BPA Good News: Suffolk County, Baby Bottles and More

I love good news. Really. Because for weeks on end I write about endlessly frustrating environmental health issues. And when I get news like this, I happily take notice and rejoice.

So I read this BPA news with glee. In the absence of sound governmental precautionary practices, the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles in the U.S. have decided to stop using BPA in their bottles.

I still think that glass is the safest option, because there are other questionable chemicals in plastics, and of course we have no idea what chemicals they might be replacing BPA with.

But at least all babies will not be exposed to BPA from this source anymore. Kudos to the manufacturers for acting on this issue. The progress on protecting our kids from BPA has been glacial at best thus far, so we need all the help we can get.

Did you hear about Suffolk County? A little county that could. The legislature there voted to ban BPA in children's products. Of course we need national legislation on BPA, but this is progress.

On the not so good news front Health Canada is reporting BPA is found in soda cans (not surprising). Health Canada is known for a BPA ban, the first of its kind, in that country. We all know that soda is bad for us for many reasons, so add this to the list. There is a problem of multiple exposures. We get BPA from canned foods, dental sealants, plastic bottles, soda and who knows what else. These exposures of a hormone mimicking chemical, while alone are said not to be a health risk, could be something altogether different when compounded together. Who is looking at the bigger picture?

image: Baby & Bottle by sunsurfr on Flickr

Good News: Lower Lead Levels and a Laugh

Love, love getting good news in my inbox. Here's a story from MSNBC about the dramatically lowered rates of lead exposure in children. The good news is the rates of elevated lead levels in children has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years. The bad news is that lead exposure is extremely damaging, even at low levels, because there is no safe level of lead exposure. Period. The other disturbing part of this article is that there are higher rates of elevated lead levels among the poor. I'd have to agree with Caroline Cox, research director of the Center for Environmental Health, a California-based advocacy group, who says that lead poisoning "is entirely preventable." AND-

"There's no reason even one child in the United States should be poisoned by lead," Cox said. "It's great there aren't as many now as there were, but there are still too many."

Amen to that. For tired parents, here is what the CDC says about protecting your children from lead (here's more on this from Non-Toxic Kids):

"The CDC recommends that pregnant women and young children avoid housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation. Other recommendations include regularly washing children's hands and toys; frequent washing of floors and window sills, where paint dust can collect; and avoiding hot tap water for drinking, cooking and making baby formula. Hot tap water generally contains higher lead levels from plumbing than cold water," according to the MSNBC article.

And want a laugh? Head over to Mother Talkers and check this out.

Recess Helps Kids Learn (don't take it away!)

(This article was first published over at Eco-Child's Play)

I feel in my bones the pressure on teachers. More and more is asked of teachers these days, and heaps of pressure is placed squarely on their shoulders. My upcoming book, Why Great Teachers Quit, will address this among many other concerns.

But having children skip recess should not be part of the solution. I must admit I am guilty of this sometimes. This new article posted at the New York Times health blog, Well, shares information about a new study proving the importance of recess in the behavior, academic success and the health of children.

"New research suggests that play and down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades."

and an alarming number of children are not getting recess:

"And many children are not getting that break. In the Pediatrics study, 30 percent were found to have little or no daily recess. Another report, from a children’s advocacy group, found that 40 percent of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period.

Also, teachers often punish children by taking away recess privileges. That strikes Dr. Barros as illogical. 'Recess should be part of the curriculum,' she said. 'You don’t punish a kid by having them miss math class, so kids shouldn’t be punished by not getting recess.'"

I'm hearing that loud and clear. When I'm tempted to use this time with a student, I'll remember this article. All kids can benefit physically, mentally and academically (the one we can sometimes forget-) from getting outside and playing.

Beloved Haba Toys: Made in China (can you hear my heart breaking?)

You'll find many posts and websites claiming Haba toys as a safe, happy and green toymaker, with great toys NOT made in china. We've got many toys made by them and we all adore them. My daughters have chewed them, and I've happily thought: so what! They are non-toxic, made in the oh-so-more progressive European Union, so all is well.

So when my intrepid mom noticed a comment on Amazon, stating that her new Haba toy for her child came with a made in China label, I gasped. Come on, Haba toys, too?

Her comments read: German Toy Made in CHINA?, June 4, 2007
By Kyra_Athena "Kyra_Athena" (Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

"I specifically sought out a European toy which marketed itself as quality, safe, and German-made. I simply do not trust products made in China. The box came with English, French, and German descriptions. In tiny print on the box said "made in China". That was right under the part about being designed in Germany. I will never purchase another Haba toy. These used to be made in Germany. There are plenty of reasons not to buy from China aside from the lead and safety issues found in many of the toys made there. The unique selling feature of this product was that it was made in Germany. Other than that, it is just a set of wooden blocks and was not worth the price."

That is exactly I feel, and I would be just as surprised to find that label on a Haba toy. Horrified, even. As I am now.

The folks at Oompa toys, who are very thoughtful and transparent about where the manufacturers of the toys they sell are made, has this to say about trusted European toy makers opening up shop in China (as Haba recently must have, or this small detail just escaped most green bloggers and writers). They have a good point-- but simply, I don't trust any toys made in China.

They are right on about Melissa and Doug toys, too. The paint chips, and I know now not to trust their products, either. Many have been found to contain lead, cadmium and other toxins. Take the time to look at the toys listed at Healthytoys.org to see if your Melissa and Doug toys are safe.


Then I found this over at Maukilo, about Haba toys made in China.

"With the exception of wooden puzzles and the architectural master builder block sets, the wooden toys are all produced in HABA's own factories in Bad Rodach, Germany. Water-based, non toxic stains are used to create colors; no lead paints at HABA. Fabric toys and some plastic items are manufactured for HABA by a few select suppliers that have been certified in accordance with the ICTI Code of Business Practices (www.toy-icti.org). As a matter of fact, every HABA toy complies with the EN 71 European Standard for Toy Safety, the ASTM F963 Standard Consumer Safety Specification in the USA, the EU Directive 76/769EEC on azo-dyes and finally the Chemicals Prohibition Ordinance. That means all of their toys, even those that are produced in China, meet safety standards which are, in some cases, even much stricter than thosein the United States."

From the looks of it, only "some" of their toys are made in China. But I found more than the above cited quote mentioned. Like these dolls, made in China, by Haba. In a search at healthytoys.org, I found bath toys made in China (and these had high levels of chlorine, for a medium safety warning), and a pencil, made in China with a HIGH LEAD LEVEL! Haba toys and lead! Unbelievable.

Here is Haba's statement about toy safety. They, like many other major toymakers, want to assure consumers that the production sites they use in China are held to the same standards as the ones in Germany, and that they are inspected regularly (We've heard this before--). So why is it, Haba, that the toys made in Germany came up safe at healthytoys.org, and only the ones made in China have medium or high risk?

I was surprised and saddened to see that this maker of beautiful, creative and mostly affordable toys is producing toys made in China. I will think twice about buying any Haba toy again, especially now that I know about that lead pencil! How many children do you know who chew on pencils? I know plenty, and I am just one teacher.

What do you think about this, readers? Do you have Haba toys at home?