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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
Hi folks,
For those of you who were around in misc.kids back before misc.kids.moderated was formed, I had posted a few times about commercialism at Christmas. This post is not about that, but I would like to do a little prefacing here for anyone who might wonder why I, of all people (given my prior postings), was going to be buying Christmas tree lights grin. Through the years, as I've aged and become more moderate (as seems to happen to many people; I no longer have all the answers as I did a decade ago ;-)) I've become less adamant regarding no commercialism of Christmas, and this year, for the first year ever, I got a tree. I went to Shopko to get some Christmas lights, but every single package had a lead warning on it, telling people that the lights contained lead, and that one should wash one's hands after putting them up. Needless to say, I went without. I started thinking about whether the lights we used when I was a kid also had lead, and eventually decided that the only reasonable conclusion is that in the bad old days, the lights also had lead, but just weren't labeled. So when you go to put up those lights, think twice! Lead can be absorbed through the skin. If you can have lead absorbed through your skin handling the lights when putting them up, it seems to me that if children touch the lights, they are also being exposed to a potential hazard. -Andrea Baker |
#2
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
In article ,
(andrea baker) wrote: I went to Shopko to get some Christmas lights, but every single package had a lead warning on it, telling people that the lights contained lead, and that one should wash one's hands after putting them up. Needless to say, I went without. At least the strings of lights are a seasonal use with two major contact times: put-up & take-down. I gather from a parents of kids with disabilities list that the same warning is now appearing on flexible power cords of many small appliances including kitchen counter top items. Tom -- Tom Farley Spontaneous Combustion Storytellers Sleepwetting Forum - http://www.spont.com/sleepwetting.html EnuresisKids [moderated] and EnuresisParents e-mail lists one of the moderators for the newsgroup news:misc.kids.moderated |
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
Most 'cheap' plastic items are made of PVC and have some amount of lead.
The lead comes from the plasticizer used in the PVC. Items like power cords, inflatable beach balls, garden hoses, to name a few common items, all have some amount of lead. A while back there were several reports on the dangers of drinking water from garden hoses; some of the lead leaches in to the water. Better PVC formulations have little or no plasticizer. If the item has strong 'plastic' smell it is probably made of the cheaper PVC formulation and hence, higher lead content -Ken "Tom Farley" wrote in message news In article , (andrea baker) wrote: I went to Shopko to get some Christmas lights, but every single package had a lead warning on it, telling people that the lights contained lead, and that one should wash one's hands after putting them up. Needless to say, I went without. At least the strings of lights are a seasonal use with two major contact times: put-up & take-down. I gather from a parents of kids with disabilities list that the same warning is now appearing on flexible power cords of many small appliances including kitchen counter top items. Tom -- Tom Farley Spontaneous Combustion Storytellers Sleepwetting Forum - http://www.spont.com/sleepwetting.html EnuresisKids [moderated] and EnuresisParents e-mail lists one of the moderators for the newsgroup news:misc.kids.moderated |
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
In article ,
Christopher Biow wrote: Manufacturers tend to resist such warning labels for exactly this reason. When theoretical risks are publicizeed in such absolute terms, too many consumers--most particularly parents considering their childrens' safety--react as if there were some "perfectly safe" option to simply avoid all risk. Well, in this case, I think Andrea's decision *does* avoid all risk, to her family, from Xmas lights. She simply chooses not to bring that risk into her home. Of course, if I understand correctly, she may already unknowingly have many other electrical cords in her home that contain lead, some of which she probably handles much more often than she would handle the lights. Chris, I agree with you about assessing magnitude of risk, and about unwise trade-offs that may occur due to ignorance, but in some cases you can avoid all risk *from a particular hazard* if you make it your priority. --Robyn |
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
Well, in this case, I think Andrea's decision *does* avoid all risk,
to her family, from Xmas lights. She simply chooses not to bring that risk into her home. Of course, if I understand correctly, she may already unknowingly have many other electrical cords in her home that contain lead, some of which she probably handles much more often than she would handle the lights. Chris, I agree with you about assessing magnitude of risk, and about unwise trade-offs that may occur due to ignorance, but in some cases you can avoid all risk *from a particular hazard* if you make it your priority. --Robyn The amount of lead in Christmas lights is probably the same or less than the amount in a computer keyboard or a joystick.... so I guess we should all wash our hands right now!!! (and get those fingers out of your mouth!) |
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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights
Splanche wrote:
The amount of lead in Christmas lights is probably the same or less than the amount in a computer keyboard or a joystick.... so I guess we should all wash our hands right now!!! (and get those fingers out of your mouth!) Everyone should be washing their hands a lot anyway, to avoid the 'flu (Which has entered the neighborhood) Scott DD 10.5 & DS 7.8 at 43N 89.5W |
#8
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Handwashing and illness
In article ,
Scott wrote: Everyone should be washing their hands a lot anyway, to avoid the 'flu (Which has entered the neighborhood) This really seems to work. Our school has taken up a strong handwashing policy this year, and so far it seems to be working really well. The kids have to wash their hands upon arrival at school, before snack and lunch, after using the bathroom, and after sneezing or wiping their noses. It's a *lot* of handwashing (they have sinks in the room) but the kids have so far been much healthier, and things that hit one kid don't seem to "go around" like they used to. There is currently *one* child in their group of 30 out with the flu. --Robyn |
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Handwashing and illness
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#10
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Handwashing and illness
"chiam margalit" wrote in message om... (Robyn Kozierok) wrote in message ... In article , Scott wrote: Everyone should be washing their hands a lot anyway, to avoid the 'flu (Which has entered the neighborhood) This really seems to work. Our school has taken up a strong handwashing policy this year, and so far it seems to be working really well. The kids have to wash their hands upon arrival at school, before snack and lunch, after using the bathroom, and after sneezing or wiping their noses. It's a *lot* of handwashing (they have sinks in the room) but the kids have so far been much healthier, and things that hit one kid don't seem to "go around" like they used to. There is currently *one* child in their group of 30 out with the flu. How does the school handle kids with excema who can't wash their hands that often? Or kids with allergies to soap products? Marjorie I've been using the waterless gel stuff after sneezing this past few weeks, and so far, my hands are holding up to it well-I can't use soap too often because my skin WILL react, and there's no sink in my classroom at school anyway. So maybe that would be an option. |
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