Are You Poisoning Your Child With a Lead-Tainted Soft Plastic Vinyl Lunchbox?

"At issue are lunchboxes made from soft vinyl, an increasingly popular choice with manufacturers because of their ability to insulate foods and absorb all kinds of punishment on those rugged journeys to and from school........ researchers found that the lead contaminating the lunchboxes was not bound up in the vinyl material itself, but rather was simply resting on its surface where it could easily transfer to hands or food that touched it. Even more disturbing, in most cases the highest levels of lead detected were found not on the outside of the lunchboxes, but on the inner lining, the surface with which food is much more likely to have contact. Researchers believe the lead is added to the vinyl either as a stabilizer or as part of its pigment."

They say to either use old fashioned metal lunch boxes, cloth bags or paper bags. Or go buy a lead test kit from a hardware store.