Lead and Plastics

When I became a mother, I became acutely aware of every chemical and hazardous product that entered my house. It became a sort of obsession for both my husband and me and is still a work in progress. 

We started with lead and plastics. 

I was amazed at all of the lead containing products. Plastic or vinyl blinds, for example, contain lead (yes, I know I linked to and old recall, but info about lead in blinds can also be read in the Greenpeace link below). We had five window's worth of vinyl blinds that we took down. The blinds have been replaced with roman shades. Well, mostly replaced because I still have to make roman shades for two windows.  It's been five years now and I haven't found the time even though the fabric is cut and ready. 

We also got rid of all of our Teflon coated cookware (we made exceptions for our two electric skillets), plastic cooking utensils, plastic containers, and plastic cups and bowls. If I am going to buy or use anything plastic, I make sure that it is BPA and phthalate free. It's getting much easier to find BPA free products which is nice since most baby bottles and sippy cups contain, or at least used to contain, BPA. 

Phthalates are also found in teething toys and other baby toys. We either bought wooden toys, Haba is one of our favorites, or teethers made by The First Years which specifically state they are phthalate free. I called several companies and asked about phthalates and PVC (polyvinyl chloride, also in childrens products) and Fisher Price told me that phthalates were perfectly safe and endorsed by Greenpeace. Not true. Of course now it all makes sense because Fisher Price has also been using high levels of lead in all of their products. 

And this was just the beginning...