Paulson Poker Chips Pose Health Hazards Says US Arizona Department of Health Services
By: EDWARD BARKER

http://www.personalpokerchip.com

At www.personalpokerchip.com we sell all 8 styles of Paulson poker chips. However, Paulson has recently been troubled by the alleged lead content in its chips. Read on for more information about this topic.

The Arizona Department of Health Services recently issued a warning that Paulson poker chips contain elements of lead, rather than being made from 100% clay. True, this warning did come hours after the Phoenix television station KNVX publicised a story that Paulson poker chips were contaminated with lead. However, the involvement of the Health Department has shocked sections of the US poker community and casinos throughout Las Vegas, all of whom have been using Paulson poker chips for years as they are generally considered to be the highest quality poker chips on the market.

This fiasco came about after KNVX tested a sample of 200 Paulson poker chips and found that over 100 of them contained 10% lead rather than clay (the Environmental Protection Agency limit is only 0.06%). One Paulson poker chip contained a staggering 45% (one of the ones used regularly in a Las Vegas casino).

The EPA brought this to the attention of the Health Department because of ‘the potential exposure to the most vulnerable…the children of families that currently have this product in their homes.’

Gerard Charlier, Chief Executive of Gaming Partners International Corporation (the company which produces Paulson poker chips) said the chips were completely safe if they were used as intended. While conceding that tests have conclusively proven that lead exists in some Paulson poker chips, ‘the mere presence of lead is no sufficient to prove there is a health risk.’

In fact this argument has a lot of weight. Wouldn’t those that argue that the existence of lead is a health risk simply because it puts infants at risk have difficulty arguing that a kitchen knife is intrinsically safe? A knife is in itself dangerous but safe when used as intended, for example to chop up meat or cheese! If a child got it and cut him or herself then the danger is readily apparent. For this reason, parents must look after their children and not leave certain products lying around within easy reach. Tiddly winks are made from safe plastic but could easily be swallowed so why isn’t the Department of Health stating that they too are a health risk?

The more concerning thing for Paulson is that the appearance of lead in some of its chips damages the brand name. Paulson poker chips are revered throughout the world and used in many plush casinos like the Bellagio, Mirage and the Wynn. Paulson should be concerning itself, not with the health effects (remember the Department of Health only said the lead content ‘may’ be hazardous) but with the reputation of the established Paulson poker chip brand.

Luckily, it has come to light that the lead content only applied to a very small sample and Paulson have tightened up their techniques in order to ensure they produce poker chips in accordance with the EPA rules. For professional clay poker chips, Paulson still dominates the world market and casinos have continued to purchase Paulson poker chips by the tens of thousands.

For Paulson poker chips in all eight styles (for example Classic, Pharaohs, National and Isthmus) visit http://personalpokerchip.com/PokerChipSets/uk-PaulsonPokerChipSets-4-15.aspx.

Edward Barker is the Managing Director of Personalpokerchip.com, one of the World's leading online poker stores. Personalpokerchip sells poker chip sets, custom poker chips and luxury poker tables as well as offering one of the best independent poker book and dvd review service found anywhere on the internet.

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