Purchased a product that contains lead- how can they sell this?

Calm down. First, California passed laws on things the legislature chose to list as carcinogens. So you have a flashlight. It is made of plastics. The plastics were polymerized, perhaps using a lead catalyst. So there may be a trace of lead that can be detected with sensitive instruments. And some of the monomers used in the plastic polymerization may also be listed as potential carcinogens, and maybe a few parts per million of monomer are present in the plastic. So the lawyers get to work, and to prevent potential lawsuits they will not claim there is no lead present, nor any possible carcinogen present, and tell you to wash your hands after using. Simply so you cannot go out and find that there is 1 part per billion of lead that you then claim you got on your hands and caused you health problems. But there is a purpose behind the legislation. To get manufacturers to find other ways of producing their products without using lead, etc. You may be able to purchase the exact same spot light in a different state, and there will be no warning label on it. It is just in that state, they decided not to tell you. Sort of when you get a package of pretzels that states there are no nut products in the food, but it has been packaged in a plant that processes peanuts. That means there could potentially be a grain of peanut in the pretzels, but they are covering their posteriors against a lawsuit. They are not going to go to the expense of proving for each product batch of pretzels that there is not the slightest peanut fragment in the box.

Relax. 1. It's California. Home of overegulation and 'ecopanic'. 2. You can't make a battery without some chemicals that are hazardous. The lead in question is quite effective in confining these, and it's presence might indicate a safer product. 3. There's way too much panic about many common substances these days. Metalic lead, or mercury for that matter are not at all dangerous. Only their soluble salts pose a hazard.

Calm down. First, California passed laws on things the legislature chose to list as carcinogens. So you have a flashlight. It is made of plastics. The plastics were polymerized, perhaps using a lead catalyst. So there may be a trace of lead that can be detected with sensitive instruments. And some of the monomers used in the plastic polymerization may also be listed as potential carcinogens, and maybe a few parts per million of monomer are present in the plastic. So the lawyers get to work, and to prevent potential lawsuits they will not claim there is no lead present, nor any possible carcinogen present, and tell you to wash your hands after using. Simply so you cannot go out and find that there is 1 part per billion of lead that you then claim you got on your hands and caused you health problems. But there is a purpose behind the legislation. To get manufacturers to find other ways of producing their products without using lead, etc. You may be able to purchase the exact same spot light in a different state, and there will be no warning label on it. It is just in that state, they decided not to tell you. Sort of when you get a package of pretzels that states there are no nut products in the food, but it has been packaged in a plant that processes peanuts. That means there could potentially be a grain of peanut in the pretzels, but they are covering their posteriors against a lawsuit. They are not going to go to the expense of proving for each product batch of pretzels that there is not the slightest peanut fragment in the box.

Relax. 1. It's California. Home of overegulation and 'ecopanic'. 2. You can't make a battery without some chemicals that are hazardous. The lead in question is quite effective in confining these, and it's presence might indicate a safer product. 3. There's way too much panic about many common substances these days. Metalic lead, or mercury for that matter are not at all dangerous. Only their soluble salts pose a hazard.

There is no law against selling a product that they know to contain lead and/or cause cancer. For example this would make things like cigarettes, ammunition, many household products or fiberglass insulation illegal. Only severely toxic chemicals like asbestos were removed from houses to prevent exposure. I think the "compromise" in general is to list any potential risks since that way you don't have to buy it or be forced to get exposed, but it would be more on your own judgement. Lead is one of those things that is still in alot of products, maybe even without your knowledge but realistically if the concentration is low enough it's probably not as bad for you as people tend to think.