Strollerderby : lead

Why Can't Johnny Read? Because Someone Thinks His Books Contain Lead

Jen Chaney — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:58:00 GMT

When it comes to lead poisoning, most parents probably prefer to be safe vs. sorry. But even the most cautious among us may think that keeping some children's books from our kids is taking things a little too far.

In the wake of that recent federal law that bans any children's product containing trace elements of lead, a couple of libraries freaked out earlier this month and restricted access to children's books published prior to 1986. Why? Because before regulations began to take effect that year, small amounts of lead still could be found in printing ink. Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association, told the Associated Press that one library roped off its children's section and another -- no joke -- covered some of its kids' books with a tarp. After the ALA contacted the libraries, which Sheketoff did not identify, they took their respective rope and tarp down. After all, reading is fundamental, even if it is deadly.

In all seriousness, there is no solid proof that books published prior to 1986 are in fact harmful to children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said its staff is "investigating" to make sure the ink does not pose any risk. But a specialist also said in the same AP story that it's unlikely all those old picture books and young adult novels are truly dangerous.

In an op-ed piece, the Wall Street Journal placed the blame for all this confusion on Congress and, more specifically, Nancy Pelosi. From my perspective, it seems like this issue could have been resolved a long time ago. Like, say, in 1987. Once we realized there was some lead in that ink, why didn't the CPSC or some other organization investigate and make absolutely sure our children could read those books in good health? We've only known about this for two-plus decades, right?

From my perspective, that's why legislation like the ban just passed by Congress is so necessary. Until a stringent law is put in place, all of us get too complacent about these things. We throw a tarp over the problem, so to speak, and just pray it will go away.

That said, I suspect and hope that this really is a non-issue. Because even if the libraries toss every book published before U2 released "The Joshua Tree," plenty of Americans own copies of these older books. And I'd hate to think that those cherished versions of "Corduroy" and "Good Night, Moon" that we read to our kids every night are actually causing them harm.

Image: Waaytv.com

What They're Babbling About: Guilty Pleasures

JeanneSager — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:03:00 GMT

Turns out the "bad parents" of Babble aren't the only ones who love to talk taboos. We've all got our guilty pleasures, does anyone think becoming a parent means they go hide in some closet with that stained onesie they wore home from the hospital and we just can't bear to part with?

Dig in to the dirt with this week's What They're Babbling About:

Attention discount shoppers, Target's got a fan in San Francisco. The reason every parent should fall in line - their return policy lets you say "My toddler decided today she doesn't like it quite as much as yesterday and will now have nothing to do with it. For no reason." Like your kid hasn't done that. - The Poop

The CPSIA is the new law parents love to hate, but there's still a lot to be said about fighting the lead fight. Are we suddenly becoming complacent after years of indignation? The author of Toxic Truth offers an interesting look at lead's scary past. - Beacon Broadside

Are you as in love with the Mom in Chief as we are? The parents at Cookie Mag are - they've got Michelle Watch going on 24/7, as they follow the First Lady's first one hundred days in office - Cookie

I'd love to tell you I remember every second of every moment of my daughter's first one hundred days. Unfortunately, as Sabrina Weill points out, my momnesia's nothing new. At least that's what I think I remember her saying. - Parent Dish

Sometimes I can't remember what about my daughter has me up in arms either - sound familiar? Sounds like I'm not the only parent who can't hang on to her righteous indignation - ParentDish

Image: Cookie

Children's Lead Levels Plummet

Amy Kuras — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:28:00 GMT

Here’s some good news amid the avalanche of bad that’s been hitting the headlines lately: children’s blood lead levels have plummeted over the last several years.

A study co-authored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that just 1.4 percent of young children had elevated blood lead levels in 2004, which compares with almost 9 percent in 1988. That’s an 84 percent drop since 1988.

The study, released earlier this week in the journal Pediatrics, was based on nearly 5,000 children ages 1 to 5 who were part of a periodic government health survey.

Levels of at least 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood are considered elevated, although lower levels can still cause problems, including attention and reading difficulties.

Lead can affect the nervous system and cause permanent learning, memory and behavior problems. Elevated lead levels disproportionately affect poor kids, because they tend to live in older housing and in industrial areas where lead levels in the soil are greater.

Researchers chalked up the decline to efforts to remove lead from gasoline, house paint, soil, air and other sources.

High exposure to lead in early childhood can actually lead to a pretty significant drop in IQ points as well, which costs a bunch of money down the road in more services like special education, so spending money to help families lessen the effect of lead in their homes make sense. And, it looks like it’s helping.

Lead Law Forcing Kids Back to Pedal Power

JeanneSager — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:08:00 GMT

In some parts of the country (mine for example), kids get their own dirt bike or ATV well before the age of twelve (crazy to you urban dwellers, but what can I say?). The problem?

Most of these machines are run on lead-based batteries, and the new lead law is forcing manufacturers to pull them out of stores. Because you never know what kid under twelve might wrench open the battery compartment and start licking a little lead.

Seriously. The newest bit of whacky news to come out of the debacle that is the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act), it's putting a hurting on a multi-million dollar industry in an economy that's already hit hard on the recreation market.

From Section 101 of the CPSIA: "beginning on February 10, 2009, any children’s product that contains more than 600 parts per million (ppm) of lead in any part that is accessible will be treated as a banned hazardous substance."

Batteries are, I guess, accessible - if you think a child is going to take the time to dig them out of the compartment and play with them. But how many kids old enough to get on a dirt bike or four-wheeler are really going to PLAY with the batteries that run them? Is this a misapplication of the law, or another place where the folks who wrote the CPSIA failed in over-generalizing its language?

Image: ATVAccessoriesBlog

UPDATE: Thrift Shops Won't be Affected Under New Phthalate, Lead Ban

JeanneSager — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:41:00 GMT

After the post below - and the Los Angeles Times story that prompted it - drew a lot of attention from parents worried thrift shops were on their way to extinction thanks to the impending Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act ban on children's products that test positive for phthalates and lead, we have good news!

Thrift shops are safe!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a clarification today stating, "The new safety law does not require resellers to test children's products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold."

Stores are prohibited from knowingly sell products that don't meet the new standards, but the new ruling clears up major confusion (and major fears) for retailers. Considering how much time I spend buying used clothes to save money on my daughter's wardrobe, it put a huge smile on my face too!

The original post:

Think the answer to saving money on your kid's clothes lies in the thrift shops?

You might want to stock up fast. Because the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that will go into affect on February 10 will affect not only sellers of new products but those selling used goods too.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times last week, Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops, said the places most people go to save a few extra bucks on outfitting their families won't be able to cough up the thousands of dollars necessary for testing every product aimed at kids under twelve.

"They'll all have to go to the landfill," Meyer said.

In this economy? This is the best option out there? Thrift stores - or goodwill shops - are low-cost, sometimes free options for parents. I've found some great bargains on clothes for my daughter - clothes made by big names who might even have the money for the tests, but weren't required by law to do so when the clothes were actually made. In my rural neighborhood, most of the thrift stores are run by churches - who open the doors to families who are down on their luck because of illness, job loss or a fire, absolutely free of charge. Now, suddenly, the places that run on donations to GIVE donations, are being ordered to spend thousands that they don't have.

My biggest concerns about the CPSIA plans came after talking to moms who make and sell products online, who talked to me about possibly going out of business because the government plan is so generalized it doesn't take into account the fact that organic cotton (just an example) isn't likely to share a toxic profile with plastics anyway. The legislation calls for ALL products that could "reasonably" land in a child's mouth to be tested by an independent lab, then tagged to prove it.

If it hasn't been tested - even if there is no lead or phthalates - it will be considered toxic, and it will have to be trashed. As in sent to the landfill, like Meyer said.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is supposed to consider today an excemption for clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood, but even that won't help most thrift shops. Clothes made of cotton - but with dyes - or cotton-polyester blends will still be subjected to the (expensive) tests.

I've said it before - I'm all for protecting the kids. But protecting our kids also means protecting parents' ability to put clothes on their back and shoes on their feet. And if the thrift shops or goodwill stores have to shutter on Feb. 10, an overwhelming number of Americans suffering in the midst of a recession, won't be able to do that.

Image/Source: The Los Angeles Times

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Deck the Halls With Boughs of Lead

Jen Chaney — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:58:00 GMT

Christmas lights have always been one of my go-to decorations. I don't just hang them on the tree, I wrap them around banisters, drape them on mantels and wind them around window frames until almost every room in the house is bathed in a comforting yuletide glow.

This year that has to change. Why? Because almost every string of Christmas lights contains lead, and if you have a small, mobile child in the house, that's just not safe.

According to this report on physorg.com, a recent Cornell University study found that the levels of lead in several sets of Christmas lights exceeds the regulatory limits for window sills and floors set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Translation: It's not a good idea to have these things strung up around the house where hands, especially little ones, can access them.

The problem comes back to that pesky PVC plastic that coats most strings of holiday lights. That's the stuff that makes them durable and heat-resistant, but it also contains lead. Miriam recently wrote about how common PVC plastic is and helpfully pointed readers to this Pass Up the Poison Plastic guide. The guide lists a number of products that are PVC-free, ranging from clothing to pacifiers to (no joke) adult sex toys. After scanning the guide, however, I saw some PVC-free artificial Christmas tree options, but nothing about lights that lack lead.

This is an issue that comes up every holiday season but one that seemingly no one has resolved. Companies need to use the PVC in the lights, allegedly anyway, so they won't cause fires or other electrical problems. But many consumers, understandably, want lights that can be handled without having to wash one's hands every two seconds. So what can we do?

Well, we could spend hours trying to track down a set of lead-free lights. But based on my initial research, that might not get us anywhere.

Personally, my plan is to restrict the lights to the tree, keep my son away from the tree and find new ways to decorate the house that don't involve so many of those lead-ridden hazards. Truth be told, that's probably a much more energy-sound approach anyway, as this Seattle Times story suggests.But it still makes me sad. I love seeing all that festive twinkle-twinkling. But if it's a choice between that and keeping my son away from potentially dangerous material, there is only one decision to make.

I just don't understand why some enterprising person or company can't come up with a way to make Christmas lights lead-free, durable and safe on all levels. If someone ever does, I suspect he or she could make some serious cash from parents who would be more than happy to buy a few sets.

Image: Consumerist.com

Lead Watch '08: It's Not The Toys, It's The Drugs

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Given the hoopla about high lead levels in toys last year, you'd think that this source would be high on the list of what's poisoning our kids. You'd be wrong.

"Traditional remedies" are often cited as the most natural way to cure anything that pains you. It turns out that some of these remedies are more cause than cure.

According to the AP, health departments across the country are discovering high levels of lead in products offered by curanderas and in herb shops. These concoctions may be responsible for 30 percent of cases per year. Folk medicines are the second highest source of childhood lead poisoning, just behind lead paint.

While the herbs/powders/nuts in any given remedy may have curative powders, many of these preparations are contaminated in a variety of different ways. Because most are sold under the counter or passed down from older family members, no one has oversight into what they actually contain. Some, like the greta mentioned in the story, can be up to 90 percent lead.

Suddenly, that cheap-ass toy from China seems downright wholesome.

Photo Credit: WHO

Things Fall Apart: It Never Stops, Does It?

Karen Murphy — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:32:00 GMT

I know. Why don't we just all get together and pile up every dollar store in one huge ginormous heap and set fire to the whole thing, contents and all? Wouldn't that be easier than meting out these little cheap-lead-toy recalls every week or so? Are you with me? Who's ready?

So, until I can send out the invitations for this thing, I'll just tell you about the latest spate of recalls. Nothing too exciting: just some wooden trains, cheap-ass toy cars, and crap with magnets in it. In other words, the usual, but just in case some of this has accidentally made its way into your home, maybe you should have a look:

Battat Magnabild Magnetic Building Systems I'm always suspicious of companies that can't effing spell their products names right. "Bild"? Please. Oh, and chokable, aspirate-able, blah blah blah all the reasons why teeny tiny magnets are bad for little kids who eat them (two or more magnets stick together inside and cause intestinal holes!). Sold in 2005-2007 for $30-40. The recall involves the 293-piece (item number BB1502H) and the 180-piece (item number BB1431H) All of the plastic building pieces, except the 4-inch flexible rods, have the word “Magnabild” in raised lettering on them. The item number is found on a hang tag attached to the set (you still left that attached, right? just in case of eventual recall a couple of years later?).

Contact the manufacturer to receive a prepaid mailer to return the set for refund.

Cheap $1 Toy Racing Cars C'mon, a DOLLAR? For a remote-control car? Sure, it's a cheap-ass remote-thingie, but still. That should be a clue as to its level of quality, you think? So, blah blah blah LEAD blah blah blah COST A DOLLAR blah blah blah REFUND. Oh, and I love the manufacturer's name: "OKK Trading". Riiiight.

Wooden Block Sets and Trains Sold By Christmas Tree Shops Um..."Christmas Tree Shops"? Anyone familiar? They're supposedly in the mid-atlantic and northeast regions, which is where I live, and I've never heard of them. Oh well! The sets sold for between $4 and $20 blah blah blah LEAD from October 2006 through November 2007, blah blah blah return to phantom Christmas Tree Shops for refund (are these the seasonal places that spring up magically in dead and dying strip malls?).

Photo: cpsc.gov

Check Toy Safety While Shopping with SMS Texting Service

Karen Murphy — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:29:00 GMT

How many times has this happened to you this year? You're out shopping for toys for your kids, and you pick one up and look at it. You look at the packaging, the label. Has this one been recalled? There have been so many, they all look the same/sound the same. Damn. You wish you brought that list with you that you printed out of all the toys that were recalled, but nope, you don't have it. What to do?

What if you could text a message and receive up-to-date information on hundreds of toys to see if the one in your hand is safe to bring home or not?

I was in Target yesterday, marveling at the toy aisles, a veritable sea of noise-making plastic! And tons of things had that "Made in China" label. Urgh. I so would have used this new service from HealthyToys.org, had I known about it.

Fortunately, MomsRising emailed me and a bunch of other people about this earlier today. Here's what you do:

Text "healthytoys [high/med/low] [toy name]" to 41411 -- to limit your search results to only those toys with a high, med, or low toxins rating -- e.g. "healthytoys low slinky" will only return the Slinky that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [retailer]" to 41411 -- to search for toys sold by a particular retailer -- e.g. "healthytoys low costco" will return the toys sold at Costco that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [search term]" to 41411 -- to search for toys with that term in their name, description, brand, or retailer. In other words, you can search not only for a toy name but also for Costco, or Leap Frog, or bracelet, or fuzzy, or rattle, or Spider-man, or Disney -- and any toys with those words anywhere in their listing will be returned.

Too many results? Try typing the name of the toy just as it is printed on the packaging -- e.g. "healthytoys Disney Royal Shoes Set".

Don't want to text? You can check out HealthyToys.org online; lists are there for your perusal. And while you're there, check out the "worst toys" list. Oh, and happy shopping.

Photo: marshallfieldclinic.org

Things Fall Apart: Cheap Sunglasses

Karen Murphy — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:03:00 GMT

When you get up in the morning and the light is hurt your head, the first thing you do when you get up out of bed is hit that street a-runnin' and try to meet the masses and go get yourself some cheap sunglasses.

Except, maybe not these 15 styles of children's sunglasses, which have all been recalled for containing high amounts of—you guessed it—lead.

So who's behind these Foster Grants?

China, actually. Despite what I said earlier ("cheap! nice!").

15 styles of Foster Grant kid's sunglasses are being recalled. My apologies in advance for some of the style names, which are: Balloon, Bond, Boom, Bubble Gum, Bullseye, Buzz, Conqueror Jr., Curly Q, Encompass Jr. IK, Fade IK, Gadget IK, Iceman, Lily, Outer Space, Pluto. The were sold from January 2007 through November 2007 from between $3 and $11. (What do you spend on your sunglasses?)

If you own these you can get a replacement or refund (including shipping) by contacting the manufacturer, which really is Foster Grant (which received an award in 2002, by the way, for ground-breaking excellence in supply chain management. Whoa.)

But what really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

Photo: www.last.fm.

Where's the Lead? You'd be Surprised!

Karen Murphy — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:19:00 GMT

I thought I was pretty well up on the "where's the lead?" thing. Toys, lunchboxes, cheap kid's jewelry, houses built before 1978, places like that. That's where I'm used to looking, and thinking about lead and potential exposure for my family.

So I was surprised to run across this comprehensive list of places and things in our households that may contain lead. Even though the list is two years old (I couldn't easily find a more up-to-date one, but if you know of one please mention it in the comments), it still holds a ton of useful information. Shower curtains? Garden hoses? DIRT??

Okay, here's my list of things that may contain lead that surprised me:

Baby powder. Seriously. Not all of them contain lead, and again, this list is 2 years old. If you use baby powder, check your manufacturer.

Dirt. Live in an older house? Grow your own vegetables? You might want to rethink that, or have your soil tested. Root vegetables and leafy green veggies suck up the most contaminents from soil.

Phone cords, Christmas lights, shower curtains, rain coats, garden hoses. In short, anything made of PVC vinyl. There's a list of safe hoses and not-safe hoses. Geesh.

Hair dye and henna preparations. Which means my ex's Grecian Formula is infusing him with lead. Should I tell him? Oh, and "real" henna isn't a problem, just anything labeled "compound henna dye". Which I'm thinking you're not putting on your kids anyway.

Cheap imported crayons. 'Nuff said.

Gummy Bears Vitamins. (L'il Critters Gummy Vites) Again, this report was two years old, and one link required membership to view the report. But the important thing here is to investigate what we give our kids. It seems wrong to have to do this for, like, everything, but there you go. I think we do.

Related on Babble: The Truth About Lead.

Things Fall Apart: Sky is Falling Edition

Karen Murphy — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:39:00 GMT

Let's see what the holiday season at the Consumer Product Safety Commission is bringing us this year, shall we?

Self-igniting toasters! Lead-dipped potty seats! Christmas figurines! Kid's clothes with strangling drawstrings! And baby feeding seats that babies are falling out of! Oh, and kid-crushing entertainment centers!

True. This Kmart entertainment center fell on a 19-month-old toddler and killed him. Don't let this happen in your house, so PLEASE tether your furniture to the wall if you have someone who likes to climb stuff, and you know it if you do. I have one of those climbing toddler-type kids in my house. Oh, correction (but I still stand by my tippy-furniture warning): the recalled entertainment center actually collapsed, not tipped over. Well, the difference is negligible to a grieving family, isn't it? It was sold at Kmart from June 2000 through May 2005 for about $200, under the Ridgewood/Charleswood brand line, model #93956. The centers are black with a CD storage, miter-framed doors at the bottom, and glass doors at the top. You can contact the manufacturer, Ameriwood, for a panel support kit.

The First Years Newborn-to-Toddler Reclining Feeding Seat Sold from November 2006 through October 2007, these feeding seats (hello? what happened to high chairs? this is, like, in addition to the high chair? how much baby crap do we need?) have waist straps that come loose, and 12 kids have fallen out thus far. (Interestingly, these are imported by RC2 Corp., previously famous for importing lead-covered Thomas and Friends trains.) Have one? You can contact RC2 here to obtain a replacement strap.

The First Years Flush and Sounds Potty Seat , sold from April 2006 through August 2007 (also through RC2 Corp.!) for about $20-25, with a Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger motif on the back rest. Try to avoid letting your little one lick that part (or any part of it; it's a potty seat!), because it's covered with lead. You can obtain a clear plastic non-removeable (ha!) cover for the lead-painted motif by contacting RC2.

A whole bunch of kid's clothes, all with drawstrings. Which is the reason why my super-skinny kid can't find yoga pants that don't fall off. Hey! Faux 3-inch drawstring! What good, are you, dude? And while I can TOTALLY appreciate removing drawstrings from babies and toddler's clothes, seriously, are they such a hazard to tweens? So I can completely understand if you ignore this one, but at the same time don't say I didn't warn you. Check the links for details.

Girl's sweaters from Sears.

Girl's clothing sets from Kmart.

Boy's hooded sweatshirts.

Infant-toddler girl's pants.

Oh! I almost forgot! Self-igniting Infrawave toasters from Black and Decker! These were sold at home-improvement stores (where I always look for toasters) for about $50, from March-November 2007. There have been two reports of the toasters, model ST2000 (located on the bottom of the toaster), igniting, with one incident actually causing a fire of kitchen counter and cabinets. If you own one, you can receive a refund from the manufacturer, Applica Consumer Products.

Photo: cpsc.org

Things Fall Apart: Pre-Holiday Edition I

Karen Murphy — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:51:00 GMT

Look! I'm so confident that there will be further toy-related recalls between now and late December that I named this Edition I! Can you blame me? Because I think we can all be assured that the seeming endless parade of recalls is just that: endless. Today's selection? It incudes all the major toy groups: holiday-related stuff, strangling clothing, and our all-time favorite, the Lead-Laden. Care to join me?

Let's take a walk down the aisle of disaster, shall we?

Horse-Related Ornaments. Some of which look suspiciously like these, already recalled. For being covered with lead, natch. Were talking the 2006 Snow Princess Stirrup Ornaments, 2007 Holiday Stirrup Ornaments, 2007 Photo Frame Horse Shoe Ornaments, sold through the J.C. Penney catalog and website for about $15. Shame on you, Penneys! (the Breyer version cost more even though it was the same thing—how about that?)

Kid's Hooded Fleece Zip Jackets. Sold by Bon-Ton, which I had never heard of before I moved to my present location, and I can assure you that it's a third-rate department store, so no wonder. Also sold at Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers stores nationwide and Parisian stores in the Detroit area from August 2007 through October 2007 for between $18 and $30. This is a boy's hoodie, sizes 8-20. The drawstrings are strangleable. But I'm thinking that any kid wearing a size 20 would probably know better. Whatever. Still recalled. I especially like the skull version; seems appropriate, don't you think?

Confetti Bursts. What are these, anyway? How about little plasticy bag filled with confetti. You inflate the bag and squeeze it and it bursts, popping the confetti out all over. Wow. Sounds like a hoot. Anyway, the bag's covered with lead. Of course. These were pawned off on an unsuspecting public by American Greetings since December 2003 (like you'd still have these laying around if you bought them six years ago) for about $3.

Stay tuned for the Next! Editon! Of Holiday Disaster 2007!

photo: CPSC.gov

Things Fall Apart: Boppy Slipcovers Recalled

Karen Murphy — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:36:00 GMT

I refused to buy a Boppy. Couldn't get past the name somehow. "Boppy." Ugh.

But tons of people have bought Boppy, for breastfeeding or for baby-on-the-floor support. Versatile, relatively inexpensive, and widely available, Boppy has become part of many family's lives.

Too bad these Boppy slipcovers are choking hazards or full of lead.

Yes, I could mock Boppy here but I think Boppy's had a hard enough day. Because the velvet slipcovers and the "boa" slipcovers for Boppy Bare Naked [Ladies] have been recalled.

Choking Hazard Boppy ("Boppy Luxe") was sold in three color combinations with these UPC's:

Color Combination	UPC Code	Date Code
Blue/Green Velvet	769662 30802 1	05/2006 and 06/2006
Pink/ Orange Velvet	769662 30801 4	05/2006 and 06/2006
Pastel Blue Velvet	769662 30705 5	05/2006

And Lead-Covered Boppy ("Boppy Soothing") was sold in four colors with these UPC's:

Color	UPC Code	Date Code
Pastel Blue “Boa”	769662 32544 8	07030
Bright Pink Velvet	769662 32542 4	07030
Navy Blue Velvet	769662 32542 4	07030
Sage Green Velvet	769662 32709 1	07030

Slipcovers recalled due to choking hazard were sold at discount department stores nationwide from July 2006 through September 2007 for about $16. Slipcovers recalled due to lead paint were sold at discount department stores nationwide from February 2007 through September 2007 for between $15 and $17.

If you have any of these, contact The Boppy Company for a free replacement.

The Whole World is Riddled With Lead

Amy Kuras — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 17:49:00 GMT

Ready for holiday shopping? This will scare the hell out of you. Public Radio's Here and Now show featured an interview today with Don Mayes, Senior Director of Product Safety Planning for Consumer Reports. The magazine did their own four-month investigation and discovered higher-than-federal-standards levels of lead even in toys that have not been recalled.

One family found that their kids had high levels of lead in their blood even after they spent a lot of time and money eliminating lead hazards from their 19th-century house. They brought in a lead expert, who used a fancy high tech gadget to check various household items for their lead levels. Turns out, like, everything had lead in it. A wagon wheel toy one of the kids played with every day, a pasta bowl, and even a belt buckle on the mom's jeans were all riddled with it. Even keys had lead in them – probably those selfsame keys you (and by you I mean me) hand your baby to keep them occupied.

Part of the problem, Mayes said, is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is woefully understaffed. They have less than half the staff they did when they were formed, and a grand total of 15 inspectors charged with warding off unsafe products from 300 ports.

Also, the toy manufacturers are relying on the Chinese factories that make these things to police themselves.
One thing that does work? An inexpensive home lead test, as long as the lead is on the surface. I know what I'll be stalking the toy aisles with this year.

More Mattel Recalls! (Stop, Diego, Stop!)

Karen Murphy — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:22:00 GMT

Oh, Diego, I'm so very disappointed. You see, I've been prepared to try to actually like you, since you do seem marginally less annoying than Dora. And, jaguars! We like jaguars (though the automobile kind are horribly expensive to maintain...you can tell anyone that who thinks they want one. My advice about that is...don't.), yes indeed we do. But the lead, the lead kills...

Though parents are warned! to keep everything in perspective! because the lead in toys is still minimal compared to all that damn lead paint in those peeling flaking windowsills in your house!

But still, Diego has to Go! Go, Diego, Go! And take your 38,000 Fisher-Price Animal Rescue Boats with you! (Ooh! rescuing animals with BOATS! AWESOME! I think I like you again!) And it squirts water! I think I'm in love...

(And then everyone say, all together: "Poor Mattel...")

Have one of these? Then you paid about $15 for it, and can get it alllll back by contacting Fisher-Price with your tale of woe. Woe, Diego, woe.

Things Fall Apart: Cub Scouts Badges. Millions of 'Em

Karen Murphy — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:29:00 GMT

When I was little, the kids who were Cub Scouts were weenies. Has that changed?

Because if it hasn't, there's about a million and a half weenies out there whose uniforms are covered with little lead weenie patches. And even weenies deserve lead-free uniforms.

The badges are technically called Cub Scout Totem Patches, measuring 4.5 x 3 inches, with a square portion in the center measuring 2.25 x 2.25 inches. There's a wolf and a bear pictured on the badge along with the words "Progress Toward Ranks" along with the Boy Scout emblem. They were sold from January 2000 through September 2007.

If your kid has one of these, you can contact the manufacturer, Kahoot Inc. (the jokes on that just write themselves, people), for a free replacement.

But seriously: Cub Scouts?? Why?

CPSC Says Home Lead Tests May Not Be Accurate for Toys

Karen Murphy — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:22:00 GMT

Understandably, sales of home lead tests have increased lately, with concerned parents looking to test the contents of the toy-box rather than rely on the continuous parade of recalls that's been alternating from trickle to deluge to trickle again. But the Consumers Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is dubious about the results of these home tests.

According to a report published on the CPSC site, these tests can result in false positives or false negatives, making the results rather inconclusive. The CPSC concludes that the only truly effective testing method is via an approved laboratory, stating, in part, "Laboratory testing by a qualified laboratory using proper techniques and interpretation of the results by qualified toxicologists is the only way to accurately assess the potential risk posed by a consumer product that may contain lead."

Have a look at the CPSC's Evaluation of Consumer Products for Lead report, just published. If you'd still like to test for lead at home, here's a wrap-up of some lead testing kits that are available.

Though you can always have that pushy next-door kid go around and lick everything. That might work.

http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/leadguide.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118843139888012856.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Things Fall Apart: The Procession of Death Continues!

Karen Murphy — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:13:00 GMT

I give up. The bloody carnage of the fallout from all the toy recalls is just too much. I'm not sure I can be persuaded to go on any longer; after all, does life have meaning any more if Curious George is involved? And while you know metal jewelry is bad news, what about if it has a poodle on it? When then, I ask you? Are poodles on the List of Evil now?

I can totally believe that Sponge Bob is in on this. He has "conspiracy theory" written all over him. I never trusted that weird little dude anyway. Something about his googly eyes.

But...teether books! With...trucks on them! How could you, Barnes and Noble?! I trusted you! (why are we encouraging kids to eat books, anyway?) The fact that these charm bracelets are less than charming shouldn't surprise you. You weren't fooled by the angels, were you? After all, jewelry that cost a buck should be toxic. But what about clothes that entrap you with their drawstring? That's just weird.

To recap, here's the whole (latest) list. If you think you own any of these, follow instructions on the individual CPSC page to find out what to do. A big bonfire belching toxic lead smoke would do it for me.

Thomas the Tank Engine and Curious George tin pails and spinning tops

Children's Metal Jewelry (with poodle)

Sponge Bob address books and journals

Teether Books with trucks

Angel charm bracelets

Crafty: Getting Bibby With It

Patti — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:25:00 GMT

Since bibs have been added to the list of Things Full Of Lead Which Will Kill Your Baby, this bib-making tutorial from Amy at Happy Things is a timely part of the whole "OMG Now What Do I Feed My Baby With???" zeitgeist, only softer and cuddlier than a steel sippy cup.

A quick and easy project that you can remake endlessly in millions of fabric combinations (it's reversible!) and that will lend itself beautifully to recycled/repurposed fabrics, you could become a bib-making expert after whipping out a couple of these babies and have your baby-shower-gift requirements squared away for the foreseeable future.

(via Craft, thanks to Amy for the image)

Got Lead? How to Tell

Karen Murphy — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:06:00 GMT

Every week, a new headline: "Death in the Playroom: Zillions of Toys Recalled!" So we're all sick of it, and some of us are up in arms over it, but seriously, it's pretty clear that we ALL have lead in our homes. The question is, where is it, and is it going to be a problem for our kids?

Here's a pretty comprehensive rundown on lead in kid's toys, but I'll hit the highlights for you too:

Look for lead in things your baby might come in contact with: strollers, cribs, furniture, and toys. Lead is also found in items used in food preparation. Oh, and candles! Death candles and indoor lanterns might also contain lead (mmm, breathing burning lead...)

Don't buy toys from vending machines.
Don't buy toys with small parts that can be swallowed (you already knew that).
Glossy fake pearls may be covered with lead.
Test suspicious toys with swabs: www.leadcheck.com.
Test your child if you suspect they might have ingested lead.

How do you tell if there's lead in toys?

Dull, grayish metal.
Pieces that seem heavy for their size.
If jewelry rubbed on a piece of paper leaves a gray line, it's likely lead.
Bright colors, especially orange and red, may be lead paint.
Lead is used as a stabilizer in soft plastics.

Things Fall Apart: Children's Necklaces and Charm Bracelets Recalled

Karen Murphy — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:04:00 GMT

These things are toxic, people! 900,000 ugly sports-themed children's necklaces and cute little charm bracelets with suns, hearts, and moons, have been recalled due to their high lead content. This jewelry was all sold in vending machines in the past year and cost 25 cents, and you may own some if you're like me and cave sometimes to the incessant pleading that goes on surrounding those evil little vending machines found in grocery stores and malls.

I've been writing post after post about kid's jewelry being recalled because it's chock-full of poisonous lead, wondering all the time WHY these little tidbits-for-kids are even made from lead when we know that Lead = Poison. A four-year-old DIED last year from swallowing part of the charm from a Reebok shoe. The charm was 90% lead! Please, please, take these things away from your kids if you have them.

Just so you know, eventually these recall notices about poisonous jewelry will stop, because the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to ban the use of lead in children's products, including jewelry, zippers, and toys. But don't hold your breath, because the EPA's first step is to write letters to a bunch of manufacturers, so a complete ban could take years. I think that I will just presume that all little items like these are made of lead and institute my own ban.

New Recalls: Children's Rings and Jewelry

Karen Murphy — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:03:00 GMT

Why, oh why, do manufacturers insist on making jewelry for children that's chock-full of lead? Here's a new lineup of recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission: children's "birthstone" necklace and earring sets, sold exclusively at Kmart (known for its fine jewelry) and ugly Vegas-style children's "pinkie" rings, sold at Big Lots (another fine jewelry purveyor), each bearing toxic amounts of lead. Yummy! If you own these, the CPSC advises taking the item away from your children immediately! Or sooner! And then take it to the store for a refund. Check the links for more information.