Lead In Toys - Should We Really Be Concerned?

A few days ago I posted something about toy safety and the new legislation that was passed last year. I thought it was important to let people know about what was going on with this piece of legislation. I got some inquiries about this post which was great. I love the fact that people are reading this stuff and that they have questions. When I went back and looked at the questions I decided the best way to address them would be to enter another post. That would give everyone a chance to read more about this issue.

Before I get into addressing some of these questions, I want to again let everyone know what I'm trying to accomplish with this blog. My main goal is to give you information to think about. I have no desire to try to persuade you about any of these issues. Hey, I'm a consumer advocate and I may sometimes come off that way. You don't have to think the same way I do and many times may not. I respect that. I do hope that my blog entries will give you food for thought and if the issue is one of concern to you that you will further investigate on your own. The one thing I have learned in twenty plus years of practicing law is that there are always two sides to a story and we must always explore both before coming to any conclusion. Enough said, let's talk more about toy safety.

One question I received asked if kids are really getting hurt from lead in toys. They had never heard of a specific incident. They thought it sounded scary, but was it really more like the boogeyman--frightening, but not a real threat. This is a great question and one I really want you to think about. As parents we have a huge obligation to protect our children from harm. If we don't who will especially when they are one or two years old. As a society I also think we have an obligation to consider what is important to their well being and help protect them from things that we as parents may have no idea about or control over.

The first thing to know about lead poisoning is that it is almost never a single event in which a child ingests harmful quantities of lead, gets sick, and must be rushed to the hospital. Instead, lead poisoning is an insidious, month-by-month accumulation of lead in a child's body. Many times there are no immediate symptoms associated with the accumulated lead in the body. That's what makes it worse then the boogeyman.

You don't have to believe me, but long term exposure to lead is real and it can be serious. There is a wealth of research on this topic. It can be especially dangerous to very young children whose rapidly developing brain is highly vulnerable to lead toxicity. A child's gastrointestinal tract also absorbs lead more readily then that of an adult. According to the medical literature I've read a few long term risks include the following.

 
1) Loss of IQ points
2) Impairment in language fluency or communication
3) Memory problems
4) Trouble paying attention
5) lack of concentration
6) poor fine-motor skills
7) Difficulty with planning and organization
8) Difficulty forming abstract concepts
9) Poor cognitive flexibility (trying something else if the first thing you try doesn't solve the problem)

I believe that long term exposure to lead can have a drastic effect on a child's life. I know that it is definitely not something I would want my children exposed to. For more information on the medical effects of lead poisoning in kids the following link is an excellent resource. http://children.webmd.com/news/20070815/lead-poisoning-and-kids.

Another question I received expressed concern that the new legislation could sacrifice tens of thousands of thrift stores and small businesses in our country. Another great question. I understand the concern and also don't want to see an end to small business. The best advice I can give with regards to that is look closer at both sides. Here is a link addressing some of the commonsense guidelines allowed by the law. Since this post is getting a little lengthy I will let you take a look for yourself. http://blog.thehill.com/2009/02/11/consumer-product-safety-improvement-act-is-good-law-allows-for-commonsense-guidelines/.

Art Kosieradzki