Lead poisoning continues to be among the most common and serious environmental health threat to children under the age of six. Most children are poisoned through chronic, low-level exposures. Lead poisoning can cause problems such as lower IQ, hyperactivity, impaired growth, learning disabilities, and behavior problems.
The candies listed below have tested over the FDA’s candy standard of 0.2 ppm as reported by the Childhood Lead Coalition. The candy and/or their wrapper have tested positive for lead at least once and up to 29 times over the limit. Eating the candy or just licking and touching the wrapper can poison a child. Some of the items, like the tamarind candy, are acidic and lead from the wrapper can get into the candy. That means the wrapper contaminates the candy, which may have been lead free. Even if you do not purchase these types of candies for your children, they may receive them in candy bags at birthday parties or at school from other children.
| Candy Name | Highest Result (ppm) | How many times over FDA’s candy standard (0.2 ppm) | |
| Candy | Wrapper | ||
| * Bolirindo por Dulmex | 5.800 | 5,000 | 29 times (candy), 8.3. times (wrapper) |
| * Rollito de Tamarindo por Dulmex | 0.3 | 3800 | 1.25 times (candy), 6.3 times (wrapper) |
| * Chaca Chaca | 0.6 | 1.7 | 3 times (candy) |
| * Lucas Limón | 0.7 | n/a | 3.26 times (candy) |
| Tamarindo | 1.4 | 11,000 | 7 times (candy), 18.3 times (wrapper) |
| Serpentinas | 0.4 | 15,000 | 2 times (candy), 25 horas (wrapper) |
| Súper Rebanaditas | 0.5 | n/a | 2.5 times (candy) |
| Tama Roca | 1.1 | 22,000 | 5.5 times (candy), 37 times (wrapper) |
| Paletón con Chile | n/a | 7,000 | 12 times (wrapper) |
| Vero Rebanaditas | 0.3 | n/a | 1.5 times (candy) |
| Pelón Pelo Rico | 0.4 | n/a | 2 times (candy) |
| Vero Mango | 0.6 | n/a | 2.85 times (candy) |
Candies marked with an asterisks (*) have been issued a public health advisory from the Department of Health Services.
REMINDER: Please become familiar with the list of lead containing candies. If you have any questions about or have experienced a poisoning, please CALL our bilingual Specialists in Poison Information at our 24-hour/365-day Texas Poison Center Network hotline – 1-800-222-1222.
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