Howdy Folks!
I know I usually use this blog to update people on how we are doing, so I want to begin by saying that we are doing fine. Joe and I started teaching again at Kestrel after Winter Break and Nayeli is back in the care of our nanny, Kristina, for half the day.
I did want to update people as to Nayeli's health status. As you might or might not know, Nayeli was found to have high levels of lead in her system, 14 micrograms to be exact, after having blood drawn at the beginning of December. Because of this I've been a one-woman research team bent on knowing as much possible about this serious situation. The national average of lead in a person's body is 1 microgram and the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control and Prevention state that any lead level over 10 micrograms is very serious. From the research I've read on numerous websites, any level of lead is dangerous in the human body. It only takes 2 micrograms of lead to increase your risk by 89% of heart disease, heart attack, as well as increase your risk of death by stroke! Blood lead levels below 10 micrograms have been reported to be associated with lower IQ and behavior problems such as aggression, in proportion with blood lead levels. Between the blood lead levels of 5 and 35 microgram, an IQ decrease of 2–4 points for each microgram increase is reported in children. Lead in the human body is no joke!
The reason I am writing about this is because we live in Arizona, in a condo that was built after 1978, the year in which lead-based paint was banned, and well after the switch from lead water pipes to other piping material. That leaves only 4 places from where this exposure can be coming from: Nayeli's toys, our dishes and cups, the ammunition for Joe's guns, or the soil around our condo complex. I'm in the process of receiving test kits from the ONLY social worker in Arizona employed to follow, educate, and help the 300 children in this state with lead levels over 10 micrograms. In a week we will hopefully know the exact source of the lead contamination and I will keep you all updated. Just so you know, it only takes a few exposures to high levels of lead to raise your level over 10 micrograms, but it takes over 1 year to clear your body of it, once you are removed from the source of contamination.
The reason for the title of this entry is because amongst all the research I've done, I've come to notice that almost everything in our house comes from another country, overwhelmingly from China. All of Nayeli's toys , with the exception of one book (which is from Taiwan), and many of her clothes & shoes are from China. Knowing that the lead could be coming from a toy led me to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website (www.cpsc.gov) which lists all toy recalls for various violations, including lead-based paint violations, from 1973 to present. Since July 5, 2001 there have been easily over 200 KNOWN products that have been imported to the USA and manufactured mainly in China--anything from furniture to make-up to school supplies to clothes, but mainly children's toys, that have been recalled for lead-based paint violations. Why does the US ban the manufacture and distribution of lead-based products on its own soil, but then opens its trade doors wide open to flagrant and frequent violators of the laws put in place to protect our children's (and our) health? Only one reason--economics and capitalism, as in the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar at the expense and detriment of others.
I am not completely guiltless in this situation. I am just as guilty as the CEOs of those greedy corporations who outsource jobs and companies to China, in that I am always searching for rock bottom prices. I'm always in the pursuit of stretching that all-mighty dollar, knowingly purchasing items from other countries because it's cheaper and ignoring /denying the effect it has on my family, our health, the health of the Chinese workers, the environment, the global economy, etc. After all, times are tight and we have to look out for ourselves...right? As it turns out, you can only deny things for so long before it catches up with you, and in this case through the health of the most important thing in my world...my daughter.
So I just want everyone out there who took time to read this lengthy blog entry, that you don't just have to live in the Midwest or east to be aware and sensitive to the dangers of lead-based paint. I hate to sound like Fox News, but it can happen to any family, anywhere. Just beware of buying things on the cheap--they are cheap for a reason. After all, you get what you pay for.
Cara Promosi Online Terbaik
10 years ago
2 comments:
It's unfortunate that this is such an issue, not only for Baby, but for many many children all over the U.S. From my experience it tends to affect the lower socio-economic classes the most because, as you said, the necessity to stretch the limited income... so that means buying at places that gives you more bang for your buck (i.e., Walmart, and many other discount stores.) And we, the consumers fuel this. I am so sorry to hear about Nayeli (I'm sure that this is the first time I'm hearing about her health status... why didn't you tell me before?!@#$% ;) The mitigating circumstances are that she continues to receive a high level of psychological and physical stimulation, eats very healthfully, and has parents that love her unconditionally. So while it may take 1 year to clean out her system, she is very resilient. Love you all, Claudia.
That is terrible. But as Claudia said, Nayeli`s environment will probably offset any detrimental effects. It is strange, I feel so much safer about these things living in Panama. The food we eat is all grown and sold locally (within 8 hours driving distance)and being a smaller country, I feel like there is less room for oversight. Dont get me wrong, most of Sienna`s toys are made in China and I am pretty sure that the paint peeling off of our kitchen has lead in it but so far her levels have been un-noteworthy. I sometimes feel like in the US that we have so many fake laws. People assume they are protected because that is just the way it is. No one actually knows how it works, who controls what and who works for who. I guess it seems strange to others but I actually feel safer here because I feel like it is simply more honest. (The ex-presidental money laundering situation aside).
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