1) Vinyl mini-blinds from Asia or Mexico.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported ,as of 1996, that Twenty-five million non-glossy, vinyl mini-blinds that where made in China, Taiwan, Mexico, and Indonesia where found to contain lead. They basically announced that ALL imported vinyl mini-blinds contain lead. I would not even mess around with them. Forget the lead test.  Just get rid of them. The problem is that every time you open and close them they could potentially release lead particles. Sunlight breaks down the vinyl which creates lead-contaminated dust. THROW THEM OUT. Aluminum blinds are fine. Either lead test the blinds or The Department of Environmental Quality reported that these blinds can be identified by doing the following,

“Scrape the blinds with a knife and if the paint comes off, they’re metal. If the mark remains

the same color, it’s probably vinyl. Or, tap the blinds with a metal object such as a knife and

listen to the sound. Third, the slats can be inspected at their edges-if the color is the same

as the top and bottom of the slat it probably is vinyl. If the color is bright aluminum it is not

vinyl. Fourth, the brackets holding the blind are usually easily determined to be either vinyl

or metal.”

2) Christmas Lights and Older Fake Christmas Trees
I have never performed a lead test on Christmas lights, exterior and interior, that did not fail. I am not saying that they don’t exist but what I am saying is that I have tested hundreds of these lights and all of them would harm a child’s future.  If you’re interested, Cornell University did a disturbing study that you can find here. http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov08/leadXmasLights.sl.html
It’s a very impressive paper that was published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.  Thank you Lelia M. Coyne and Mark R. Pierce for your work. You study was one of the drivers of my lead test site.

3) Electrical Cords
The majority of Electrical cords contain lead. There are a few manufactures that make cords that are lead free but lead has been used to help fire proof cords since there where power cords.  Keep your kids away from them or replace them with ones that are lead free. We have all be disturbed by that warning from the state of California that states,

“WARNING: Handling the power cord on this product will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause [cancer and] birth defects or other reproductive harm. WASH HANDS AFTER HANDLING”

What pisses me off about this warning is the “known to the State of California” bit. Yeah just California knows that lead will destroy your child’s future.

I have lead tested many power cords and extension cords. Trust me, they contain lead. Some had so much lead in them that the lead test almost glowed pink. Wash your hands after you handle any type of power cord. The most egregious ones where those brown power cords that you probably found in your garage from the former owner/renter.  Perform a lead test on them or just throw them out. Buy lead free ones.

4) The soil around Your Home
If your home was built prior to 1978 I would just assume that the soil around your home contains lead. Prior to 1978 lead was in most paint both exterior and interior. Over the yeas lead leached down the side of your home and into the ground.

5) Water
Lead levels in your water are likely to be highest if your home that has lead pipes and or copper pipes with lead solder. Plumbing installed prior to 1930 probably contains lead pipes. Plumbing installed prior to 1985 may contain lead solder in the copper joints. Brass faucets and ball valves may also contain lead.

home lead test kits

lead paint test kit

test for lead in paint

leadcheck lead test kits

water lead test

paint lead test

lead paint

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Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Siffred Duplessis

Fast forward 10-15 years later the letter describes Mr. Franklin observing and or hearing second hand that vegetables and other green plants would not grow around the Lead Ore Smelting furnaces. Being who he was, Benjamin Freeking Franklin, he wrote about observing moss that never seemed to grow where a “Roof was painted with white lead, such as Balusters, or Frames of dormant Windows, &c”.

While he was ambassador of the United States to France in 1767 he visited a hospital where he came across a sheet that contained patients ailments by their profession. He noticed a patten in tradesmen that worked with lead all exhibited signs he recognized as lead poisoning.

The Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory, outside of Chicago, confirmed that lead had caused Ludwig van Beethoven death in 1827 at the age of 56. Ludwig spent a lifetime drinking wine from lead cups and received medical treatments that were often laced with heavy metals.

We have known about the dangers of lead for over 200 years. How is it possible that as a society we have not said enough is enough. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists lead as the second most toxic substance. To give you an example of how shocked you should be…..CYANIDE was listed 28th.

2007 CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substances

Your home and products you have procured over the years might be a danger to your family. Anyone with a 10th grade education knows that lead is harmful.  Check4Lead.com sells Home Lead Test Kits that will help you identify lead in your home. Until our government decides to outlaw lead as a consumer product material it is important to identify lead in your home. Extension cords, Christmas lights, paint made prior to 1970 and window frames made prior to 1970 are all suspect. Any toys, and I mean any toys made in China are also suspect. If an American staple like Thomas the Train has dropped the ball then anything toy is not safe.

home lead test kits

lead paint test kit

test for lead in paint

leadcheck lead test kits

water lead test

paint lead test

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Product: Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards with bracelets

Units: About 174,000

Importer: Schurman Fine Papers, of Fairfield, Calif.

Apparently they sold a gift card that included the pictured bracelet. The back of the greeting card reads, “BD 63401 | © Jean Card & Gift Company” and the card insert reads, “USA $6.95 | CAN $10.50 | Made in China | © Jean Card & Gift Company” and includes UPC number 734524634013 in the lower right hand corner.

You may contact Schurman Fine Papers at (888) 990-9095. Click here for Health Canada’s press release. I get the feeling they broke the story on this. Now let move on to the other recall trash.

252,000 “Children’s Toy Jewelry Sets Recalled by Playmates Toys” have been recalled due to a general hatred for children. This poison was sold by retailers nationwide from November 2008 through November 2009 for between $6 and $8.

Name of Product: Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards with bracelets

Units: About 174,000

Importer: Schurman Fine Papers, of Fairfield, Calif.
Apparently the CPSC was alerted to this hazard by the State Attorney General of California.

Thank you State Attorney General of California for doing the CPSC’s Job

The offending piece of this “toy” can be found in “charm” clasp.

For additional information, contact Playmates toys at (888) 810-1133 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.playmatestoys.com.
If you have any question as to a toys lead safety either throw it away or get a lead paint test kit.

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Quick Facts About this Poison:
1) Sold In walmarts
2) 15,000 in the wild
3) Sold between January 2009 and July 2009.
4) Price: $4

Why did it take so long to tell the public about this product? This product was sold over a year ago.

Pitchforks and Touches anyone?

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Lead Based Paint Test Kits

Lead Based Paint Test Kits

If you live in a home built prior to 1978 I would just assume that you have lead paint somewhere in your home. More than likely it’s been painted over many times but it’s still there.  Check4Lead.com sells Lead Based Paint Test Kits that will help you find lead in your home. There is no safe level of lead in a Childs blood.

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Lead was used as pigment with lead (II) chromate (PbCrO4, “chrome yellow”) and lead(II) carbonate (PbCO3, “white lead”). Lead was originally added to paint for many reasons but the most important to the original manufactures was that lead helped the paint resist moisture that caused corrosion. Perfect attributes that paint needed.

My father in law was a chemical engineer at DuPont for many years. When I asked him the reasons for the lead additive he gushed at leads ability to keep rust off the oil derricks that he happen to specialize in. He also mentioned that the lead also gave the paint a wet look as if it had just been painted on. Now I am not sure why that would appeal to an oil derrick but I can definitely see why the consumer market liked this poison so much. It’s pretty and cheap as dirt.

I live in central Florida where most of the houses in the downtown area where built between 1920’s and 1950’s which was lead chromates prime time. Most houses that were built in the 50’s contain lead paint somewhere. If you scrape off enough exterior, of a house built in the 50’s, it will fail a paint lead test. If you have old cabinets, which have not been painted over 10 times like the exterior, it would probably fail a paint lead test.

Tags: lead test, paint lead test

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This recall is more then a bit disturbing as it shows that products are still getting through our safety nets. Chinese manufactures are not held accountable for anything. I am sure that St. Martin’s Press LLC, of New York, N.Y. did not want this to happen. So who should be held responsible for these toxic IQ / future destroying products? Ultimately children and their parents will forced to carry this burden. Do you think  St. Martin’s Press LLC will be pay for all of the ailments that the effects of lead poisoning? Which product gave you child lead poisoning exactly? You see that is a very hard question to answer as lead is cumulative. Can you prove that your child ingested the lead in this product or was it the extension cords or Christmas lights? Which ones failed a paint lead test?

Parents……Only you and your children will be bare this burden. I think its fire and pitchfork time. St. Martin’s Press is only a symptom of the greater problem. Nothing will change until the consequences for poisoning our children are so severe that product manufactures will be afraid to not do the right thing.

If the CEO of a toy manufacturer poured poison in my sons juice box he would go to jail for the rest of her life. How is it that that same person, through negligence, produce a product that produces a similar outcome not go to jail?

Open Google and paste in “We apologize for this inconvenience. Big Rex and Friends Cloth Books.” To the person who wrote this disingenuous apology…..Fuck you and your apology. How about…. “We are sorry for the possible lifetime of hurt we have caused. We are sorry for the 4am screaming and crying that we have caused.” Damn you and your products.

Scott

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HPSE8N3NQ499: The American Greetings Corporation has recalled, the called, Sport Balls. There are 90,000 of these little goodies sold between August 2004 through April 2009. They where sold in various retailers in the U.S. and Canada. These types of products are really scary as they are so cheap and so prevalent.

Sport Balls

The package contains four mini sport balls: a basketball, a football, a baseball and a soccer ball. The model number is SPBL 1821 and is printed on the packaging. If you child puts one of these in his or her mouth they WILL get Lead Paint Poisoning. You can contact American Greetings at (800) 777-4891 or visit the firm’s Web site at www.ag.com.

HPSE8N3NQ499

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Timberland-Boot fails Test for Lead Paint

The boots are wheat-colored leather and were sold in toddler size 4 through junior size 7. Shoe stores and specialty retailers nationwide from June 2009 through October 2009 for between $50 and $70.

For additional information, contact Timberland at (800) 445-5545 between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

These boots have been on the shelves for four months so the probability that they are already in the homes on the feet of children makes me more then a little upset.  How is it that these boots made it through? How did they slip through the lead paint test of our watchdogs?

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