CHINA-FREE PRODUCTS: Lead Hazard in Children's Toys

CHINA-FREE

DEFINITION chi-na-free adj. A term proposed for use on food labels to show that products are not made in China.

CONTEXT In light of recent health and safety scares regarding Chinese-made food and products, a U.S.-based company called Food for Health International has announced plans to put "China-free" stickers on its goods. The subtext: These products won't make you sick or have harmful contaminants like melamine.

USAGE Given recent recalls of items from toys to toothpaste, China-free labeling could catch on, though consumers would do well to remember that not all products from China are tainted and not all tainted products are from China.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Lead Hazard in Children's Toys

Lead Hazard in Children's Toys: "Arguments about 'safe' levels of lead in children's products are specious, based on an entirely outdated understanding of the biology, especially the neurobiology, of growing young children.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 they 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. It can replace Calcium in both tissues, thus compromising nerve conduction 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."