advertisement
SEARCH
Subscribe with Feedburner
SafeMama Sponsors
Fellow Safe Mamas
Grab Our Badge!
Missions We Support
Feb
7
Lead Safe or Lead Free? What Do I Look For?
Filed Under Lead, Product Safety | 4 Comments
- For infants and young babies: Look for toys that are all natural or organic made with eco-friendly, natural dyes. There are plenty of toys out there that still bright enough and appealing to baby’s senses.
- Avoid dollar stores and other stores that sell generic branded cheaply made toys.
- Limit the amount of big name brand toys. While many companies will publish information and are cracking down on lead in their toys by taking extra measures, some companies seem to withhold that information, as if they seem to be hiding something. (That’s right, we’re looking at YOU Fisher-Price)
- We also realize that toddlers and younger children are at the age where they have to have a certain toy. A great website to turn to in this case would be Healthytoys.org which has a large database of toys that they’ve tested for lead and other harmful chemicals.
- Buy a lead testing kit. These are available at just about any hardware store.
- Keep up to date on the latest recalls by checking out the CPSC’s recall list
- Invest more money in few, better quality, environmentally friendly toys, rather than stocking up on more cheaply made toys. Kids tend to play better with less. And think about how much easier it’ll be to clean your house.
- Avoid purchasing non-brand or older toys likely to contain lead paint.
- Do not give young children toy costume jewelry, since it has been associated with the highest lead content.
- Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently, especially before eating and after playing.
- Before moving into an older home or apartment, check for possible lead problems.
- If you have lead pipes, use cold water for preparing formula, drinking or cooking. Run tap water one to two minutes before each use.
- Repair areas where paint is flaking or peeling before putting cribs, playpens, beds or highchairs next to them
- We have instructed all manufacturers who produce items for Toys“R”Us, Inc. that products shipped to the company on or after March 1, 2008 must comply with strict new standards, which include:
- Significantly increasing the frequency of third-party testing, including each batch of product imported to the United States by Toys“R”Us, Inc.;
- Ensuring all product samples submitted for testing are selected by the company’s third-party, certified laboratory;
- Date-coding all products;
- Applying a more stringent standard of 90 ppm for lead in surface coatings versus the current federal standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc.;
- Requiring substrate materials to meet a standard of 250 ppm for lead versus the company’s current standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc.; and
- Using lead-screening equipment to conduct company auditing of all products at their point of origin and at various points in the supply chain.
- All manufacturers have been notified that by the end of 2008 juvenile products sold in any Toys“R”Us or Babies“R”Us store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates that have raised concerns about infant safety.
- Additionally, as we move closer to our goal of offering PVC-free products, we have already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc.
- We have instructed manufacturers to immediately take steps to eliminate the use of nickel-cadmium batteries from all items manufactured exclusively for Toys“R”Us, Inc. This process is expected to be complete by the end of 2008.
I got an email this weekend that had the wheels of conscious parenting confusion spinning and as I typed a reply to the sender I realized it warranted a post. I get this question a lot and it seems to pop up often whether its with lunch gear or toys or bibs. Alicia of The Soft Landing posted about this last fall in her blog post Lead-free vs. Lead-safe? What’s the difference? and it is an article I refer to often. Alicia says,
The term “lead-safe” refers to products that may show trace amounts of lead, but no more than the established federal safety limits. On the other hand, some materials are naturally unlikely to contain lead, so manufacturers may choose to label them “lead-free.”
Some materials are less likely to contain lead than others so a company selling something made out of 100% organic cotton might use the term “Lead Free” because it probably doesn’t contain any. Other companies might stick to the more legal term of “Lead Safe” which more or less means the product has less than the permitted amount. At the moment the legal limit in products designed for children under 12 is 300ppm (parts per million) and for paints or coatings it is 90ppm.
By August of this year (2011) the limit should be dropping to 100ppm if all goes well.
Which Should I Look For?
I think more important than lead-free vs lead-safe is safety in materials. Choose materials that are less likely to contain lead and most especially avoid PVC (vinyl). But in the case of plastics or metals, it’s tough to say. On a case by case basis is where I am at with it. Of course “lead-free” sounds better but in reality, a claim of lead free can just mean the product tested below the limits set forth by CPSIA. If you are unsure, email the company who makes the product and ask.
I welcome your thoughts and questions on this topic!
Jan
13
Getting The Lead Out (of vitamins this time)
Filed Under Food Safety, Product Safety | Comments Off
By now you’ve probably seen around your favorite green blogs, that the FDA had gotten wind of lead in various vitamins and supplements. They tested 324 different brands for levels of lead as well as levels of exposure to lead. What is this report trying to say? That the levels of lead in vitamins are safe? Though, it’s hard to decipher from the report, this is what I can gather, and that conclusion doesn’t make us happy.
How do I personally feel about this? It’s absolutely disturbing to me.
We had gotten some questions awhile back regarding vitamins and supplements and the answer still remains the same. First and foremost, talk with your pediatrician before administering any supplement, period. Most pediatricians will tell you that they’d prefer for your child gets his nutrients through food. And most of the time, that suffices perfectly fine and they don’t really need vitamins at their age. But, what if they do? There kids out there that might just be really picky eaters. Maybe your child is on the spectrum and all they’ll drink is water and all they’ll eat is processed chicken nuggets in the form of a star. This isn’t out of the ordinary. Maybe your child has a metabolic disorder and has to take supplements in order to survive. I know we give our son a few different things for focus and mental balance. Neither of the supplements we give him are listed, but that doesn’t mean anything. It means that it probably just wasn’t tested. And that’s even more disturbing to me. Especially given all of the problems we’ve worked to overcome with our son over the last year.
So what do we recommend?
This is one of those situations where I wish we had a clear cut answer for you. In a lot of cases, organic and natural vitamins are less regulated, therefore have the potential to not be as “green” or contain as much of a vitamin as they tout. A lot of conventional vitamins are synthetic, which can also pose their own dangers. Nature Mom has a great article on that subject. If your particular brand wasn’t tested, you can obtain a lead testing kit at your local hardware store. I’m not sure about accuracy, but it may be worth a shot. Unfortunately, knowing what we know about the FDA, they’ve said that the levels are safe, and by now have probably washed their hands of it. Based on our experiences with the whole BPA fiasco, I don’t see things changing anytime soon.
Nov
20
Fewer Lead Recalls This Year
Filed Under Articles, Toy Safety | Comments Off
No doubt that last year was the year of the “toy recall.” Everywhere you looked there was another toy being recalled for one reason or another, but one of the big offenders was lead. It was really overwhelming for just about every parent you talked to. When was the madness going to end?
The good news is, that after last year, there are fewer lead recalls this year, the bad news is, that there are still lead recalls, and experts are telling parents to still use caution when buying toys for their kids:
“I don’t think at this point that anyone who makes a toy is looking to save a little bit extra on the margin by using cheap materials,” says Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif. “But I am not confident that they’re all going to be able to do the job and get the lead out.”
Recalls of toys or children’s products because of lead paint or lead content are down sharply, from a record 112 in 2007 to 64 this year. There were 20 lead recalls in 2006 and only 13 in 2005.
While it’s a little more comforting to know that companies are still taking precautions to avoid lead, there’s still no federal limit on the amount of lead allowed in toys. For babies and small children, this could pose to be really dangerous. And do you really want ANY lead near any of your children, regardless of age? While parents agree that there should be a law on the amount of lead (as in, NONE) allowed in toys, especially ones geared towards infants and toddlers, there are precautions you can take to help minimize lead exposure:
We know you’re not perfect. We still have mindless plastic toys floating around the house. Sometimes, you just need peace and quiet, but following these simple guidelines should help you minimize not only the amount of lead your child could be exposed to, but also your impact on the environment.
Sep
15
In the News: Stricter lead rule, phthalates may pose a bigger challenge
Filed Under Product Safety, Toy Safety | Comments Off
The Consumer Product’s Saftey Commission (CPSC) is expected to release a new rule today, regarding the tougher standard on lead in toys according to The Washington Post:
The opinion, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, represents the agency’s official guidance to businesses. It allows companies to sell off their existing inventory of soon-to-be banned products through Feb. 10, including through exports.
After that, manufacturers and retailers will probably have to destroy products that don’t comply with the new limit, said Gary Wolensky, a partner with Phoenix-based law firm Snell & Wilmer who represents companies in product-liability cases.
You can read the entire article over at The Washington Post. According to the article, Toys “R” Us is already in compliance, as well as the company that manufactures Thomas the Train toys, which were a part of a major recall last year. The law will apply to clothing and electronics companies as well, and will protect children up to the age of 12.
Source: The Washington Post
Apr
26
With so many recalls of toys last year, the awareness of paint containing lead has never been higher. And the worry doesn’t stop at just toys. There are lots of places where children can be exposed to lead. Having grown up in a new home myself and now living in a new(er) home with my own family, I never really gave much worry to the thought of lead poisoning. But if you’re living in an older house (one built before 1978), you have more cause for concern. In general, pediatricians don’t generally even test for lead in children, unless you meet certain criteria. I know that our pediatrician hasn’t even asked us whether or not we live in a house that was built before 1978. That’s kind of disturbing.
But you can take certain measures to protect your child:
These are just a few of the things you can do to keep your child safe. You can find more information out from the American Academy of Pediatrics by simply clicking on the drop down button on the left hand side and choosing “lead exposure.”
Source: Tampa Bay Online
Mar
26
Phthalates Ban in Washington on the Horizon
Filed Under Articles, Phthalates Info, Toy Safety | Comments Off
Even though a lot of parents are taking measure’s into their own hands by not buying toys containing PVC and phthalates, this is a time of change and I see it boiling in the wings. Already, California is instituting a ban on phthalates due to take effect next year. Next state in the spotlight is Washington. On March 7th the Children’s Safe Products Act passed the state Senate on a vote of 40-9.
The bill will eliminate three toxic chemicals, lead, cadmium, and phthalates, from toys and other children’s products. It will also require manufacturers to report whether their products contain other chemicals found to be of a concern for children’s health. Washington Toxics Coalition
Toy companies, as you can imagine, are not happy about this new move since Washington makes up about 2% of total U.S. toy sales, which last equaled $23.5 billion in annual revenues last year. It’s no wonder toy companies are scrambling. Representatives from Mattel and Hasbro sat down with the Gov. Chris Gregoire:
In a last-ditch effort to stop the measure, representatives of Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc., the country’s two biggest toy makers, met with Gov. Gregoire March 17, according to people familiar with the matter. At that meeting, and elsewhere, these people say, Mattel has told Washington officials that half of the products made by its Fisher-Price unit, which specializes in products for preschoolers, would be barred from the state if the law is adopted.
Boo Hoo. Way to throw your sucker in the dirt there Mattel. How about making your toys safer instead? There’s a novel idea. Ban on chemicals in toys and kids products is a fight worth fighting and more states are getting on the ban wagon.
Congress is considering new federal lead limits and other toy-safety standards but isn’t moving fast enough for sponsors of bills in 29 state legislatures. Illinois and Michigan have already enacted new lead laws, which aren’t as tough as the Washington bill. A ban on phthalates is due to take effect in California next year. The TIA says it has hired lobbyists to battle legislative proposals in 10 states, including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Read it all here, great article: The Wall Street Journal: States Alter Rules of Game On Safety for Toy Makers
Feb
19
Toys “R” Us promises to reduce lead, phthalates
Filed Under Phthalates Info, Product Safety, Toy Safety | 3 Comments
I received this via email today and thought I would pass it along:
February 15, 2008
A Message From Gerald L. Storch,
Chairman and CEO, Toys”R”Us, Inc.
Dear Valued Guest,
At Toys“R”Us, Inc., kids are central to who we are and to what we do. Our commitment to their safety is non-negotiable. I wanted to share with you today some of the decisive and proactive changes we have made recently to our already rigorous quality assurance standards:
NOTIFICATION TO MANUFACTURERS OF INCREASED QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS AND OVERSIGHT:
REDUCTION OF PHTHALATES AND POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) USE:
ELIMINATION OF NICKEL-CADMIUM BATTERIES FROM ALL PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED EXCLUSIVELY FOR TOYS“R”US, INC.
We know that you trust and expect that we will always do the right thing when it comes to the safety of children, and we take that responsibility very seriously. At every turn, we will continue to look for ways to provide the safest shopping environment for the children and families we serve. We love kids and babies – and safety in all we do for them, and for you, is an imperative.
Sincerely,
Gerald L. Storch
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Toys”R”Us, Inc.
Feb
14
Medela Responds to New York Times Article
Filed Under Articles, Product Safety | Comments Off
I wrote the other day about an article in the New York Times that was addressing some findings a group called The Center for Environmental Health revealed about lead in baby products. I got an email from a representative of Medela on the article so I thought I’d share what she had to say:
Hello Kathy,
I saw your post today on the New York Times article that raised questions about Medela’s cooler carrier liners. We wanted to assure you that Medela is first and foremost concerned with the health and safety of mothers and babies and will continue to investigate claims sent by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). Test results cited in the NY Times article were not provided to Medela, so Medela is unsure as to what results relate to our cooler bag liner. We have tested the cooler carrier liners for lead and the results were far below US (CPSC) and European (EN-71) standards for infant products. We believe our products are safe.
We are advising moms who are concerned or uncomfortable using this cooler carrier, to return it to Medela. We will exchange it for an alternative cooler carrier as soon as one becomes available.
Best,
Katherine Sands
The Reynolds Communications Group
Feb
12
Lead in Vinyl Baby Products
Filed Under Articles, Product Safety | Comments Off
I ran over this article published today in the New York Times. An environmental group based in California, The Center for Environmental Health, had previously reported and spread the word about lead in vinyl baby products like bibs and lunch boxes. This group is now reporting lead in the vinyl used to make other products:
The products include a Medela-brand cooler for storing breast milk, a carrying case sold with the First Years breast pump manufactured by RC2, a Playtex baby bottle cooler and a vinyl pacifier carrying case made by Skip Hop.
The findings reported by CEH are going to be put under some scrutiny by industry and law makers with the justification that the materials don’t chip or come into contact with the baby but as a spokesman for CEH says “It’s a product for a baby. It just shouldn’t have lead in it.” Period.
Read the full article here.
Jan
30
Lawmakers Consider Law to Limit Lead
Filed Under Articles, Toy Safety | Comments Off
According to an article published by the New York Times today, Lawmakers are “tsk tsk”-ing Mattel for not “doing the right thing”. In November it was reported by Consumer Reports that an arm band in a toy medical kit contains “higher than anticipated” amounts of lead. Mattel decided against a nationwide recall of the toy.
The company said that its tests of the cuffs found “higher than anticipated” levels of lead, but added that the toy met American and European standards. The lead hazard was present only in the red and green version of the blood-pressure cuffs. A Mattel spokeswoman said she did not know exactly how many toys were affected, but it was in the “order of magnitude of thousands.”
On Tuesday, dozens of Congress members signed and sent a letter to the chief executive of Mattel indicating their disappointment that Mattel isn’t living up to their promise:
The letter, signed by 56 members of Congress, quoted Mattel’s chief executive, Robert A. Eckert, as saying in September that the company “will do the right thing.”“We challenge you to live up to your words,” it said, “and set a standard for the entire industry by completely eliminating the use of lead in all the children’s products manufactured by Mattel.”
I find it shocking that lead is used AT ALL in children’s toys. It’s kind of sickening to hear what a company will do to make a buck at the expense of children’s safety.
advertisement
Latest CPSC Childrens Products and Toy Recalls
- Bumbleride Recalls Indie & Indie Twin Strollers Due to Fall Hazard
- Weeplay Kids Recalls Infant Bodysuits Due to Choking Hazard
- Infant Rattles Recalled by Lee Carter Co. Due to Choking Hazard
- Mexican Wrestling Action Figures Recalled by Lee Carter Co. Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
- Chariot Carriers Recalls Child Bicycle Trailers and Conversion Kits Due to Injury Hazard
Car Seat Recalls
Latest FDA Recalls
- North American Rescue, LLC Announces A Follow-Up to the Recall of Crickit Convenience Kits Because of Possible Health Risk Related to Nationwide Recall of Triad Povidone Iodine Prep Pads
- Healthy People Co. Issues a Voluntary Recall of Specific Lots of the Dietary Supplements Found to Contain Undeclared Drug Ingredients
- Nest Collective Voluntarily Recalls Select Revolution Foods Jammy Sammy - Strawberry Jam & Peanut Butter Snack Size Sandwich Bars Due to a Labeling Error (Undeclared Peanut on Inner Wrapper)
Latest Recalls in Canada
- Seymour Custom Solvent recalled over labelling
- Kids eyeglass cases recalled because of lead levels
- GUND board books pose choking hazard
Safer States Action Alerts
- 28 states to consider toxic chemicals legislation in 2012
- Report round-up: Toxic chemicals in hidden places
- Obesity: What do chemicals have to do with it?
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
NetwrkBlog
Google+
Pinterest
