Every Friday, Lynda Steele dips into the viewer mailbag to answer your questions. This week, Steele on Your Side looks at a safety warning on vacuums and travelling with your Nexus card.
Safety warning on vacuums
Christine contacted CTV News after reading the safety instructions that came with her vacuum cleaner. The warning in the Dirt Devil's owner's manual stated, "This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects. Wash hands after using."
Christine wants to know if she should be concerned.
Under California law, electrical cords that contain more than 300 parts per million of lead are required to have a warning label. Many vacuum cords have small amounts of lead in the outside coverings, which can rub off on hands.
If people eat or put their hands in their mouths after touching the cords, they can take in small amounts of lead. The bigger safety concern is likely for babies or toddlers who put wires directly into their mouths.
Travelling with Nexus
Randall wrote Steele on Your Side after he recently got his Nexus card. He wants to know if he still needs to carry a passport when flying to the U.S.
You can use your Nexus card instead of a passport. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative the Nexus card, along with the enhanced driver's license are recognized as acceptable equivalent documents to a valid passport.
There have been incidents where border guards have asked to see a passport on top of your Nexus card, but under U.S. law, your Nexus card is all you officially need for travel between Canada and the U.S.
