Tag Archive for 'lead'

Weekly Highlights (1/9/2011)

Published on January 9, 2012 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

We hope you had a wonderful weekend! To catch up for missing last week, you’ll see a little more in this weeks highlights, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great finds we’ve come across in our internet travels.

In the News:

Agencies: No Need for Baby Formula Recall - Test results are in on the Enfamil formula recall, and all tests of factory-sealed containers found no bacteria. However, the bacteria was found in an open bottle of water and prepared formula of the child who died in Missouri and authorities are unsure how it got there, which stresses the importance of safely preparing infant formula.

Get the Lead Out: Panel Wants Kids’ Limits Halved - An advisory panel to the CDC is recommending that the current threshold for child lead poisoning be cut in half based on new research that children could be harmed from levels far lower than the current standard. They also recommend a prevention policy that includes removing children from buildings with lead-based paint hazards. The CDC has yet to approve the change in threshold, and a decision to ramp up prevention will take significantly more time and resources.

Widowed Teen Mom Kills Intruder to Protect Baby - An 18 year old teen mom shoots and kills an intruder in her home just one week after losing her husband to cancer on Christmas Day. What a tragic week for such a young girl. Video coverage of her ordeal and amazingly calm and collected 911 call below.

Oops…Company Publishes X-Rated Children’s Clothing Ad - French clothing company, La Redoute, apologizes for somehow missing the naked man wandering around in the background of their latest photo shoot after it appeared online.

‘National Opt Out Day’ Rejects Standardized Tests - On the 10th Anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act, United Opt Out National is encouraging parents to opt out of standardized testing this spring citing limited benefits from the high-stakes testing brought on by the Act. Personally, I worry that teaching to a test is stifling our children’s creativity.

First Grader Dies After Allergic Reaction at School - Ammaria Johnson, 7, died at her elementary school after suffering from an allergic reaction to peanuts. The girl’s death has sparked conversation about schools’ ability to handle allergic reactions and proposed legislation that would allow schools to have non-prescription epi-pens available.

Passersby Rescue Kids in Icy River Crash - An amazing tale of heroism. Talk about right place, right time. Thank goodness for those men.

New Research:

Poor Kids Miss Out on Playtime
A new report from the American Academy of Pediatricians indicates that poor children are lacking unstructured, free playtime because of a lack of safe places to play, parents who are busy trying to make ends meet, and schools cutting out recess and phys ed in order to focus more on academics. The article suggests that schools should be encouraged to keep recess and cities should aim to provide safe places to play - much easier said than done for sure.

The Hormone Surge of Middle Childhood
Middle childhood, the age between about 5 or 6 and the teenage years, is a busy time for a child’s brain.  It is the time when a child’s brain has reached its adult size and now focuses on forging connections. It’s a time of great creativity and a time where children begin to gain the ability to control impulses, to reason, to focus, and to understand and accept mortality and plan for the future. And it’s apparently an age that has been very much overlooked until lately.

Fantastic Finds:

Don’t Carpe Diem from Momastery.com - Parenthood is hard. We don’t always want to seize every moment. But there is Kairos - God’s time - those metaphysical moments when time stands still and you look at your child with wonderment, awe, and unconditional love. Cherish Kairos. I love this post!

10 Illegal Baby Names from Yahoo LifeStyle UK - Absurd baby names and international baby naming laws. Who knew?

Recalls, December 27 – January 9:

CPSC Child Product Recalls

Child Safety Seat Recalls

No child safety seat recall announcements this week.

USDA/FDA Recalls

If there’s anything you see and think we should feature, please send it our way to jasmine@purebebe.com. We hope your week is off to a great start!

XOXO,

Jasmine & Heather

Weekly Highlights (12/26/2011)

Published on December 26, 2011 in News. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

We hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Welcome to “Weekly Highlights”, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great finds we’ve come across in our internet travels.

In the News:

Mead Johnson Retests Samples of Enfamil and Reaffirms Safety - The company completed a second round of testing on samples of its Enfamil Newborn formula from the batch under recall. The tests showed no signs of the bacteria, but tests results from federal health officials will not be in until later this week. Check enfamilalerts.com or our sidebar for updates.

Two Strengths of Infant Acetaminophen Boost Confusion, Risk - Old and new infant formulations are currently on shelves with some even mislabeled. Be sure to check the concentration and dosage amounts, particularly for infants under 2.

EPA Issues Historic Regulations on Air Pollution - New rules issued this week by the EPA, overdue by about 20 years, will dramatically reduce mercury levels as well as other toxins from coal power plants, resulting in a significant reduction in premature births, childhood asthma, bronchitis, and other related illnesses, the EPA estimates.

Retailer Blames China Suppliers as More Jewelry Recalled- Health Canada’s recall blitz this week caught jewelry imported from China with levels of lead up to 86% and cadmium up to 46%.

New Research:

Studies Suggest an Acetaminophen-Asthma Link
Evidence is mounting of a possible link between acetaminophen use in infants and the development of childhood asthma. One study in 2008 found that children under 1 who had taken acetaminophen for a fever had a 50% greater risk of developing asthma symptoms. A single dose can reduce the body’s levels of a peptide that helps prevent inflammation in the airways. Yet, researchers still say it is difficult to determine whether the acetaminophen or the infection are to blame. The doctor quoted in the article suggests reserving acetaminophen only for very high fevers and major pain relief.

How Toddlers Hear Themselves
Ever wonder why toddlers can’t seem to pronounce certain words just right? 2 year olds do not listen to themselves and self-correct like adults do. They focus on the content of what they are saying rather than how they say it, which is why when you repeat back to a child what you think they said (pronounced correctly) they will say “yes”. Starting around age 3, children begin to develop the ability to repair conversations. Be a good speech model and focus on what your children are saying rather than correcting how they say it.

Fantastic Finds:

How to Get Your Favorite Fruits in the Winter from CNN Health - A guide to the choosing the tastiest and healthiest fruits in the winter.

Riley on Marketing from YouTube - One little girl expresses her frustration at gender-biased marketing. High five!

Recalls, December 20 – December 26:

CPSC Child Product Recalls

Child Safety Seat Recalls

No child safety seat recall announcements this week.

USDA/FDA Recalls

If there’s anything you see and think we should feature, please send it our way to jasmine@purebebe.com. We hope your week is off to a great start!

XOXO,
Jasmine & Heather

Weekly Highlights (12/5/2011)

Published on December 5, 2011 in News. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Welcome to “Weekly Highlights”, our weekly post that recaps important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the previous week and other great reads we’ve come across in our internet travels.

In the News:

Do Babies with Flat Heads Need Helmets? New guidance from the AAP says perhaps not.

Consumer Reports Study Backs Dr. Oz’s Claim About Arsenic in Apple Juice - Consumer Reports study validates Oz claim; finds arsenic and lead in apple juice at levels exceeding drinking water standards. And while the FDA had blasted Oz for his claims, turns out they were holding on to similar findings from their own testing.

Apple Juice Can Pose a Health Risk – From Calories – Better than worry about what juice is safe, skip the juice and try whole fruits instead.

Top 100 Baby Names of 2011 – BabyCenter.com released its annual list this week, with Aiden and Sophia topping the list.

News Anchor Draws Chicago Ire after Santa Denial – In an opinion segment on evening news (see video in the link), a Chicago anchor says as soon as kids can talk, parents should say “There’s no Santa!” Criticism and an apology have ensued.

Horse: Coming Soon to a Meat Case Near You? The recent spending bill lifted a ban on slaughtering of horses for meat. I may be with PETA on this one. It may be more humane than what is otherwise happening to these animals, but you won’t see me eating it anytime soon.

New Research:

40% of Kids Who Attempt Suicide First Try in Elementary or Middle School
A chilling discovery was made in the process of a study evaluating whether recall of previous suicide attempts was a reliable way of gathering data. Of 883 young adults aged 18 and 19, 78 had tried to commit suicide. 39 of the teens reported multiple attempts, with attempts beginning as early as age 9, the average age of a third grader! Researchers suggest that we should consider suicide prevention programs at younger ages and opening lines of communications providing children with options for letting adults know that they are not doing well.

Cigarettes May Be Useful for Distance Runners?
I’m sure you read the headline and said, what? Well, in actuality, this is a great read about a review study that was put together to show how conclusions can be drawn by selectively using data to support the theory. See the article’s alternative title: “How to prove anything with a review article.” It’s a good read about the dangers of over-interpreting correlations, reminding us to approach research with a skeptical eye.

Good Reads:

7 Foods You Should Never Eat - 7 Foods that notable food experts refuse to eat and their suggested alternatives.

Hilary St. Pierre: A Christmas Miracle - One child’s wish for his cancer-stricken mother. God and Santa grant miracles.

12 Unique Etsy Gifts for Babies - Some adorable and natural gifts on the list.

Recalls, December 1 – December 5:

CPSC Child Product Recalls

Child Safety Seat Recalls

No child safety seat recall announcements this week.

USDA/FDA Recalls

If there’s anything you see and think we should feature, please send it our way to jasmine@purebebe.com. We hope your week is off to a great start!

XOXO,
Jasmine & Heather

California Settlement on Cadmium Has Nationwide Reach

Published on September 8, 2011 in Health & Safety and Recalls. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tween Brand Jewelry Recalled for Cadmium, Courtesy CPSC

A major victory was won last week in the quest to make children’s products safer. In a settlement on Friday, 26 major retailers including Gap, Target, and Claire’s have agreed to strict limits on cadmium in jewelry (see the full list below). By December 31st of this year, children’s and adult jewelry sold by these companies will contain no more than 0.03% cadmium, a limit much stricter than the federal standard.

This is fantastic news given the toxicity of cadmium and news that Chinese manufacturers were using it in children’s jewelry. Cadmium is extremely toxic even in low concentrations, and like lead, accumulates over time in the body. Only a small amount of cadmium is excreted from the body over time.

All of the companies named in the lawsuit had sold jewelry containing high levels of the toxic metal in the last year and a half, according to Charles Margulis, spokesman for the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). The group initiated the lawsuit back in February 2010 after finding high levels of cadmium in adult jewelry purchased from 3 leading retailers: Saks Fifth Avenue, Aeropostale, and Catherine’s/Lane Bryant.

The CEH pursued the lawsuit under a California law created in 2006 with the goal to keep potentially hazardous materials from the public. Earlier this year, the CEH won a similar case against Tween Brands, operator of Justice brand stores. The case was the first legal settlement ever to limit cadmium in jewelry.

The big win in these cases are the national implications. Under the terms of these agreements, the retailers will instruct their suppliers to reformulate their jewelry on a nationwide basis. In addition, the 26 companies named in Friday’s settlement have agreed to pay $1.03 million which will be used to test jewelry for compliance with the agreement and to cover CEH legal expenses and ongoing work.

During the course of the lawsuit, California also took government action and created a law setting the same limit for children’s jewelry manufactured and sold in the state effective January 1, 2012. We may see labels on jewelry now looking something like this:

Because of the size of California’s market, it may effectively become a national limit, although other states won’t be able to enforce it. But hopefully, this will set a precedent that other states will follow.  Limits on cadmium in children’s jewelry have already been passed in Connecticut, Illinois, and Minnesota.

 

List of Companies Included in September 2nd California Cadmium Settlement

Rainbow/5-7-9 Stores (AIJJ Enterprises/Rainbow Apparel)
Aeropostale
American Eagle Outfitters
Catherines Inc/Lane Bryant
Charlotte Russe
Claire’s
Cost Plus
Fiesta Jewelry
Finesse Novelty
Forever 21
Group USA
Haskell Jewels
Hot Topic
MJM Jewelry
Old Navy/Banana Republic/The Gap
Rodgers Sports Management
Saks Inc
Shalom Int’l
Tanya Creations
Target
The Buckle
The Wet Seal

Weekly Highlights (7/17/11)

Published on July 17, 2011 in News. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

We’re adding a new feature to Purebebe this weekend that we hope you’ll enjoy.

Photo source

Welcome to our first edition of “Weekly Highlights”, a weekend post that will recap important child health and safety news, research, and recalls from the week but also give us an avenue to share some of the other great reads we’ve come across in our internet travels.

So happy weekend reading, and please let us know what you think!

In the News:

CPSC Announces New, Lower Limit for Lead in Children’s Products - 100 ppm. Hooray!

Senator Dianne Feinstein urges BPA regulation –  Last month, China banned BPA from baby bottles. CNN Opinion piece from Senator Feinstein urging US to step up.

Filth in Fast-Food Playlands – Makes me grateful we don’t frequent fast food chains.

Roundup pesticide used on genetically-modified crops linked to birth defects – Evidence that buying organic and using unprocessed, whole foods is the way to go.

Lawsuit ties tainted wipes to one twin’s brain damage - Lawsuit aims to change FDA inspection and enforcement practices for medical products.

Recalled alcohol wipes may still be in use – You may want to check your first aid kit or medicine cabinet. The alcohol wipes noted in the lawsuit above may still be out there.

New Research:

A Balanced Diet + Prenatal Exposure to BPA = Fatter, Sicker Rats
Rat pups exposed to the reference dose of BPA, that which the EPA considers safe, through their mothers while in the womb and nursing – but fed a balanced diet as they grew – were fatter and had a suite of metabolic problems later in life when compared to unexposed rats. The effects were even worse on pups fed a high fat diet.

Even BPA-Free Plastic is Not Always Safe
Lab tests were conducted on more than 20 top-brand baby bottles along with 450 plastic food and beverage-packages. Nearly all leached endocrine disrupting chemicals, even though many were BPA-free. It is possible to make estrogenic-activity free plastic, but we need urge manufacturers to do so and label them as such. In the meantime, my $ is on glass.

Birth Defects Linked for First Time to Smoking in Pregnancy
Smoking in pregnancy has been linked to miscarriages, premature birth, and low birth weight, but new research now links specific birth defects such as clubfoot, missing limbs, and deformed limbs.

Prenatal Vitamins Lower Autism Risk
A study of mom/child pairs in California found that taking prenatal vitamins around the time of conception decreased autism risk by half. Results indicate that proper prenatal nutrition may be especially important for susceptible individuals.

New Study Implicates Environmental Factors in Autism
A study of autism rates in identical and fraternal twins in California found that rates were higher in identical twins than fraternal twins. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the study’s results suggested that only 38% of the cases could be attributed to genetics and that 58% were attributable to shared environmental factors, most likely from the womb given that the rate of autism in two siblings who are not twins is much lower than that of twins.

Good Reads:

Got 15 Minutes? Whole Food To-Go Lunches for Impromptu Summer Fun from Simple Organic
What Life is Like with 4 Kids from Suburban Daddy
Once Upon a Time from How the Hell Did I End up Here?

Recalls, July 10 – 16:

CPSC Child Product Recalls
No product recall announcements this week.

Child Safety Seat Recalls
No product recall announcements this week.

USDA/FDA Recalls

We’d love your feedback! What did you like? If there is anything you’d like us to add or change, we’d love to hear it!

Have a lovely weekend!

XOXO,
Jasmine & Heather


Holiday Warning: Most Holiday String Lights Sold in U.S. Contain Lead

Published on December 12, 2010 in Health & Safety and Holidays. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

The Ecology Center, a non-profit organization, recently tested 68 varieties of holiday and Christmas string lights for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and other harmful chemicals and found that 4 out of 5, or 80% of the lights tested, contain lead. 28% of the those light strings that tested positive for lead would have been illegal in Europe as they contained greater than 1,000 ppm (parts per million). In the US, lead levels in holiday string lights are not regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) because they are not considered a children’s toy product. Children’s toy products have a maximum lead safety standard of 300 ppm.

“You cannot sell products with these levels of lead in Europe, but companies continue to dump these types of hazardous products on US consumers,” said Jeff Gearhart, the Ecology Center’s Research Director. “It’s time we had commonsense laws to protect us from toxic chemicals the way virtually every other industrialized country does. We need a major and comprehensive overhaul of our chemicals policies immediately to start phasing out these dangerous substances.”

You can check HealthySite.org to find out the test results of your lights. They list the exact levels of lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, chlorine, bromine and tin in each strand of holiday lights tested.

Why should you be concerned? Lead is extremely toxic even in low concentrations. Children’s brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead, and their bodies absorb more lead than an adult’s. Since babies and young children constantly put their hands and other objects into their mouths, they are even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of lead. And, as we have mentioned in prior articles, lead accumulates in the body over time and takes a long time to exit the human body.

Below are some tips to protect yourself and your little ones this holiday season:
1) Wear gloves while handling the holiday string lights and/or the electrical cords.

2) Wash hands immediately after handling the lights and cords.

3) Keep lights out of the reach of small children and your pets. This includes keeping a close eye on little hands while visiting other peoples’ homes.

4) Look for lights that are RoHS compliant. RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) is law in the European Union and restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated dephenyl ethers (PBDE).

5) 2 companies that claim to carry RoHS compliant lights are IKEA and EnvironmentalLights.com.

Related Articles:
A Call To Action: How You Can Help Ensure That Your Child’s Toys Are Cadmium Free
3 Ways to Thank Your Child’s Teacher This Holiday Season
Winter Activity: Use Your Child’s Artwork to Make Greeting Cards
How Meeting Warren Buffett Means Less TVs In My Household

A Call To Action: How You Can Help Ensure That Your Child’s Toys Are Cadmium-free

Published on November 30, 2010 in Baby Gear, Health & Safety and Recalls. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

We recently brought you the article on the prevalence of cadmium in children’s toys and the lead-like dangers that cadmium poses. Many of you were as up-in-arms as we were about the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) weak proposal to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

I am happy to report that PureBebe has taken action. We wrote an email to the CPSC Secretary, Todd Stevenson, demanding action, which you can read here. Concern for our children’s safety is something that none of us should take lightly. Unless we all band together and demand change, we’re going to keep seeing cadmium recalls from the CPSC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Keep reading below how you can take quick, simple steps to make a difference, too.

1.  Demand action by the CPSC!

Write the CPSC and let them know how you feel about their weak response to the ASTM. Don’t worry, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.

Feel free to copy and paste the text below, in an email to the CPSC Secretary Todd Stevenson using the email address tstevenson@cpsc.gov. So far, I have not heard a peep back from him. You know what I say? The more letters, the merrier. ;)

Dear Secretary Todd Stevenson,

I have recently been alerted to the prevalence of cadmium in children’s products by reading PureBebe.com’s article.

I do not believe that the CPSC has taken a harsh enough stance on cadmium and would like to see a guideline in place similar to that of CPSC’s Lead guidelines, whereby a product may not contain more than a specific % of cadmium.

A very concerned parent,

Your Name Here

2. Spread the word!

You know the drill, the more people that we can get behind this, the more likely that something will change. Please feel free to copy and past the URL of this story into an email to your friends, or send it out via Twitter and/or Facebook. The buttons at the bottom of this story should help you get the word out as effortlessly as possible.

This holiday season, remember to choose your child’s gifts (and yours) carefully.

Stay away from buying cheap metal wares, and products that contain metal parts, like cell-phone charms, hair accessories and jewelry. Many of the items with detected cadmium are made in China.

You can also take an inventory of your children’s toys and check the recall list on the CPSC website.

The CPSC recall site provides a description and photos of each recalled product.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any DIY test kits for cadmium. The only inspector kits with positive ratings/reviews that I could find were for lead. There was one test available to check toxic metal content in urine, but appeared to be a marketing gimmick, always reading positive in order to persuade people into buying yet more tests. When and if I find a reliable DIY test, we will let you know.

Let us know if you write a letter to the CPSC Secretary and if you hear anything back from him!  Together, we can make a difference in the quality of products that our children are exposed to.

Don’t be a stranger. We LOVE comments. If you enjoy reading PureBebe, let us know by clicking on “Subscribe to PureBebe!” under “Email Subscription” on the right rail of the screen to read more healthy baby news and topics!

Related Articles:
Check Your Candy – 6 Companies Issue Halloween Candy Recalls
Is Our Food Making Us Sick? The “Unhealthy Truth” About the U.S. Food Industry
‘Secret FDA Memos’ Reveal Concerns About GMO Foods
Lead Found in Several Brands of Baby and Children’s Food

Cadmium: The New Toxic Metal Threat

Published on November 15, 2010 in Health & Safety. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

It’s been months since the last hailstorm of children’s product recalls due to lead contamination. For the past few years it seemed like lead was being detected in everything and those recalls would never end. With the exception of a few food recalls recently, the prevalence of lead-related product recalls have subsided. The U.S.’s safety measures appear to be working.

Claire's "Best Friends" Charm Bracelet Sets Recalled Earlier This Year Due to Cadmium, Courtesy of CPSC

But just when we all thought we could let our guard down, there is a new threat in town, that is just as dangerous to your young child as lead, called cadmium. What’s worse is federal guidelines for this new toxic metal are practically non-existent since new Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards require manufacturers to determine cadmium exposure threat using an overly complicated – and objective – testing method.

Cadmium is extremely toxic even in low concentrations, and like lead, accumulates over time in the body. Only a small amount of cadmium is excreted from the body over time. According to the CSPC

“A key consideration in the toxicology of cadmium is that once absorption of cadmium occurs, it remains in the body, particularly in the kidneys and liver, for many years. Given the very long half-life of cadmium in the body, exposures that occur from swallowing an object or from mouthing an object over time could have significant impacts on the overall exposure to cadmium from all sources and contribute to the risk of adverse health effects from cadmium exposures.”

Cadmium is a known carcinogen that is a by-product of refining metals such as lead, copper and zinc. Specifically, cadmium is created when we ship our computers, cell phones and other electronics to China to ‘recycle.’ The electronic parts get melted down and one of the by-products is cadmium, which is then used to create inexpensive jewelry, pigments used in toys and other products, and as a stabilizer in plastics. And guess where all those inexpensive items get shipped? That’s right, those products ultimately get imported back into the U.S., and other countries.

Existing federal standards for cadmium in children’s products covers cadmium found in paint in children’s toys. However, most of the cadmium that has been detected thus far in the U.S. is used as an alloy in children’s jewelry.* Last month the CPSC asked ASTM International to enlarge what’s in the toy safety standards so that it covers metal parts as well as paints. But, the CPSC has asked that the new safety standard be based on a complicated testing process whereby the toy manufacturer has to soak the toy in a solution that’s meant to mimic the inside of a child’s stomach, and then measure how much cadmium is leaked. The simplest way to measure cadmium is how lead is measured – setting strict limits on total lead content. Current lead safety standards require that no children’s product can contain more than 300ppm of lead.

In the October 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, the research company tested a variety of children’s products and household items for heavy metals (lead, cadmium and mercury). And what they found was very alarming. Out of the 30 products they tested using an X-ray fluorescence technology, 14 showed “relatively high levels.” One of the products tested, a Revlon Couture Hair Accessory, made out of metal and rhinestones, contained cadmium at levels as high as 293,000 ppm (almost 1,000 times what’s considered the “safe” level for lead)! In other words, if a young child, say a younger sibling, put the hair barrette in their mouth, they could end up with cadmium poisoning. And if the child accidentally swallowed the hair accessory, the child is at risk of serious health consequences, perhaps even death.

Caroline Cox, Research Director of the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), leads the research to identify and analyze toxic exposure threats to children and others exposed to dangerous chemicals in consumer products. During a recent phone call with Cox, she said

“California passed a law that sets a limit of 300ppm for cadmium to match the lead standard. We’re really pleased about that and think that this will impact more than just California. Hopefully that will be helpful for the rest of the country.”

So there is hope that the rest of the country will follow California’s lead regarding strict cadmium safety standards. But why isn’t the CPSC taking a harsher stance on Cadmium, given the “threat level” of this dangerous toxic metal?

Let us know what you think about the CPSC’s stance on cadmium – please leave us a comment!

*It’s important to note that although the U.S. has not yet detected cadmium in imported plastic toys, it’s possible that cadmium could show up in plastics since it is often used as a stabilizer during the manufacturing process.

Related Articles:
Is Our Food Making Us Sick? The “Unhealthy Truth” About the U.S. Food Industry
Are You What You Eat?
‘Secret FDA Memos’ Reveal Concerns About GMO Foods
Creating a Healthy Relationship with Food: Interview with Dr. Lisa Hill
Lead Found in Several Brands of Baby and Children’s Food

 

Lead Found in Several Brands of Baby and Children’s Food

Published on August 23, 2010 in Food and Organic. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Courtesty of PhotographyByPaul, Flickr

Earlier this summer the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), a non-profit organization “dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of human health and the environment” filed Notices of Violation alleging that the toxic chemical lead was found in several brands of baby and children’s foods. In fact, their tests, which were conducted in a government laboratory, revealed that 85% of the baby and children’s food products tested contained what they considered high levels of lead. The food categories ranged from juices (apple, grape) to packaged fruits (pears, peaches, baby food, and fruit cocktail). Surprisingly, several organic brands, including Earth’s Best, O Organics and 365 Everyday Value were included in the long list of food and drinks.

The Notices of Violation allege that the food items listed below violate “provisions of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65), California Health and Safety Code.” In the Letter, ELF says that these companies’ products violate a warning requirement of the Code that requires businesses to warn consumers about products that contain “a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity…”

According to their website , ELF lists a few important points about lead:

1) There is no safe level of lead, especially for children.

2) Lead causes problems throughout the body, especially for children.

3) The effects can be subtle but permanent, long after childhood.

4) Lead exposures and effects are cumulative, over time and from multiple sources.

5) Three sources of lead continue to contaminate the environment and food supply: decades of pesticide application, leaded gasoline, and airborn lead from coal-fired power plants.

I have taken the following list directly from ELF’s website, and have listed both the products that exceeded the legal limit of lead per serving (0.5 micrograms of lead per serving) and those that passed the test. To keep things into perspective, the FDA allows 50 ppb of lead in fruit juices and these juices had 0.05 ppb of lead in them. That means that the FDA allows 10 times the amount of lead that was found in these baby and children’s food products! Most doctors will tell you that NO amount of lead is safe for babies and young children.

Apple Juice

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice
Earth’s Best Organics Apple Juice
First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate
First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
Full Circle Organic Apple Juice
Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice
Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice
Hansen’s Natural Apple Juice
Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice
Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice
Minute Maid Juice Apple – 100% Apple Juice
Motts 100% Apple Juice
O Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate
Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice
Parade 100% Juice Apple
Raley’s Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate
Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider
Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice
Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice
Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice
Trader Joe’s Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized
Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider
Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Great Value 100% Apple Juice not from concentrate
Harvest Day 100% Apple Juice from Concentrate
Kirkland Fresh Pressed Apple Juice Pasteurized
Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice 100% pure from US grown fresh apples
R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Juice unfiltered
Raley’s Everyday 100% Apple Juice
Sunny Select 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice
Trader Joe’s Fresh Pressed Apple Juice all natural pasteurized, 100% juice
Tree Top 100% Apple Juice
Tree Top Three Apple Blend 100% Fresh Pressed Juice

Grape Juice

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

365 Everyday Value Organic 100% Juice Concord Grapes
First Street Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
Gerber 100% Juice – White Grape Juice
Great Value 100% Grape Juice
Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice
Kroger Grape Juice 100% Juice
Langers Grape Juice (Concord)
Langers Red Grape Juice
O Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate
R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice
R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Concord
Raley’s 100% Grape Juice
Safeway 100% Juice Grape Juice
Safeway Organic Grape Juice
Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice
Stater Bros. 100% Juice Grape Juice
Stater Bros. 100% Juice White Grape Juice
Sunny Select 100% Grape Juice
Trader Joe’s Concord Grape Juice made from fress pressed organic concord grapes
Tree Top 100% Juice, Grape
Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate
Walgreens Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape
Walnut Grove Market Grape Juice
Welch’s 100% Grape Juice (from Welch’s Concord Grapes)
Welch’s 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Old Orchard Healthy Balance Grape

Packaged Pears

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Best Yet Bartlett Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte Diced Pears in Light Syrup
Del Monte Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte Pear Halves, Bartlett Pears in 100% real fruit juice from concentrate
Dole Pear Halves in Juice
First Street Diced Pears
First Street Sliced Bartlett
Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices
Gerber 3rd Foods Pears [Baby Food]
Great Value Bartlett Pear Halves in 100% Juice
Great Value Bartlett Sliced Pears in Heavy Syrup
Market Pantry Diced Pears in Light syrup
Maxx Value Pear Pieces in Light Syrup
Polar Pear Halves in light syrup
S&W Natural Style Pear Slices in Juice
S&W Sun Pears Premium
Safeway Lite Bartlett Pear Halves in Pear Juice
Safeway Pear Halves in Light Juice
Sunny Select Pear Halves in Pear Juice
Trader Joe’s Pear Halves in white grape juice
Truitt Brothers Pacific NorthWest Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear juice from concentrate
Valu Time Irregular Bartlett Pear Slices
Walnut Grove Market Natural Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Eating Right Kids Diced Pears Fruit Cups
Stater Bros. Diced Pears Snack Bowl

Packaged Peaches

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Best Yet Yellow Cling Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte Freestone Peach Slices in 100 % Juice
Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in 100 % Juice
Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup
First Street Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
Gerber 3rd Foods Peaches [Baby Food]
Golden Star Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
Great Value Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches
Libby’s Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup
Polar Peach Slices
Raley’s Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
S&W Natural Style Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Lightly Sweetened Juice
S&W Premium Peach Halves Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
Safeway Diced Peaches in Light Syrup
Safeway Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Pear Juice
Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Peach Halves
Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in heavy syrup
Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice
Trader Joe’s Yellow Cling Peach Halves in while grape juice
Valu Time Yellow Cling Peach Slices
Walnut Grove Market Natural Peaches Sliced Yellow Cling in Light Syrup

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Dole Diced Peaches, Cling in Light Syrup
Dole Diced Peaches, Freestone in Light Syrup
Dole Sliced Peaches
Eating Right Kids Diced Peaches in Extra Light Syrup
Stater Bros. Diced Peaches Snack Bowl

Fruit Cocktail

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Best Yet Chunky Mixed Fruit in Pear Juice
Chef’s Review Fruit Cocktail
Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail
Del Monte Chunky Mixed Fruit in 100 % Juice (peach, pear, grape, etc.)
Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peach, pear, grapes)
Del Monte Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added
Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail in Extra Light Syrup
Dole Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup
Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose
Eating Right No Sugar Fruit Cocktail
First Street Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup
Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)
Great Value No Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail
Kroger Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
Kroger Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
Kroger Value Fruit Mix (Peaches, pears, grapes)
Libby’s Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
Market Pantry Mixed Fruit in light syrup
Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)
Mrs. Brown’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grapes)
Polar Mixed Fruit
Raley’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice
Safeway Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
Safeway Light Sugar Fruit Cocktail
Safeway Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
Stater Bros. Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
Sunny Select Fruit Cocktail in Juice

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

Del Monte Mixed Fruit

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The Environmental Law Foundation’s (http://www.envirolaw.org/) purpose is “to improve environmental quality for those most at risk by providing access to information, strategies, and enforcement of environmental, toxics, and community right-to-know laws.”

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