New warning sticker

Last night while I was grinding some coffee beans to make an espresso I noticed the little white tag attached to the power cord of the grinder (bet you think this post is really going to suck now don't you?). We've all seen these before, we pay no attention to them any more, it's some safety compliance sticker letting us know that the cord was approved to do what it's supposed to. Do we really need a sticker for this, is there no faith anymore?

Well upon closer inspection it was a safety sticker, but not one I had ever seen before. Below is what was written on it:

Warning: The power cord on this product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Wash hands after handling.

Now I have a number of issues with this 'warning':

1. The cord is insulated (coated in plastic) why do I have to wash my hands after using it? Did they make a new plastic out of lead, I'm a chemist, you'd think I'd have heard of it if they did.
2. Is the "State of California" smarter than all the other states? Maybe he/she/it knows where I left that other sock. This is particularly strange since I'm certain that you could get an actual person to say that lead is bad. You know, a doctor, maybe the surgeon general? Even a 6 year-old know this, unless he likes the taste of the paint chips.
   
3. Does this whole thing even need a warning? Yes there is lead, it is contained, it is for the most part safe. Unless of course you are foolish enough to gnaw on the power cord and ingest the lead. But if you are stupid enough to do that, or even cut open the cord to expose the wires, I think you deserve some lead poisoning in case you don't electrocute yourself.

But then again that's just my point of view. I would rather have less stupid people than have more warning stickers on everything. Plus it's not like I'm paying for their medical bills if they mess up ;)