Photo by Mr. T in DC.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is incredibly concerned about the amount of lead in our reusable grocery bags — so much so, he is calling for an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Commission into whether the bags pose a danger. The Tampa Tribune explains:

Because the bags are being used to carry food, high lead levels pose a danger to the country’s food supply, Schumer said in a letter addressed to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

Lead is linked to learning disabilities in children and fertility problems in adults. Health advocates say any level of lead is toxic.

The lead found in the grocery bags the Tribune tested would not easily rub off on food, and merely touching one of the bags is unlikely to prove harmful, according to Hugh Rodrigues, president of Thornton Laboratories in Tampa, which tested the bags. Over time, though, as the bags wear down, their paint can flake off and threads fray, releasing the lead. The more elaborate the illustrations on the bags, the more likely they are to contain toxic lead, the Tribune investigation found. Yellow and green paint on bags is a common carrier of lead.

Schumer then went on to blame the toxicity of reusable bags on China. (No, seriously.) The District’s bag tax has been wildly successful in many ways, so I can’t imagine that such an investigation would really have any kind of long-term effect on D.C.’s legislation or our new-found habit of carrying such bags when we go to the grocery store. Besides, we had lead in our freakin’ water supply, okay, Senator? You’re going to have to do a little bit better than a little bit of lead in some decomposing reusable bags to put a scare into the good ol’ D of C.