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Arguments about "safe" levels of lead in children's products are specious, based on an entirely outdated understanding of the biology, especially the neurobiology, of growing young children.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
1 comment:
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