By Rory Brown

Despite the efforts of government regulators and a group of local kids, candies that may contain dangerous levels of lead are still for sale in many of the Mission District's corner stores and markets.

Although some specific brands have been recalled, consumers have been warned about only a fraction of the candies that have been found to contain lead, and store owners remain oblivious or indifferent to the adverse health effects the products could have on children. Dozens of candies have registered high for lead on government tests. Most of them are imported from Mexico and contain chili powder or tamarind (see "Kids Against Candy," 6/1/05).

"These candies are harmful and dangerous to the children that eat them. No amount of lead is good for children, or anyone," Leticia Medina of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) told the Bay Guardian. High levels of lead can damage children's kidneys and nervous systems, as well as cause learning disabilities.

The California Department of Health Services issued a warning July 6 stating, "Consumers, particularly infants, young children, and pregnant women, should not eat Dulmex Rollito De Tamarindo, a tamarind candy, and Vero Vagabundo, a hard lollipop with a chili dipping powder."

These products are the latest additions to a list of more than 10 candies that California and US health officials have issued warnings about in recent years. Other sweets that have tested high have never been the subject of a warning. Four types of Lucas brand chili powder – Lucas Limon, Lucas Limon con Chile, Lucas Acidito, and Super Lucas – were voluntarily recalled in August 2004 by Mars, which owns Lucas. But the powders were still found in stores in late May.

The DPH distributed a letter May 18 asking store owners to "refrain from selling any candies that you suspect may contain lead," specifically mentioning Lucas. The department included a flyer produced by the Orange County Register after a series of stories about Mexican candy the newspaper ran last year. The flyer identifies some of the suspicious brands of candies and the number of times they have tested high for lead.

When we visited 25 stores on both Mission and 24th Streets on July 26 and 28, only one was selling a Lucas powder. When we asked the store owner about it, he removed the candy and said he didn't see the picture of Lucas Acidito tucked in the bottom right corner of the flyer.

But the store – like many others in the Mission – was still selling several other suspicious candies, including Vero Mango, Tama Roca, Limon 7, and Canel's Gum. Only one of the stores we visited – Food Villa on 24th Street – had both the letter and list of candies posted for the public. Owner Bill Husary doesn't sell any Mexican candy but opted to put up the information anyway.

"The Health Department sent the flyer, and I just put it up because I got it," Husary told us.

Although the Lucas chili powders are harder to find, health educator Medina doesn't think there's been much improvement over the past two months.

"Yes, the Lucas powders are gone," Medina said. "But now it's just the same story with different candies. It's a losing battle without strict policies in effect."

According to Medina, those policies need to come from the state and federal level. "We don't have the power to tackle this alone," she said. "The store owners are in the dark, so the Food and Drug Administration needs to make sure these candies are not available.... The alerts from [the California Department of] Health Services are a good start, but we need legislation."

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