Poker chips found to contain lead

[Fonzi]

An investigative report conducted by ABC 15 Phoenix revealed that poker chips manufactured by gaming supplies company Paulson and used by such Las Vegas casinos as Caesar?s Palace, Mandalay Bay and the MGM Grand contain excessive amounts of lead.


Paulson manufactures in between ten to twenty million poker chips a year.
From the ABC 15 report:

?If you were to take chips like these and spread them out, 1000 of them on the ground, essentially it would be a federal Superfund site. That?s how much lead are in these things. I?ve been doing this for many, many years and seldom do we run across products that contain this much lead that are in people?s homes.?


While no amount of lead is considered safe, the EPA?s legal limit is .06% in paint.


Over and over and over again - 200 times - we tested Paulson chips for surface lead.


And every time, they tested positive.


What?s more: over half maxed-out the swab?s detection limit at 10-percent lead. That?s more than 160-times the lead the EPA legally allows in paint.

The Southern Nevada Health District will take a closer look at a popular brand of poker chips because of concerns about lead.
An Arizona news station hired a private lab to test Paulson brand poker chips for lead. All of them exceeded legal limits. Half of them were 160 times the federal limit.


The Health District says under normal use, the chips are not an immediate threat. But if your kids get a hold of them that could be a major problem. If they were to place the chips in the mouth, they most certainly have potential to sustain significant dose of lead.


The company that makes the chips is based here in Las Vegas and released a statement that says the chips are not a health hazard when used normally.


MGM Mirage is the only company that confirmed it's used the chips for decades. A spokesperson referred to a statement from the American Gaming Association, saying it's concerned and wants health leaders to look into the potential risks.