Keeping Your Kids Safe from Lead
Nearly 300,000 young American children have blood lead levels high enough to cause irreversible damage according to the Centers for Disease Control. Every one of these cases is avoidable. While many young children have been affected by lead from paint in older homes, other children are being exposed to the toxin through toys, especially toy jewelry, they love. These toys are identifiable and should not be purchased, played with, or even produced.
Every child is at risk for exposure to toys containing lead. Every parent needs to take important steps to keep their kids out of harm's way.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Children
Avoid purchasing toys from vending machines. In 2004, 150 million pieces of children's jewelry were recalled from vending machines nationwide. To be safe, parents should avoid these products.
Avoid toys which have small parts which may be swallowed, especially if the parts are metal or metallic.
Avoid glossy, fake painted pearls which may be painted with lead-paint.
Test suspect jewelry. Lead Check swabs are available at most local hardware stores and can be used to test for lead in products you may purchase for your child. Swabs turn pink when lead is detected. You can also order test kits online.
Check your child's toys. These toys may contain lead. If they do, remove them from your child's toy box and dispose of them. See photos of a sample of products which have tested positive for lead. For more information about disposing of lead contaminated toys, contact your local municipality.
Get your child tested. Lead poisoning can generally not be detected any other way. Regular testing will ensure the health of your child.
Ask retailers about their toy jewelry and ask them if they have documentation that the jewelry does not contain lead. Let them know that you are concerned if they don't have documentation.
Stay vigilant. Sign-up to receive e-mails from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about new product recalls. For past recalls of kid's products click here.
How Does Lead Affect Young Children?
The primary danger to young children from lead poisoning is brain damage. This can result in lower IQ levels, hyperactivity, developmental delays, and aggression.
Lead can kill. In February 2006, a child in Minnesota died after ingesting a piece of toy jewelry.
Lead is a soft, naturally occurring metal and can be found in contaminated soil, water, old paint, inexpensive jewelry, and other consumer products.
There is no safe level of lead for children.
Children are generally exposed to lead by eating dust or soil contaminated by old lead-based paint or by swallowing or mouthing contaminated objects.
Children six and under are particularly vulnerable to lead contamination. Two-year olds tend to have the highest levels of contamination because of their instinct to put objects in their mouth.
Brain damage from lead cannot be reversed, but blood lead levels can be lowered to prevent further damage and early intervention can help to reduce long term effects.
The best treatment is to remove the source of lead from the child. Parents should discard or avoid consumer products that contain lead.
Don't allow lead to become part of your holiday!
Click below and watch the movie ..............
Source Sierra Club http://sierraclub.org/healthycommunities/lead/#badges
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Keith Richter, Republican for State House, District 72
