Mexican candy being pulled from stores’ shelves in LV

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006 | 12:34 p.m.

The Clark County Health District is pulling certain Mexican candies off the shelves based on testing done by health officials and researchers in UNLV's School of Public Health.

Over the last several months, UNLV researchers consistently found lead in several types of Mexican candies, specifically those containing chili or tamarind. Researchers tested more than 4,000 pieces of candy, and found lead in 25 brands out of 100 tested.

All of the candy was purchased within a two-mile radius of UNLV, researchers told the Sun in September.

The health district issued a "cease and desist" order to prevent the display and sale of Mexican candy that contains chili, Lucas products in the form of powders and salts, tamarind candies in glazed ceramic containers, and Tama Roca candy with straws. The health district will be inspecting stores to enforce compliance, officials there said.

"The action to remove the candies from the area store shelves is designed to prevent potential long-term, permanent effects of lead poisoning in children who may consume these products," environmental health professor Shawn Gerstenberger said in a statement.

UNLV President Carol Harter, who will step down June 30 to lead the university's capital campaign full-time, canceled scheduled interviews last week with the Sun and Face to Face With Jon Ralston because she was "not ready to do interviews yet," spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said.

Several sources said Harter, who cried when she made the official announcement of her departure to the campus Feb. 2, is still very emotional. She is also very busy, Grey said, with a full schedule of meetings this week.

Harter then leaves on a two-week trip, Grey said.

Chancellor Jim Rogers, who many faculty believe pushed Harter out, has been making the media rounds, appearing on KNPR and on Ralston's show on cable channel 19, Las Vegas One.

UNLV's Faculty Senate met last Tuesday to discuss several possible ways it might respond to Harter's resignation, among them asking regents to take away Rogers' power to discipline and fire presidents.

But the senate didn't get to vote on the matter within its two-hour time frame because senators got sidetracked deciding how to elect representatives to sit on the search committee for Harter's replacement.

Senators also spent a lot of time debating their parting words to Harter, editing a thank-you letter by committee. Some senators from the math department specifically took issue with congratulating Harter on her presidency because they said they have seen their department shrink under her tenure. Other senators argued that the statement was meant to be gracious and that overall, her tenure was positive and productive for the university.

The senate is to vote Tuesday concerning Rogers.

The UNLV search committee meeting Wednesday afternoon was standing room only as more than 40 members crammed into a room at Bank West of Nevada.

The committee was forced to meet off campus because the system office did not have a conference room big enough for all members to meet around a table. UNLV officials said there was no space on campus, Regent Steve Sisolak said.

The committee did fit around a table at Bank West, but there was no room to walk. Hannah Brown, president of the Urban Chamber, had to climb over a chair to get to the restroom after she found herself pinned in.

Christina Littlefield can be reached at 259-8813 or at clittle@ lasvegassun.com.