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Kim Johnson ReportingIt's buyer beware for some Halloween costumes this year. Several of the costumes K-mart is selling this year contain a warning which says, “This product contains lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer or other birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
The warning, which complies with California's product disclosure laws, might have gone unnoticed by consumers, but in Illinois, which doesn't have product disclosure laws, K-mart employees blacked out the warning with marker, then put tape on it.
One consumer took the tape off and says she was angry to discover the warning had been covered up.
Kristina Mastrino: "The store manager came over and said that corporate told them to do it, and that was what the rules were in Illinois, that they didn't have to tell us the product was made from lead."
A K-mart spokesman said, "In an effort to avoid causing undue concern among our customers, we covered over the labels because we determined that the warning labels were not needed."
The warning labels were NOT covered up here locally. Still, health officials say parents should beware of what they're buying.
Eileen Risk, Epidemiologist, Salt Lake Valley Health: "If you have a child who would be putting an item in their mouth that has lead in it, they shouldn't buy it, or they should have close supervision because it's difficult to keep items out of young children's mouths."
Risk says any exposure to lead is potentially harmful to young children. Lead poisoning can cause serious developmental delays and learning disabilities.
