Washington, D.C. 12/22/2005 1:00:00 PM
“The American Public Health Association (APHA) today praises the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to enact a new policy to lower children’s exposure to small traces of lead after finding evidence of lead contamination in certain types of Mexican candy. We at APHA advocated for the FDA to set a lead enforcement standard in all candy –domestic and imported—at 0.1 part per million (ppm) based on our policy that urges the FDA to conduct sufficient monitoring of candy. APHA’s policy also calls for aggressive FDA enforcement action when the agency’s lead standards are exceeded.
“This problem came to APHA’s attention last year when news reports claimed candies made in Mexico and sold in California were testing high in lead content. Sometimes these candies are described as ‘seasonings,’ although they are frequently consumed as candies. They are often sold in U.S. grocery stores to children, who are at a higher risk of contamination than adults. The health risks associated with lead exposure are significant, and neurological damage caused by lead appears to be irreversible.
“We believe that the FDA’s move is an important step in ensuring that candy does not contain unacceptably high levels of lead that endanger the public’s health.”
Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.
Contact: Media Relations, (202) 777-2509
media.relations@apha.org
