Lead Content in Toys Can Kill Your Baby!

Lead in Children's Products: Why is it such a problem? Where is it most likely to be found?

     Arguments about "safe" levels of lead in children's products are specious, based on an entirely outdated understanding of the biology, especially the neurobiology, of growing young children. I think that when these arguments come from official sources, such as the CPSC, they are disingenuous and ultimately politically driven, with a view to protecting potentially affected economic interests. 
     Lead accumulates in the body, both in nerve tissue and bone. Ingested lead is only partially excreted in urine, feces, and sweat. It can replace Calcium in both tissues, thus compromising nerve conduction and response and adding to a "savings bank" of accumulated lead in bone. The affinity of lead for nerve tissue is a significant problem for growing children; the younger they are, the more vulnerable. The consequences of lead in the nervous system may include behavioral problems and cognitive impairment. 
     The accumulation of lead in bone makes lead ingestion especially worrisome for females. During periods of high demand for available calcium, such as lactation after pregnancy, or in the context of  bone loss associated with osteoporosis, lead is released into the blood along with calcium. In the case of nursing mothers with high blood lead levels, the lead can end up in the milk supply.  It has also been speculated that high blood lead content in elderly women may contribute to symptoms of dementia.
     Although there may a safe blood level for children, now accepted by many scientists as below 10µ (microgram) per deciliter (1/10 liter -dl) of blood, there is really no safe level of content for a product. This is because lead in the bloodstream is in a dynamic equilibrium with lead stored in body tissue, predominantly bone. At a low level of blood lead, lead may continue to accumulate in bone and other tissues, so that under conditions where the stored lead is released, there may a much higher level in blood.
     Further, it is not correct to state that a level of lead available for ingestion from a single source may be acceptable, since there are usually multiple, individually insignificant sources of lead in a young child's environment, that taken together can result in a sigificant cumulative hazard. 
     Thus, the CPSC's statement that PVC bibs containing lead were safe to use as long as they were not torn or scratched is extremely unhelpful misinformation. It is simply incorrect. The chances are that the lead is being used as a stabilizer in the PVC, in which case lead dust will continuously migrate to the surface and become available for ingestion under any circumstances, albeit faster if the PVC is exposed to mechanical stress, UV light, or heat.

Source: http://www.turnertoys.com/lead-hazard/default.htm

Teddy Bears Rule our World

       

         The Teddy Bear was most certainly a gift given to many children over the past few holidays. Considered a collectors item by many, as well old tattered bears from a person’s childhood still hold an affectionate place in the hearts of their owners that is priceless. These toys hold a relatively new place in the American culture.

        According to myth a toy maker in Brooklyn, New York came up with the idea for a stuffed bear for children. Where the exact idea for the concept came from is a matter of debate, the same concept was also being explored in Germany by another group of toy makers. He sent the bear along with a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt asking for permission to name their new invention after him. The President allowed for them to make this new toy his namesake and “Teddy’s Bear” was born. He placed the bear in the window of his shop and was an instant draw in for customers.

        The association with Theodore Roosevelt goes beyond just his name. He in fact hated being called Teddy. Theodore Roosevelt was the quintessential outdoors man enjoying such things as hunting, farming, expeditions, etc. In 1910 he went on an expedition once to Africa to provide specimens for the Smithsonian museum. Prior to this in 1902 he went to Mississippi to settle a border dispute that state had with Louisiana. While there the local officials that were hosting him took him on a bear hunting expedition. The expedition was a bust; they didn’t come across any bears. To help the situation one of the officials captured a bear cub and brought it to the President so that he could shoot it. President Roosevelt refused to hurt the bear. He didn’t feel that it was right to shoot an animal in captivity. 

         The incident inspired Clifford Berryman to draw the cartoon “Drawing the line at the Mississippi”. It shows President Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub. Consequently “Teddy’s Bear” became a popular icon for pop culture of that time; the name was eventually changed to Teddy Bear. The Teddy Bear toy became so popular that it was no longer just for children, ladies would carry them with them about town. There was even a popular song written for the beloved bear called the “Teddy Bear two step” which was changed “Teddy Bears Picnic” with the addition of words. The Teddy Bear was such a popular image that Theodore Roosevelt used the image in his re-election campaign which was successful in bringing him into a second term in office.

Read more at Suite101: Teddy Bear: An American Mythology http://www.suite101.com/content/teddy-bear-a11461#ixzz0ykFkSsGS