12 Comments

1. Hi Marion - the CA Prop 65 (right-to-know) warning appears to be the outcome of a 2004 lawsuit brought by the Environmental Law Foundation. The lawsuit addressed non-CA grown products as well. I wasn’t able to find the case’s decision, but the complaints in the case are on this page, where it’s still listed as current: http://www.envirolaw.org/currentcases.html

   Here’s a page from a set of financial statements from Spectrum Organics with a thumbnail response to the suit. They claim the lead is naturally occurring in soils.

   http://sec.edgar-online.com/2005/03/24/0001108890-05-000196/Section5.asp

   This page from a plaintiff’s lawyer in the case states that it went to a “low-cost settlement.”

   http://www.mofo.com/attorneys/4070/matters.html

   I’d be curious to know more about the case. And I’d been planning to make a caprese salad with plums this weekend…hmm.

   Comment by Jocelyn — August 24, 2007 @ 7:21 pm

2. The shelf warnings started appearing this spring in California, but for some reason I have not been able to find any recent info. I first noticed them at Trader Joe’s. Since I was using the balsamic not only for me but also my 6 year old, I’ve switched to rice wine vinegar for salads instead. I don’t know if that is helping or not, but I just can’t bring myself to feed her something that might have lead in it. I keep expecting that someone will do some testing to put me at ease, but everyone is eerily quiet about the whole thing.

   PS: my username has no association with the Environment Law Foundation.

   Comment by elfling — August 24, 2007 @ 9:26 pm

3. These warnings haven’t reached the UK first but I must admit I did change my mind the other day about picking a bumper crop of wild blackberries when I remembered what the adjacent road is like in rush hour

   Comment by sophie — August 25, 2007 @ 12:04 pm

4. All of the research I have ever seen indicates that the greatest danger from lead in soil is that of small children getting their hands in the soil and then putting their hands in their mouths. The next danger would be soil on root vegetables not being adequately washed off before eating. There is some indication that lead may migrate into leafy greens. But lead does not migrate into fruits. That is my understanding from the research I have done, prompted by the levels of lead in my own garden soil in the District of Columbia.

   Anyone with concerns about lead in soil where they plan to garden, especially near heavily trafficked roadways or near buildings that may have shed paint containing lead, should have the soil tested.

   Ed Bruske
   President, D.C. Urban Gardeners

   Comment by Ed Bruske — August 25, 2007 @ 8:07 pm

5. Jane Kay’s February 25, 2004 article in the San Francisco Chronicle (”Lawsuit warns of lead in balsamic vinegars”) provides some more information (see http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/25/MNGIK57OJ11.DTL). According to the article, the Environmental Law Foundation sued “based on an exposure level of more than 0.5 micrograms per day, a level set by Prop. 65 that includes a 1, 000-fold safety margin. In other words, that level is 1,000 times lower than the level that would cause an observable effect in animals.”

   The Spectrum Organics website, which Jocelyn cited above, says “the Proposition 65 consumption quantity defined as no significant risk level for cancer was set at 15 micrograms per day. Lead is a naturally occurring element in some wine and balsamic vinegars. Based on the Company’s tests, a person would need to consume somewhere between 1.3-2.6 cups (270-630ml) daily of the Company’s various vinegar products to reach the Proposition 65 lead level.”

   Spectrum Organics claims that their balsamic vinegar, like most in the world, comes from the Modena region of Italy. The Environmental Law Foundation says that they compared vinegars and found that some varieties contained levels within the legal limits, while others didn’t. Makes you wonder what accounted for the difference.

   Either way, though, these facts suggest that there may not be as much to worry about as the mandated warning signs suggest. Scary, though. Seems like a sleazy abuse of the intent of the law.

   Comment by JS — November 21, 2007 @ 10:13 pm

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8. Maybe I’m missing something here, but my understanding is that lead has been out of gasoline for over a decade. While it’s possible there could be residual lead in soils adjoining major thoroughfares, I very much doubt it’s anything current. I can think of a lot of reasons I might not want to pick berries near a freeway, but lead isn’t one of them.

   Comment by JJ — December 31, 2007 @ 6:34 am

9. I am the author of the popular book The Healing Powers of Vinegar. I include a wide variety of vinegars plus RWV and balsamic vinegars. This lead news is news to me. I provide the nutritional breakdown of vinegars and nobody ever mentioned this.
   Personally, I use RWV/ACV externally for so many home cures. I am a healthy baby boomer, no diseases, 120 pounds, 5′ 5″ size 4…BP 123/60/heart rate 53. I swim 3-5 times per week, walk my dogs and have never been in the hospital except for a bunion operation (elective 25 yrs. ago).
   I abide by the Mediterranean diet (fruit, veggies, whole grains, fish, eggs, low fat dairy, olive oil). May I suggest if you feel vinegar is harmful to your health, switch to olive oil. However, vinegar has been used for centuries and centuries for external and internal uses. I am not taking the led issue seriously. We have to draw the line. Everything in moderate can be good for you. I eat a small amount of dark chocolate every day. People used to say chocolate is high in fat, bad for you. Now, the label reads rich in disease fighting antioxidants. Studies show it can lower blood pressure. Go figure. Check out my new book The Healing Powers of Olive Oil–if you are afraid to use RWV and balsamic vinegar–go back to ACV–apple cider vinegar is healthful for both external and internal uses.
   Case in point: My pup accidentally scratched my face, it was bruised badly. Two days later after ACV and ice–the black and blue bruises and scratches were 100 percent gone. Vinegar came to the rescue.

   Comment by Cal Orey — January 20, 2008 @ 9:32 pm

10. Hello Vinegar Fans, again, I did some research regarding the potential lead content and its ill effects in RWV and balsamic vinegars. As a longtime health journalist and health conscious boomer, I decided until a publicized double blind study with a large group of people are discussed in a well-documented and credible medical journal–about vinegar is to be ignored.

    Too many positive perks are linked to vinegars of all kinds. However, certainly you don’t want to drink two cups of RWV or balsalmic vinegar on a daily basis. But who in their right mind would do that, anyhow? The same goes for red wine. While I do not drink, red wine can be healthful in moderation — but not in excess.

    I still believe moderation is the key. And no, you do not want to stay clear of disease fighting antioxidant rich fresh fruits and vegetables. Both the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society do believe in getting your daily servings of these. Fruits and vegetables can help you stave off heart disease and cancers.

    Also, please don’t overlook the amazing powers of both vinegars for both external and internal use–in moderation. And, of course, turn to olive oil and its versatile powers to keep you healthy and boost longevity, too.

    If you have any questions, contact me via my website at Ask the Vinegar Lady and if I do not know the answer I will get it for you. www.calorey.com

    Comment by cal orey — January 27, 2008 @ 7:30 pm

11. I wouldn’t worry about trace lead in vinegar.
    The typical American diet is said to contain 15 – 25 micrograms or more of lead daily, mainly originating in fruits and vegetables. Other environmental exposures can result in up to 200 micrograms consumed daily.

    Though these figures may sound high, they are actually low. Despite alarms in the press, the lead in our bodies today is actually the lowest in recorded history. Thirty or more years ago, when lead was in gasoline and most paint, our parents absorbed ten times as much environmental lead as we do today. Yet there is absolutely no evidence of harm to them from even that exposure.

    As far as Prop 65 labels stating that lead causes cancer; evidence points the other way. While lead exposure has declined, most cancer rates are up.

    Comment by joel harvey — April 7, 2008 @ 3:27 pm

12. We have young kids that love salads! So how much lead is acceptable? None! We recently found a small company in San Rafael Cal that makes excellent balsamics that are lead free. Bought some from their website (www.oooliveoil.com). We have fallen in love with them.

    Comment by Jaime — July 3, 2008 @ 2:29 pm

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