Responding to Consumers Union

Posted by Valerie on April 2, 2009

I’m happy to see that Consumer Reports published my comment to Businesses rally against CPSIA

Here’s my comment.

You write,
“Some who spoke at today’s rally, including Toy Industry Association President Carter Keithley, claimed that there are no health impacts from lead in toys.”
and
“…it’s not okay when industry challenges the effects of lead on children’s health.  It is absurd and flies in the face of good science.”

If you want to prove that a statement is false, you must address it, and you have not done so. Yes, lead is a hazardous neurotoxin, but this does not prove that current model toys are having any measurable impact on children’s blood lead levels.

Only a relevant response will do. Please cite studies showing the effect of current model toys on children’s blood lead levels. Please also list published case histories of particular children whose elevated blood lead levels were traced to current model toys.

Also, please correct your characterization of the American Academy of Pediatrics on lead. What the AAP has actually said is that no safe level has been defined for lead. This means is that we don’t know the safe level; it doesn’t mean that no safe level exists. (You’d have a hard time finding a college of physicians who would agree to the latter absurdity.)