If you have an artificial Christmas tree in your home, do you know what it's made of?

State Sen.-elect David Carlucci, D-New City, says he's worried that too many artificial holiday trees are made with potentially harmful materials and suggests that artificial trees sold in New York should have a warning label listing possible dangers.

"Many New Yorkers are not aware that artificial Christmas trees may contain lead, yet the potential for lead poisoning is great enough that under California Proposition 65, artificial trees made in China are required to carry a warning label," said Carlucci, who is Clarkstown's town clerk and takes office in Albany in January.

"If there is any potential at all of children being exposed to harmful toxins there should be a clear warning label on the outside of the box so parents can make an informed decision," said Carlucci. 

Carlucci said he is pushing for legislation that would require all artificial Christmas trees to have a warning label that would list all hazardous chemicals and any precautionary measures that should be taken when handling the tree.
 
Carlucci said he is concerned about artificial trees because …

- About 85 percent of artificial Christmas trees are made in China and most are made of metals and plastics.

- It is estimated that artificial trees are now present in an approximately 50 million U.S. households. 

-The plastic material is typically made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which can be a potential source of lead. 

- Exposure to lead has long been recognized as a major public health issue, causing permanent and irreversible neurological damage, especially to infants and young children.
 
Carlucci contends that because children are likely to touch the branches of the tree and sit under it where contaminated dust may fall, they are at greater risk of lead exposure. He said handling an artificial Christmas tree can leave residue on the hands, and it is recommended that children not handle the artificial tree, and adults who do handle it wash their hands thoroughly afterwards.

So, how long have we been using artificial Christmas Trees? The State of California says the first artificial green tree was created in the 1930s by the Addis Brush Company.

The company, according to a California consumer protection guide,
used equipment that made toilet brush to make limbs for artificial Christmas trees.