Essco Safety Check initially started in 2007 to help moms and dads “know what was in their environment.” We wanted to provide in-home consumer product testing for moms and dads to help them make sure the toys and consumer products that their children routinely used were safe from toxicants. Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers and a software suite we developed for data collection and analysis looking for lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals, we began providing those services.
This was before recalls and regulations and since then the landscape has changed. There are now state and federal regulations regarding lead and other toxicants in children’s products (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – CPSIA). These regulations were passed with the emphasis on finding toxic toys at a time when several large national recalls were happening.
Over the past several years of providing in-home inspections for consumers, assisting autistic families with knowledge about their environment and providing testing services to businesses about the products they manufacture or sell, we have become experts in understanding the relationship between consumer products, the end-user and the regulations of those products. This knowledge base and relationships we have developed with toxicologists, lawmakers, consumers and businesses has given us a unique perspective of the entire marketplace and market cycle.
With the knowledge that we have gained, we’ve become aware that not all products that you and I believe are consumer products are in fact, consumer products. Certain products are exempt from heavy metal testing, because these products are considered medical devices. Both children and adults use these products and they are sold everywhere without restrictions. Some of these products are even put directly into the mouth, why are these products exempt from certain regulations?
Understanding the relationship between a product someone uses and what that product is made of, can easily mitigate harm. Just because a product is not considered a children’s product does not mean that a child will not use that product. There are some good uses for lead, but not in a toy or a coffee cup or a toothbrush.
What about pregnant women? 
In a discussion I had with Steve Gilbert (he is an expert in the field of toxicology, PhD, DABT) he has shared his knowledge with me and I’m here to share it with you.
Did you know that a child and a pregnant woman absorb 30-50% of the lead they ingest. A typical adult only absorbs about 10%. This is because lead substitutes for calcium and the growing body needs more calcium. This is one of the reasons that kids are more sensitive to lead exposure. Pregnant women use all different types of consumer products, including medical devices. Do you think that they should be exposed to lead and other potentially harmful metals during pregnancy?
Know what is in your environment and mitigate harm.
