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Flame retardants and lead in Mardi Gras beads may pose a danger to people and the environment. A family catches Mardi Gras beads during the Krewe of Thoth parade down St. Charles Avenue in 2000. Based on the composition of the chemicals found in the plastic beads, the researchers concluded that plastic from electronic waste was likely being recycled into producing Mardi Gras beads (2). While exposure to lead and flame retardants is harmful to everyone’s health, it’s particularly dangerous for children. The stringed beads, often sourced from China, can contain lead, heavy metals, and other materials that can be toxic to humans, particularly children. Tens of millions of pounds of Chinese-made plastic beads are imported to the Gulf Coast for Mardi Gras annually, a cheap but vast loot of plastic throws that only increases in volume each year. In late 2018 and early 2019, we tested 56 beaded necklaces collected from Gasparilla parades in Florida and from Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana. For necklaces that contained multiple bead colors or pendants, we tested these different components separately. Mardi Gras beads are a quintessential part of the New Orleans yearly festivities. Parade attendees often don full neckfuls of beads at one time. But these glittering necklaces have a toxic truth behind them. From dangerous chemicals, to pollution and government sanitation expenses, these beads are a destructive force for the New Orleans One-third of the Mardi Gras beads tested exceeded 100 part per million (ppm) of lead, which is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) federal safety limit for lead in children’s products. While festival beads are not classified as a children’s product, children certainly can come into regular contact with the beads. over 25 million pounds of beads i.e. “Mardi Gras beads” are thrown by Carnival Krewe’s during parades each year in New Orleans, Louisiana (Flock, 2012). Mardi Gras beads come in all shapes, sizes and colors. This cultural tradition dates from the mid-19th century. Large volumes of Mardi Gras beads go into landfills or are left Mardi Gras Free Printables This collection features a wide range of printables, including word searches, crosswords, scattergories, and trivia quizzes to test your knowledge of Mardi Gras. It also includes potluck sign-up sheets for coordinating food contributions from guests, tracing worksheets for younger fans, and charades cards for engaging Lead concentrations were also found to be high on beads collected by the researchers at parades in Mobile, Alabama, during the 2018 Mardi Gras season. Based on these findings, researchers suggest washing hands after handling Mardi Gras beaded necklaces, avoiding putting them in the mouth, and not giving them to children without supervision. The lead content of the beads is recognized as a health threat, even by officials in Louisiana, the epicenter for Mardi Gras celebrations in this country. A fact sheet from the Louisiana Department of Health warns that “Some beads and throws may contain lead and there may be lead in the soil along the parade routes.” As the good times roll at Mardi Gras, float by float, the throws filter through the crowd to the roads and sidewalks below—beads, trinkets, and Moon Pies—covering the ground in a layer of Each Mardi Gras, 25 million pounds of beads hit the streets of New Orleans. an environmental scientist named Dr. Howard Mielke was directly involved in the legal efforts to phase out lead in
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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