Lead Blog Posts

Lead in Dishes (how to avoid it, assess risk, and what brands to buy)

by Katy Farber

March 26, 2010

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Ever since I discovered lead in the antique doors to all of our bedrooms, I have been highly skeptical of pretty much anything in our house. Including dishes. I recently tested some beautiful old dishes I have from the seventies. They came out fine.

Then a reader emailed me about a story that came out a few weeks ago. After digging around a bit more, I found some great resources for assessing the risk of your dishes, a list of "low level lead" brands (notice I said "Low" not "No"), and how to limit your family's risk.

The Environmental Defense Fund has several fantastic resources. First off, they share the risks of lead in dishes, which we all know are significant, especially since we use them everyday.

Next, the Environmental Defense Fund lists risk factors:

"Potential risk factors include: Read more...

Eco-challenge #10: Time for some new teethers!

by dina

December 15, 2009

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In honor of MightyNest's "Soft & Sweet" week my challenge is all about finding my baby something a little healthier to chew on than this toy car!! (I swear we don't let him walk around like this!)

Eco-challenge #10: Research and swap out unsafe teethers with non-toxic alternatives

I'm thrilled about this challenge. Especially after finding out that some of Sam's favorite teethers contain lead and ARSENIC! Also found sentences like this one..."The liquid inside the teethers may contain pseudomonas aeruginosa and pseudomonas putida which can cause serious illness in children if the teether is punctured and the liquid from the teether is ingested.”

Ummm - what? I don't understand. These are things that are meant to go in the mouths of babies!! Why on earth would you put something in there that can cause serious illness?? Ugh. Read more...

Super Scary Face Paint (PVC, Lead, and more)!

by Katy Farber

October 29, 2009

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It’s been all over my inbox. The chemicals in Halloween face paint are SCARY! Just look at the new report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and be very, very afraid. Seriously.

What might be in there?

PVC (aka: the poision plastic, or vinyl):

PVC has been linked to asthma, and autism, and according to the Center for Environment and Justice: "PVC (polyvinyl chloride) products are everywhere and are dangerous to our health and environment from start to finish - in the factory, at home, and in the trash - releasing poisonous chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects."

Lead, chromium or other metals (dangerous neurotoxins): Read more...

Eco-challenge #3: I heart Kinderville!

by dina

October 23, 2009

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After three weeks of the boys being sick, I've just about had it. I was seriously about to lose it while thinking of this eco-challenge yesterday because - well - when you have constant whining and snot flying everywhere for days on end, it's way easier to default to what you know than to push yourself to make any improvements. Read more...

Avoid PVC in Baby Bibs

by Katy Farber

October 01, 2009

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Awhile back, there were reports of lead in baby bibs. But if you are like me, you heard the tail end of the report while making dinner, changing a diaper, or between loud toddler talk and a baby crying, you missed something!

The Issue: Last August, an environmental health group in California tested several vinyl bibs (and some with vinyl backing) for lead. Many came back positive, testing at three or four times the legal limit of lead in paint. The bibs were sold at Toys R Us and Walmart, which swiftly took the bibs off the shelves this last summer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission did not recall the bibs, and the reasoning for this is unclear.

The brands of baby bibs that tested positive were:

Disney's Winnie the Pooh bibs
Koala Baby
Especially For Baby
Kidcosmic bib sold at Lisa Kline stores Read more...