I agree with SP Ghost's comment: "Reading comprehension FAIL. The attack isn't on reusable bags. This is a call for an investigation into the cheap shitty bags being made with lead paint that shameless retailers are selling to unwitting consumers to capitalize on a trend."

As for the reusable bags, even if reused many times, they will eventually be discarded when a new one is needed. Considering our large population, that's a lot of bags. It would also be healthier if bags didn't contain any lead at all, rather than the allowed legal lead limit, because after a day of touching everything that has the legal amount of lead it in, we are definitely exceeded our daily lead intake. (If you want to know more about the dangers of lead, read my article here: http://www.stefaniagentile.com...

I'm happy at least one politician cares about lead levels in our products. Thank you Chuck Schumer!! Recently the government has been putting our safety on the back burner and allowing China to sell us all sorts of toxic products. Read this article for yet another shock, glasses with 1,000 times the legal lead limit are being sold and naive consumers are buying them up just in time for Christmas: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Unfortunately, not everyone reads the newspapers, and unless these glasses contain a large warning label on them, people will buy them and use them. :(

For the record I checked a Trader Joe's bag and it's made in Vietnam. I have no idea if Vietnam has the same problems that China does with product safety, I'm just putting it out there that the Trader Joe's bags and the bags that were tested from Winn Dixie and Walmart came from different countries.

Why not a picture of Schumer suffocating on a reusable plastic bag?

"The bags are made in China, and Schumer wants to hold the country accountable"

yeh right...then you'd have to hold them accountable for ever piece of shit cheap product americans want so badly.

How much exposure can a person accumulate when briefly carrying already-wrapped products in these bags?

Why not just gave a picture of a generic reusable bag, instead of implicating Trader Joe's, without any evidence?

Shitty journalism, Gothamist.

Wow, I used to design some of these bags. But really, they were mostly used to carry Kryptonite. So.

"China has no regard for American safety."

so stop buying products made in China whenever possible. they are not great but most plastic shopping bags are made in USA and are reusable and recyclable too. there are plenty of canvas bags made in USA as well.

hey jackass schumer, how about giving us some specific details? which bags? you know like how recalled products are publicized. And the paint is on the outside of the bags, not inside.

I think it's safe to assume any cheap (less than $10) bag with lots of bright artwork was made in China and decorated with lead paint.

Funny that the lead in reusable shopping bags "could eventually create an environmental hazard". First of all, that assumes these bags will get disposed of in great quantities, although their specific purpose is to be reused. And second, their alternative, plastic bags, ALREADY ARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD.

This attack is bogus - the focus needs to be on paint, not reusable shopping bags. Many of them don't have any paint on them at all! I remember a few months ago all the papers ran stories about how IF reusable bags are not cleaned PROPERLY, bacteria COULD accumulate in them... just like EVERYTHING ELSE ON EARTH. Got to be petroleum or plastics lobbies behind this - some interest group that doesn't want disposable shopping bags phased out.

Reading comprehension FAIL. The attack isn't on reusable bags. This is a call for an investigation into the cheap shitty bags being made with lead paint that shameless retailers are selling to unwitting consumers to capitalize on a trend.

Good point SP!

Seeing as the original story in no way indicates Trader Joe's bags are toxic, you may want to rethink your choice of art.

"the highest lead levels were found in bags that have elaborate designs or illustrations covering the surface."

Yes, but it certainly doesn't indicate if this is true across the board, or only in elaborately designed bags manufactured with particular paints or by particular companies. Just because, overall, illustrated bags contained more lead, that doesn't mean the specific bag pictured contained high levels of lead. Your false conclusion is what's known as a fallacy of division. To paraphrase your snarky response to another commenter's legitimate point, logic FAIL.

"that doesn't mean the specific bag pictured contained high levels of lead."

No one said it did. It does however illustrate the story well.

"Your false conclusion is what's known as a fallacy of division."

I made no such conclusion. You arrogant asshole.

If Gothamist published a story that said white guys in their late twenties are more likely to be arrested for drunk driving, the wouldn't illustrate the story with a picture of me, because they would know that a reader who didn't read the whole story could easily conclude that I was arrested for drunk driving. The same logic applies here. I'm not sure why this point is controversial.

From a quick google search:
http://www.vcstar.com/news/201...

"Alison Mochizuki, director of national public relations for Trader Joe’s, wrote in an e-mail that its products are tested by suppliers and a third party to comply with the state Toxins in Packaging Prevention Act. She said bags made in China also are also tested and approved.

Representatives for Albertsons and Target also said reusable bags sold in their stores are tested and don’t have high levels of metals."

Agreed, poor choice of artwork by Gothamist.

"the bags may wear down and the paint could flake off, which—amongst other things—could eventually accumulate in landfills"

I guess we'll have to keep re-using them then?