Warning for Parents: Your Children May Be Having Lead For Lunch!
by www.SixWise.com
The Center of Environmental Health California (CEHCA) recently
released a report finding very high levels of lead in children's
soft vinyl lunchboxes.
Lead is a toxic poison. Even the smallest amount can be harmful,
especially in children. Children's bodies absorb more lead
than adults and are therefore at a higher risk.
Initial independent laboratory testing commissioned by CEHCA
found 17 lunchboxes with high lead levels -- anywhere from
2-90 times the legal limit! CEHCA is still testing and has
not yet included testing hard plastic or metal lunchboxes.
The highest lead level found so far is the Anaconda lunchbox
(by Targus International) which tested at 56,400 parts per
million of lead. That's 90 times the
600 parts per million legal limit for lead in children's paint.
Most of the lead is found in the lining of the lunch boxes,
where lead comes in direct contact with your child's food.
Simply handling the lunchboxes just before eating can expose
your kids.
Lead was also discovered on the surface of the lunchboxes.
Lara Cushing, Research Director for CEHCA says "It's
not bound up in the plastic. It's sloughing off. It can come
off on your hands. It can rub off on your food."
CEHCA believes lead has been intentionally added to the vinyl
(PVC) plastic as either a stabilizing agent or pigment.
The CEHCA has filed lawsuits against the makers
/retailers of these soft vinyl lunchboxes. Here is a
partial list of the manufacturers:
Toys R Us
Warner Brothers
DC Comics |
Time Warner
Walgreens |
These themed lunchboxes should be avoided:
- Angela Anaconda
- Superman
- Tweety
- Power Puff Girls
- Hantaro
|
It is impossible to tell by appearance if a vinyl lunchbox
contains these high levels of lead. CEHCA therefore advises
parents to avoid lunchboxes altogether and use cloth or paper
bags instead.
CEHCA Executive Director Michael Green wants manufacturers
to recall their soft vinyl lunchboxes "to take action
to eliminate lead from their products in the future."
CEHCA advises purchasing a lead-test kit. Sixwise recommends
either PACE's Lead Alert or Leadcheck (which can be bought
online at leadcheck.com). Both are around $15, come with instructions
and will give you peace of mind.
If the lunchbox tests positive, discontinue use and send
it to CEHCA. They'll add your contaminated lunchbox to their
investigation.
Symptoms of Lead Poisoning
Lead has no known physiologic value to the human body. Exposure
to lead comes primarily from breathing in or ingesting lead.
Lead can impair brain development and cause hearing problems,
brain/nerve damage, stunted growth, digestive problems, and
reproductive problems (including infertility and spontaneous
abortion).
According to the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease reported
1 in 6 children in US has a high level
of lead in their blood.
Nearly half a million children living in the United States
have blood lead levels high enough to cause irreversible damage
to their health. Here are some key symptoms of lead poisoning
to watch for:
- Stomachaches Depression
- High blood pressure
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Liver/kidney damage
- Osteoporosis
- Paralysis
- Blindness
- Mental retardation
- Constipation/Diarrhea
- Aggressiveness
- Muscle pain/weakness
|
- Weight loss
- Learning disabilities
- Decreased metabolism
- Anxiousness
- Convulsions
- Even death with chronic exposure
- Poor appetite
- Hyperactivity
- Headaches
- Coma
- Death
|
If your child has any of these symptoms, check with your
doctor about having their blood lead levels checked.
Lead In Our Homes, Offices, Parks and Playgrounds
Lead is a soft, heavy, blue-gray metal that occurs naturally
in the earth's crust.
In most cases lead is released into our atmosphere through
our burning of fossil fuels, mining, and factory manufacturing.
Although some lead compounds can be altered by sunlight,
air and water, lead does NOT break
down. Lead, once airborne, can also travel long
distances before settling into the ground.
80% of homes built before 1978 used lead-based paints
|
Our children can easily be exposed to lead by ingesting lead-based
paint chips or playing in contaminated soil. Lead has been
found on at least 1,026 of the 1,467 National Priorities List
sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to the CDC 80% of US homes built before 1978 can
contain lead based paint. Lead is still found in ammunition,
some batteries, as well as medical and scientific equipment.
In the last 20 years, the US has removed lead from gasoline,
paints, and many other products. Though these are critical
changes, lead remains in the environment ... and even in
seemingly innocent products like lunchboxes.