Or something. Actually, the article is titled: "Can my holiday decorations kill me?" and the answer is: Yes, yes they can if they include a lead-leaching plastic tree and strings of lights. So by "holiday" they mean "Christmas" unless some other holidays have co-opted the fake tree shtick unbeknownst to me. 'Course your menorah or your Kwanzaa candles could also burn the house down, but right now we only care about lead danger, because we see our society falling like Rome over lead secreted in every damn thing we own.
Okay, maybe decorations "killing" is a little strong, and there is a solution: wash your hands after you fondle the pine. See, "Artificial trees are made of polyvinyl
chloride, or PVC, in which lead is used as a stabilizer and softener.
Research has shown that lead dust tends to leach out from fake trees
over time, so if yours is more than a dozen years old, be careful." But of course, kids are slightly less likely to swallow lead trees than they are to put their playthings in their mouths, so you probably ought to focus your hysteria on the toy presents this year. And I loooove this: "...parents should be more concerned about the shock danger if their kids are mouthing electrical wires." Ya think? Gee, we always let Junior chew on electrical cords because it is so darling to see him suddenly freeze and levitate, but what with the combined risk of lead and electrical shock, why this year we'll keep him away from the strings of lights. Here honey, play with these Aqua Dots instead.
