About Us

Those Leather Goods Could Feel Like Lead, Literally
Saturday, December 29, 2007 (19:09:52)

This article contributed by editor

Imported products may be hazardous to health.

With the reality of a global economy and different countries' approaches to regulation, cowboys, bikers and other leather consumers need to be more aware of practices overseas and the journeys their exotic hides have made.

"Most of the leather that's for motorcycles is from Pakistan," said Barney McCarthy, owner of Barney's Leather on North Beach Street.

In Pakistan, the leather is tanned with lead-based chromium, which can be an environmental concern.

Tanning is the process that turns skin, which can decompose, into leather. It's done using natural or chemical additives, or a combination of the two. Most American leather is tanned overseas, so even if a product says "Made in the USA," that may just mean assembled here with leather treated elsewhere.

McCarthy carefully sources his leather to determine what chemicals were used by the tannery.

"The (Environmental Protection Agency) governs how we treat leather here, but not what comes in," he said. "That's why China can make toys with lead paint and they can come in here, but we could never make (the toys) like that."

He spends quite a bit of time making sure the overseas tanneries he uses aren't using lead-based chromium, McCarthy said. Instead, he looks for a combination of vegetable tan -- using tannin from tree bark -- and a process using a chemical like chromium sulfate.

"People buying boots from China, I'm wondering if it's like putting on toxic shoes," he said.

He's not aware of anyone having a reaction from lead in tanned leather, but the lack of government oversight is causing problems for the environment in the countries where the tanneries are located.

"Overseas in Pakistan or China, people are getting really sick over there; they just pour all the chemicals in the water and people drink it," he said. America produces "the best cowhide in the world," but it's generally sent overseas to tan because domestic tanneries couldn't stay open -- a few still work for shoe companies but that's all he knows of, McCarthy said.

John Crivellari, owner of House of Leather next to the Banned Bookstore on Ridgewood Avenue, said most of his products were made in the USA.

"Nothing from overseas that I'm aware of -- the bustiers come from San Francisco, the other clothing comes from California or San Antonio, Texas," he said.

A black leather teddy in his store costs $69.99.

"The person that wants the leather stuff, they want actual real leather, they don't want imitation, so they're willing to pay for what it costs to be made," Crivellari said.

At Skip's Western Outfitters on West International Speedway Boulevard, salesman Kyle Coots said his store sells exotic leather, with the most popular being ostrich and gator tail. His store also carries elephant, but only from animals that died of natural causes.

"The elephants, they all die of natural causes . . . they're not going to go kill an elephant. The money we get off the (elephant) boots, some of it goes back to the wildlife refuge" where the elephants came from, he said, so their hides actually help support the living population they left behind.

Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal