CEH Announces Lawsuits on "Bounce House" Lead Hazards
The Center for Environmental Health has announced that it and California's Attorney General filed lawsuits on August 11, 2010 against manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of children’s bounce houses (also called jump houses or inflatable jumpers) due to high levels of lead.
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One Bounce House Tested at 70 Times Federal Lead Limit
CEH testing found one bounce house contained more than 70 times the federal limit for lead in children’s products under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.1
Group Contends California Law Also Violated
According to CEH, independent testing it commissioned also showed that lead from bounce houses can expose children to the toxic chemical at levels that violate California law.
Seven Companies Named in Case, Industry-Wide Reform Sought
Defendants in the CEH case are: Cutting Edge Creations, Inc.; Funtastic Factory, Inc. dba Einflatables.com; The Inflatable Store, Inc/Leisure Activities Co., Ltd.; Jump for Fun, Inc.; Magic Jump, Inc.;Thrillworks, Inc.; and Bay Area Jumps.
In addition to the companies named in the lawsuits, CEH has been discussing lead in bounce houses with industry leader Ninja Jump of Los Angeles, in hopes of resolving the issue industry-wide.
(CEH has a long history of pursuing lead and other health threats, especially to children. See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/20/10, 07/02/10, 06/04/10, and 05/24/10 news, 10071906, 10070216, 10060421, and 10052414, for most recent BP summaries of CEH’s actions regarding lead in artificial turf, lead in jewelry, lead in handbags, and high cadmium in jewelry.)
1The CPSIA imposed progressive limits on lead content in consumer products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under such that: (i) on February 10, 2009, children's products with more than 600 ppm of total lead content by weight in any accessible part became banned hazardous substances; (ii) on August 14, 2009, the allowable lead content limit in such products decreased to 300 ppm; and (iii) on August 14, 2011, the limit will decrease to 100 ppm, unless CPSC determines that it is not technologically feasible for a product or product category.