself with my lead cord as I eat a box of Krispy Kreme's and eat 4 big macs, super sized fries, and a large diet coke (cus' I'm on a diet)....LOL.

Just weird to see warnings on stuff bought in the US which aren't on products on Canadian shelves.

On a side note of little differences: US mountain dew rocks,has caffiene and a nutrition content guide on it while Canadian mountain dew has no caffiene, no nutritional info, and tastes more like a lemon-lime drink (gross). I buy a case of that (and Milky Ways- chocolate is better) every time I'm down there.

 

[keysersoze]

Actually, lead isn't carcinogenic--it just makes you stupid and breaks your kidneys.

I guess your right. After checking with the EPA I've learned (for those who care its http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/lead.html )

"Human studies are inconclusive regarding lead exposure and an increased cancer risk. Four major human studies of workers exposed to lead have been carried out; two studies did not find an association between lead exposure and cancer, one study found an increased incidence of respiratory tract and kidney cancers, and the fourth study found excesses for lung and stomach cancers. However, all of these studies are limited in usefulness because the route(s) of exposure and levels of lead to which the workers were exposed were not reported. In addition, exposure to other chemicals probably occurred"

Hooray!!! Now I have one less thing to worry about!

 

[Makosuke]

Hooray!!! Now I have one less thing to worry about!

Not really--you just have one less thing that causes cancer to worry about. If you value your kidneys and brain, I wouldn't go on a diet of solder or old paint quite yet.