A number of Chinese-made faucets sold online can flush lead into drinking water, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission urges people to stop using them.
The products are made by a number of Chinese companies and are sold on Amazon for $30 to $70, the CPSC said in a release Thursday. None of the companies involved have agreed to “an acceptable recall.”
The agency found that the faucets contained lead.
Anyone who has bought a VESLA HOME, HGN, VFAOUSIT, Qomolangma or Kicimpro kitchen faucet or a KZH, CEINOL, NICTIE or Rainsworth bathroom faucet is urged to dispose of it.
Lead exposure can cause health issues for pregnant women, infants and children, including lowered intelligence and cognitive performance and attention and behavioral problems.
The CPSC also warns that lead can’t be boiled out of water as opposed to some other contaminants. The agency recommends flushing your faucets for 15 seconds in the morning, at night or anytime a faucet has gone six hours without being used, plus swapping out screens regularly.
Consumers, the agency said, should look for products that comply with NSF/ANSI Standard 61, which sets the maximum allowable amount of contaminants, including lead.
The CPSC warning comes after American brand Moen paid the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials certification agency to test cheap foreign products that compete with its own faucets.
IAPMO found that 17 of the 19 faucets it tested failed to meet American standards, with 11 faucets failing American lead standards, according to NBC News.
CPSC officials say cheap Chinese goods are a major threat to U.S. consumers.
“CPSC is taking extraordinary steps to protect Americans from toxic faucets that threaten our children,” CPSC acting Chairman Peter Feldman said in the release, adding that it “will not hesitate to warn Americans when necessary. CPSC remains focused on the biggest threat to American consumers: hazardous goods from China.”
