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lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 12th 03, 12:46 AM
andrea baker
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Default 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

  #3  
Old December 14th 03, 05:53 AM
Name_Suppressed
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Default 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


  #4  
Old December 15th 03, 05:17 PM
Christopher Biow
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Default lead hazard in apparently all Christmas lights

(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.


If enough consumers have such a reaction, the manufacturers may be
motivated to replace the lead in the wiring, resulting in an alloy that is
more prone to cracks. So instead of an essentially nonexistent toxic risk
(per CPSC http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/living/7484872.htm) that
in any case could be eliminated by hand-washing, we may get an increase in
fire risk. The net result of the decision to require warning labels could
well be an overall result of some lost lives.

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:

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.


The point is not the existence of a hazard, but its magnitude! Without
knowing something about the magnitude of this risk, relative to other risks
that we commonly choose to accept, we can't make any rational decision. "No
risk" is simply not an option. A meteor strike could happen without any
notice! And in avoiding risks, we often create others.

--
Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid
prolonged exposure to Happy Fun Ball. Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly
accelerate to dangerous speeds. If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away
immediately. Seek shelter and cover head. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
Sat. Nite Live

  #5  
Old December 16th 03, 03:45 PM
Robyn Kozierok
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Default 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

  #6  
Old December 16th 03, 08:34 PM
Splanche
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Default 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!)

  #7  
Old December 16th 03, 09:54 PM
Scott
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Default 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  
Old December 18th 03, 07:28 PM
Robyn Kozierok
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Default 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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