Earlier this week I was interviewed by Connie Thompson of ABC KOMO News 4 (about how my small company assisted with initial data that lead to an AP investigation about cadmium in children’s jewelry) and asked a question that I’ve been thinking about ever since. Should parents be truly concerned about heavy metals in children’s products?
This is such a big question and every time I talk about this subject I try and emphasize a few points that I wanted to share.
First, the information we provide is potentially “scary” and it is not my intention to scare anyone, I simply want to provide information and knowledge about your environment. We use X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyzers to look for heavy metals in virtually anything, and my company Essco Safety Check has been providing this knowledge for over two years.
With this knowledge you can make educated decisions as to what you and your children are exposed to. If you know what is in the consumer products you and your children use, you can mitigate harm by simply reducing exposure to that item.
I want to also emphasize that it would be my first choice to test and work with manufacturers, testing items before the enter stores or consumers homes; however, that is not always the case and many concerned families and businesses have contact us about our testing services.
Here are my thoughts about to try and answer the question, “what are parents and people in general suppose to do about potentially toxic metals in consumer products.”
There are several different attributes that add to this pending “equation” to answer what is a parent suppose to do, I’ve narrowed this discussion down to three main components: The individual, the item and the relationship to that item “use”.
All of these factors add up to a dizzying amount of questions of which are almost impossible to answer all of them.
The Individual
Every person is slightly different; we all have different characteristics. We are all different heights and body masses. Some people can run a marathon; others can sit at a computer desk for hours. We all have different immune systems and this is really the point I want to talk about with the individual.
Some people never get sick and always have energy; other people always get sick and never feel like they have enough energy. Some people are allergic to a variety of different things; other people appear not to be allergic to anything. We all react differently to different things; Heavy metals and chemicals are a part of those things.
It could be as simple as what genome type are you? (Let me also add, I’m not a doctor, these are just my opinions) I remember as a child playing with mercury, and yet I appear to be fairly normal. I suspect it is because I can process these metals and chemicals that we come in contact with. Maybe there is a specific genome that just has this inability of processing these metals and chemicals we are routinely exposed to.
This is also where I begin to think about autism and specifically autistic children. In my experience of providing XRF testing services I’ve been to dozens of homes with autistic children and meet dozens and dozens of families a various community events. All the parents of these autistic children tell me that their children have heavy metals in their blood, and coincidence or not, when I test at their homes, I find the same heavy metals in the consumer products that these children use regularly.
This is why the individual is a very hard part of the equation. When asked what to do with children’s products specifically (children 6 and under are at the most critical time to reduce toxic element exposure) I generally suggest to mitigate exposure to certain heavy metals as much as possible, those include; Lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and others depending on a variety of things including individual situations (like autistic children).
If you can reduce your contact with these heavy metals, you are mitigating exposure and preventing potential harm to your children, you, your pets and others.
The Item
Everything we use in our lives is made from a variety of different elements. Water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, steel is typically a combination of iron and a variety of other metals. All consumer products are made from the same variety of elements. The items we all use are slightly different depending on what they are manufactured with, when they are manufactured and where they are manufactured.
In over two years of testing I have unfortunately found harmful heavy metals in a variety of children’s products and general consumer products. It is generally a random find and in my opinion is simply from the raw materials that are used in the production of these items. I’m sure there are a few cases where there are intentional uses of harmful metals (for cost purposes), but for this discussion I’m talk about random finds.
The item part of the equation is fairly simple, what is the item made with? If it is not made with any potential toxicants, then there is really no worry regardless of the individual part. But, if the consumer product does contain a potential toxicant, like lead or cadmium, there are definitely more questions to ask.
What’s in the item? How much? Is it on the surface, like paint? Or is it integrated in the coloring of the entire product?
The relationship “use” of the item
Here is where all of this is combined. Once again, if you have a consumer product that doesn’t have any toxicants, besides harm of swallowing or various other safety concerns, regarding heavy metals, I’m going to tell a parent not to be concerned. If the item in question has harmful toxicants present, then we have some concerns and questions to ask.
How is the item used? How often? Is a child putting it in their mouth? If so, I’d try and stop that immediately.
Is the item painted? If so, is the paint the problem? If so, what is the condition of the paint?
What is the item made of? If the item is made of PVC I’m going to have more concerns because of the greater potential for the harmful toxicants to leach out. Is the item jewelry and made of metal? There are concerns about sucking on these types of items. Is the item of natural fibers?
There are just so many questions, but ultimately, how that product is used is an important question to answer if the item has a harmful toxicant. Is this item something that just sits around and never gets interacted with? Or is it something used often? I’m concerned about the items that have a direct use relationship with people.
I’m not overly concerned about a picture frame on your wall, which has lead, unless that picture frame is painted and that paint is cracking and chipping. That picture frame has very little interaction with you and your family in your environment.
Now the things that your children play with, the things that you and your children eat off of and you drink out of I am concerned about. These are the items that I want to understand how they are used, what they are made of, what environmental conditions are these items exposed to (different heat)?
Do you take your children’s toys, the plastic ones (PVC) and sanitize them in the dishwasher? If so, they can be exposed to a variety of different heats, as great as 360 F. When you go to the beach do you leave toys in the car that are exposed to direct sunlight? Do you use something to cook with that goes from the oven to the dishwasher to the freezer?
When you start to add up this equation, it is fairly long and very hard to answer.
Here is my simple thought.
Why are children’s products and the items we cook with, eat off of and drink out of permitted to have these harmful toxicants? I’m not suggesting that these elements don’t have certain good uses; they do, just not in these items.
Until that day comes, it is potentially a good idea to know what is in your environment.
I hope that this helps in your understanding.
Don’t live your life in fear, just be aware and mitigate harm with knowledge.
