Lead Found in Paulson Chips

A day after Phoenix television station KNXV aired a story about lead contamination in Paulson poker chips, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) issued a warning that these chips may pose health hazards. 

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) limit on surface lead is .06 percent.  All of the 200 chips KNXV had tested at an independent lab exceeded this limit.  Over half hit the maximum reading the test could show – a frightening 10 percent.  40 chips were tested for total lead composition with the lowest having 4 times the EPA limit.  One chip, used in a Las Vegas casino, contained 45 percent lead. 

Paulson chips are widely used in casinos and are also purchased by poker enthusiasts for home use.  They are considered one of the highest quality chips on the market.   

Diane Eckles, head of the ADHS environmental health office wrote the following in a letter to the U.S. EPA: 

"We're bringing this to your attention because of the potential exposure to the most vulnerable population, the children of families that currently have this product in their homes.  There is also a potential for the dealers to expose their families, specifically children, to this lead hazard." 

Of course, Gerard Charlier, Chief Executive of Gaming Partners International Corporation, the company which makes the Paulson chips, said the chips were safe if used as intended.  “Although testing has proven the existence of lead in the chips, the mere presence of lead is not sufficient to prove there is a health risk,” he said in a statement.  “In fact, independent testing has also demonstrated that the simple handling of these chips would not produce any risk of health concerns to the consumer nor to the environment.” 

What he is ignoring is the fact that these could be extremely dangerous to infants and toddlers, should they get their hands on their parents’ Paulson chips.  It is not the intended use that is the issue.  It is the possibility of a child putting the chips in his or her mouth that is the problem.  This is a very real possibility, and Charlier’s avoidance of it is irresponsible. 

Fortunately, Charlier did say in the statement that the chips have been reformulated to reduce lead levels to below the EPA limits.