Baby bib recall
-
- May
- 2
If your baby is wearing a bib that was purchased at Wal-Mart, you might want to take note of this:
Vinyl baby bibs sold at Wal-Mart, including the chain’s stores in New York, have been found to contain lead that could be dangerous if they deteriorate and children swallow pieces of the vinyl.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning today telling parents to stop using bibs that are cracked or peeling. The agency said that “none of the bibs that were tested at CPSC’s laboratory would pose a risk of substantial illness to children from mouthing. However, if the condition of a vinyl bib deteriorates to the point that a baby could pull or bite off and swallow a piece of vinyl containing lead, then the amounts of lead consumed could approach levels of concern.”
The agency said it tested the bibs based in part on information provided by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office.
The bibs in question were sold under the name “Baby Connection” and come in packages of two or seven. Some of the bibs have Sesame Street characters.
According to Cuomo’s office, the highest levels of lead were found in bibs with a tag sewn into the lining that have these numbers: 1468102732, 14681527 and 1468151077.
Wal-Mart has agreed to stop selling the bibs in New York, Illinois and California, according to Cuomo’s office.
More information at: http://health.lohudblogs.com.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 4:12 pm by Gayle T. Williams.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: 
| 
Print
| 
Email
lead does a body good. It did bring down an empire ya know.
(Roman)
Steve:
Having had two children that were accidently lead poisoned by exposure to lead dust, I find your comments to be in poor taste. Think before you joke—up to 1 in 5 kids nationwide is in some way lead-affected. It is a problem that affects kids mainly in the poorer areas of our society, but I live in a wealthy section of Connecticut.
I was being sarcastic and critical of the fact that lead was even used. hence the decline of the roman empire comment.
I am sorry for the incident you had to go through, but for me to have known that is ludicrous. Take the comment for which it was aimed.
I am glad u r wealthy, I am not. And your comment about poor kids being affected by lead poisoning is in far more poor taste than mine. Anyone can get lead posoning from any source. Do you realize that in NY and the Boroughs most of the water pipes were and maybe still are lead?
so maybe you should think before you post.
on that. lets move on ..
How can that comment be in poor taste? It is a social justice issue-
poor kids are at a MUCH HIGHER risk for lead exposure because of government negligence and landlords who don’t care. Your reasoning is ludicrous-and this is demonstrated by your renewed attack veiled in a thin veneer of apology.This is where you are mistaken. lead in paint or pipes has to do with the age of the housing. you can be in the best part of brooklyn or upstate. but in the early days of paint and piping lead was used. end of story.
and i was quite sincere in my concern over your children.
which has nothing to do with your unwarranted attack on me or the fact you needed to say that you lived in such a rich and propserous town. people would think i was rich because of the town i live in but i am not, plus i am in an old house and i wouldnt doubt that i may have some lead still lingering somewhere.
so as i stated before. just end it. This is nonsense that will just go in circles. Lead is a concern for everyone and the fact it is being misused in sundries is a concern for all.
Being a mother of 4 and looking for the internet for help in regards to the bib recall. I am at my computer worring that my baby has been wearing lead bibs for the last 3 months. Your posts were of no help to the public…
Cpsc(sic?) has a governament list serv
when i get home tonight i’ll get you the subscribership.
i get emails everyday on recalls.
ok. i went hunting and found it for you ..
list serv signup.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp
main government recall page.
http://www.cpsc.gov/
ii really am a nice guy. just ask anyone ;-]
hope these help..
one last post of infromation. here’s the actual CPSC recall notice..
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml07/07175.html
Steve:
I tried to repost a few minutes later (with an apology) but I guess the site thought I was spamming and wouldn’t put it up. I apologize; it’s just hard not to have a knee jerk reaction when every two months you have to hear your 17 month old scream as they dig for a vein trying to get a blood draw to see where her lead level is! I accept your original apology, and hope you understand why your comments fired me up. As for my mentioning my neighborhood, I only did so to show that lead is a very widespread problem—and none of our kids are safe, regardless of the quality of the neighborhood in which they live.
Regarding your children, Katherine, if you are worried, have them tested, then you’ll know. I think EVERY child should be screened regardless of where they live. Two things to be aware of:
Lead was not officially banned from paints until 1977, so anyone living in a house built prior to then has no guarantee of safety. Paint chips are not the primary culprit; dust from the windows, doors, and exterior surfaces is the usual culprit. Lead solder in plumbing is also a problem.
Second, many products manufactured in China are not regulated as well as they should be. Dollar store items (toys, etc.) are the primary culprit, but as this bib situation shows, the problem is truly widespread—and still growing.
CPSC signup page:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp
main page:
http://www.cpsc.gov/
I really am a nice guy just ask anyone. ;-]
Eddie S: apology accepted. I learned many years ago emails and electronic words never translate well and people here a voice in their head and the intended inflection isnt there. —consider it water under the bridge.
gayle. i have made 2 posts which are asking for moderation.
ggrrr… until gayle or someone releases my other posts with the listserv infor this is inportant..
Eddie S: apology accepted. I learned many years ago emails and electronic words never translate well and people here a voice in their head and the intended inflection isnt there. —consider it water under the bridge.
AAaaahhhh…This angers me so much. My husband and I have done so much to make our house as lead free as possible (siding, replacement windows, had water tested and such) and to think that I could be poisioning my baby with a lousy walmart bib. I am outraged!!! How could this be happening in 2007 and who is at fault!
Anyway, my question is…I know lead leaches. I am wondering if when I washed these bibs with the babys laundry could lead have leached into her bedding and other items.
if it did the amount would be too miniscule to cause harm.
This is what I don’t understand: Why is ANYone making ANYthing for children that has lead in it anymore?
I was just looking to find out how to get my one year little girl tested? Do I just go to the doctor and ask them? I have been using those bibs for about a year now. Is there a way to check the other bibs that I have, that she uses? I know that I could get a lead test but I don’t know where to find one. Does anyone know where I can find a lead test. I have checked lowes and they told me that they do not carry them and they didn’t know who does.
I am the grandmother who tested the bibs my grandson was wearing, found lead registering on them, and sent them to the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland Ca and this non-profit environmental group immediately and aggressively pursued this newly discovered source of lead contamination to our babies.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission states that only old and cracked bibs are dangerous. Consider that the mouth pH environment is slightly acidic, and babies vigorously sucking on these bibs day after day would hasten the leaching out of this lead in this acid environment. Is there an “err on the side of safety” mentality to this CPSC statement? No. I would cast a wary eye upon their proclamations of “it’s safe”, not only for the bibs, but other cases of misinformation and misleading statements they have provided that have amounted to risking children’s health.
There is much to be said about this embarrassment to our government—”Lead in baby bibs, how could this happen?” but in summary I suggest the following practical suggestions for the readers of your website:
l. Test for your child for lead. It is a simple finger or toe prick. Lead accumulates in the body. It can be removed but only if you know it is there. Call your MD today and ask if a lead test for your child has been performed. If not, schedule one. Even babies and toddlers should be tested.
2. Call, write, email, or forward a web site (type in “baby bibs and lead�) to your contacts, especially to new parents in the U.S and outside of it. If leaded bibs are being sold in the U.S they are probably going to other countries as well. If your area of the country has not received coverage on this issue, call, write, or go to your local newspaper armed with the information you have learned and ask them to do a story on this newly discovered real danger to babies. This would be a great public service they, and you, would perform.
3. Either home test soft vinyl plastic baby items or throw them out. Lead is an invisible poison. There are no sharp points, no small parts to choke on for parents to see and be careful about. It is an “Invisible Destroyer� because it destroys the potential all babies are inherently born with. Intellectual, behavioral, and physical impairment are “Lead’s Legacy“. Constant vigilance is imperative.
4.. Hardware stores sell simple-to-use kits (Lead Check by Homax or Pace’s Lead Alert) that test for the presence of lead in your soft plastic baby items. After home testing, should you find lead in any baby or child item, notify The Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, CA (www.cehca.org) at 510-594-9864 or 800-652-0827. They want to know about it. Access that website for great informational material about lead, how to test for it, and what products (pictures of everything) you should avoid. Just keeping clicking around everything, even the press releases.
Even though American-made baby/child products are hard to find on our store shelves, keep store-hopping and you’ll eventually stumble across total American-made. Avoid baby/child items made in China, no matter what store they’re in. (Unless you home test them). The few extra dollars involved are well worth your baby’s health.
I now routinely test every new plastic item my grandson, Jensen, receives. I trust nothing and neither should you. The “window” of setting down new brain cell growth is in the first six months of life after birth. These brain cells will be damaged by lead. The risk is too great by exposing infants to any soft plastics made in China.
In 2005, when I tested my granddaughters five plastic lunchboxes, three of them showed positive for high lead content. That’s 60%! They were all purchased from leading nationwide popular medium-priced retailers, not from Wal Mart., so this is clearly not just a Wal Mart issue. It’s out there in any store and we have to be aware of it.
We have to feel sorry for the Chinese people for they are suffer greatly from the chemical pollution from their factories but we can’t fix their problems. We can only hope to fix ours. Marilyn Furer
Great story. These bibs were made in China and there have been a lot of problems with products coming from China including poisoned/contaminated toothpaste, mouthwash. However, what really surprised me is that when I bought boxes of Juicy Juice from Target for my toddler that it said “Product of China” on the clear plastic wrap in very small print. I started to look more closely at labels and I also found that a bottle of Mott’s apple juice also had product of China on the bottle. Chinese people living in the U.S. don’t like eating or drinking stuff from China. Take it from me – I’m Chinese and most of my Chinese friends say the same thing.
This vinyl bib thing has got me in a panic. I have 28 month old twins and a 14 month old, and we are were bibs 24/7. Are all brands with vinyl backs dangerous? I found what I thought was the perfect bib for my boys – “Kids 2 Grow” by Danara International, located in North Bergen, NJ, but the bottom of the tag reads “Made In China”. Has anyone heard of lead danger with this brand? Should I be concerned?
Lorraine-it looks like the bib you are asking about may be among the dangerous bibs. I would check the following web site because it has some pictures of bibs. It looks like the packaging says “2” even though the word “to” is spelled out. This is the Center for Environmental Health,CA, web site and their general site is www.cehca.org. They have a lot of helpful information about children and lead and home lead testing of items if you access that site. (Please see my comments in my earlier submission).
If your children have been exposed to these lead based bibs, please get them tested right away and throw those bibs out.
Knowing what we know now about the influx of poisonous items from China, and not knowing how many years we have been subjected to this contamination from varied sources of soft plastic, we all should be routinely tested for lead with this simple finger-prick test. If you have any questions you can call me at 847-593-1099.
Subject: CEH WHOLE REPORT BY Caroline Cox
8 page special report on bibs and lead
http://www.cehca.org/documents/bibsreportApr25.pdf
You know it is rediculous that people waste our time fighting back and fourth when we are worried about our babies with lead poision. If you GUYS can’t be adults then don’t waste your time on these sites! They are for people who worry about the recall!!!
Stephanie,
That little argument you read, was from May. They apologized to each other. Your two cents added no value what-so-ever.
Marilyn, thank you for all of the information you’ve provided. Not only did you provide websites but you went so far as to provide phone numbers. Awesome!
Lorraine,
I know that your post was almost two months ago, and you have probably already stopped using your bibs, but I saw this article that specifically mentions the brand Kids to Grow.
http://www.cehca.org/documents/bibsreportApr25.pdf
Lorraine, All,
The article that I posted was just updated and includes a bunch of bibs from babies and toys r us. These are the bibs that I have been using since my 3 1/2 year old was born and recently purchased more for our younger child. I only found out yesterday that there was a problem with the vinyl bibs, but as soon as I got home from work I threw all of them away, and any other bib that I had that was made in China.
http://www.cehca.org/bibs-August%2014%20update.pdf
In light of the recall on vinyl bibs, parents are left wondering what safe waterproof bibs are available.
Bumkins manufacturers our waterproof bibs using 100% polyester – not vinyl. Vinyl is cheaper and more readily available, but as we have always know, PVC’s are dangerous for babies, even at what is considered ‘acceptableâ€? levels. For more info, see: http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/about.htm
Our waterproof products – Superbibs®, aprons, smocks, cloth diapers and covers, are all PVC, vinyl and phthalate free…and MADE IN THE USA. The production of every fabric , even cotton, causes environmental concerns, and it is difficult to state that anything is completely chemical free or made with minimal environmental impact – but we do try to chose the best of all options.
Our recommendation is to look for products at specialty stores like The Right Start, One Step Ahead and BabyCenter.com. Larger retailers had previously felt that American consumers would not pay the extra dollar for a commodity product (like a bib), but they are now rethinking their options. Parents do have the power to let their retailers know that price is not the only thing that matters!
If you want a great bib that is 100% safe and USA made, try a Big Bellies bib. We’ve been using them for a year, and we haven’t looked back. They’re cotton with a waterproof backing that is lead-free. You can order them online at www.big-bellies.com. They last forever, come in a variety of designs, and they don’t get those permanent folds/bends that we experienced from other bibs.
It’s a mom-owned business too, and they’ve been around for 17 years.