Browse by Tags

• Where's the Lead? You'd be Surprised!

  I thought I was pretty well up on the "where's the lead?" thing. Toys, lunchboxes, cheap kid's jewelry, houses built before 1978, places like that. That's where I'm used to looking, and thinking about lead and potential exposure for my family. So I was surprised to run across this comprehensive list of places and things in our households that may contain lead. Even though the list is two years old (I couldn't easily find a more up-to-date one, but if you know of one please mention it in the comments), it still holds a ton of useful information. Shower curtains? Garden hoses?  DIRT?? Okay, here's my list of things that may contain lead that surprised me: Read More... Posted Dec 08 2007, 03:19 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: lead, lead toys, lead in everything

• Things Fall Apart: Are You Tired of This Yet?

  I say let's just throw all our cheap lead toys in the ocean and start over, hey? Of course, that will cause the level of the ocean to rise several feet and it'll wipe out a third of the world's population, but what the hell, at least we'll all finally be lead-free. Well, not lead-free exactly, but at least decluttered from the seemingly endless parade of leaden jewelry, more leaden jewelry, pencil cases, and flashing! pacifiers! that fills our nation's toy boxes. Read More... Posted Nov 26 2007, 05:01 PM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: kids, toys, jewelry, things fall apart, lead toys

• Curious George, Toxic Monkey

  I love me some Curious George. The TV show is on in my area no fewer than five times a day. I'm not kidding. And since some nameless three year old in my house has developed a passion for George!, we are subjected to his whimsical humorous antics frequently. Oh yes, I love me some George.Except, not the toxic lead-laden doll version of Curious George, no thanks. The one selling at a store near you, like Toys 'R Us. Read More... Posted Oct 12 2007, 07:38 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: recalls, Curious George, dolls, lead toys, Toys 'R Us, Center for Environmental health

• More Lead Toys are Quietly Leaving the Shelves, Unbeknownst to You and Me

  Dear Big Retailers, Hey. Some of us here have been concerned about all the lead toys being recalled. It's no fun having to dispose of Dora in the middle of the night because someone would rather beat her head against the wall repeatedly than give up her Dora. Oh wait. She did that anyway. But you know what I mean, right? So let me get right down to it. Read More... Posted Sep 20 2007, 11:25 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: toys, Target, lead toys, Limited Too, Dollar General

• Things Fall Apart: The Procession of Death Continues!

  I give up. The bloody carnage of the fallout from all the toy recalls is just too much. I'm not sure I can be persuaded to go on any longer; after all, does life have meaning any more if Curious George is involved? And while you know metal jewelry is bad news, what about if it has a poodle on it? When then, I ask you? Are poodles on the List of Evil now? I can totally believe that Sponge Bob is in on this. He has "conspiracy theory" written all over him. I never trusted that weird little dude anyway. Something about his googly eyes. Read More... Posted Aug 25 2007, 10:13 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: recall, lead, things fall apart, Curious George, Sponge Bob, thomas the tank engine, lead toys

• Got Lead? How to Tell

  Every week, a new headline: "Death in the Playroom: Zillions of Toys Recalled!" So we're all sick of it, and some of us are up in arms over it, but seriously, it's pretty clear that we ALL have lead in our homes. The question is, where is it, and is it going to be a problem for our kids? Here's a pretty comprehensive rundown on lead in kid's toys, but I'll hit the highlights for you too: Read More... Posted Aug 16 2007, 01:06 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: safety, lead, lead toys