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by MP1116 on January 1st, 2004

MP1116

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I bought a controller that says the cord 'contains lead, which causes cancer and reproductive problems due to prolonged exposure.' Is this just another over-exaggerated warning?

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Answers. 3 helpful answers below.

  • by Anonymous on April 27th, 2005

    Anonymous

        “The Law that cried ‘Wolf!’”

      This is most likely done to conform with California's Proposition 65, which was passed many years ago.

      I have to think that Prop. 65 was some clever person's way of demonstrating just how gullible a large portion of the population is, and how easily people can be manipulated into supporting a proposed law that is worthless, or worse.

      What Proposition 65 does is to require that the State maintain a list of substances that are “known to cause cancer or birth defects”, and that notices be posted anywhere that such substances are known to be present.

      On the surface, this sounds like a very good idea.  If there is a substance nearby that could harm me, shouldn't I know about it?  Of course, this law entirely fails to take into account anything to do with the amount of risk that is posed in any instance by a listed substance.  The cord on your controller contains lead, but almost certainly not in a form that will cause you to come into any direct contact with it, unless you eat the cord.  And you'd probably have to eat the cords from a large number of controllers to ingest enough lead to cause any harm.  No matter.  There is a small amount of lead in the cord to this controller, and lead is a substance that is on the California list of substances known to cause cancer or birth defects; so you must be warned.

      The real harm in this law is that warning signs are posted just about everywhere to warn people of threats that, for the most part, are insignificant or non-existent.  As a result, where any genuine threat exists to health or safety due to the presence of harmful chemicals, any signs warning of this threat would, for the most part, be disegarded by a population that has become used to seeing all the bogus warnings everywhere that are required by Prop. 65.

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  • by IndianaJesusfreak on October 21st, 2008

    IndianaJesusfreak

    Don't chew on the cord and you have nothing to worry about.

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  • by Christopher Woods on January 25th, 2004

    Christopher Woods

    Most definitely - unless the controller itself is made from the stuff, having a cord which contains lead won't really harm you at all (so long as you don't come into prolonged skin contact with it). Oh, and so long as you aren't ingesting lead filings from it either.


    This sounds like a catch-all disclaimer clause from whichever company manufactured the controller to me :)

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