FLUORIDE INCREASES LEAD ABSORPTION

A new study published in the February issue of "Toxicology" (Sawan, et al., 2010) confirms earlier research that fluoride added to public water supplies increases the amount of lead absorbed in bones, teeth and blood. Low level lead exposure is especially dangerous to children, as it affects their developing neurological systems increasing the risk of developing learning disabilities, ADHD, behaviour problems, lowered IQ and autism.


The reasoning behind adding fluoride to water is that it prevents tooth decay. The use of fluoride in public water supplies is riddled with controversy as some believe that it causes various health problems and increased child mortality. Over ninety international organizations, including "the big players" such as the World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, approve the use of fluoride as an additive in public water supplies. Almost 70% of American population and 45% of Canadians drink fluoridated water daily.


How does fluoridation of your drinking water increase the lead levels? In at least two ways. Firstly, the additive used to fluoridate your water is an industrial grade chemical (hydrofluosilicic acid) that is recovered from wet scrubbers during the production of a phosphate fertilizer and it is usually contaminated with lead. Secondly, this very same chemical increases serum lead levels which in turn boosts the amount of lead stored in the brain, bones and teeth.


What can you do to protect your family from this completely preventable lead exposure? In the long run, you can petition your local legislation to stop water fluoridation with hydrofluosilicic acid. In the meantime, make sure that you use an appropriate water filtration system in your home. If you would like to find out if there is lead in your water, there are a few possibilities: there may be a free water testing program in the municipality or county where you live, your local water supplier might be able to do the testing, or you can hire a provincially- or state- certified laboratory. Alternatively, water testing can be done using a home test kit.

And remember: the safest amount of lead is no lead at all!



Joanna Cerazy

co-author Lead Babies

Looking for healthy snacks for your kids? Make sure they do not contain artificial food colorings.

Lead is an ingredient in many artificial food colorings. An artificial food coloring is added to a food or other product in order to make it more appealing, to disguise natural color variations, or to offset color loss due to sun exposure, humidity, etc. Compared to natural colorings, artificial ones are less expensive, so they are a preferred choice of many manufacturers. Artificial food colorings add neither taste nor nutritional value to food and since they are made from coal tar and petrochemicals, our bodies are unable to digest them.

Food colorings have been linked to a number of different health conditions such as anxiety, cancer, brain tumours, allergies, migraines, blurred vision and asthma. Even though the jury is still out on the question if food colorings cause behaviour problems, by now, it has been well-researched and documented that lead plays a causal role in the development of behaviour problems, ADHD, hyperactivity, as well as learning disabilities and reduced IQ. It is true that the amount of lead contained in these artificial colorings meets the guidelines of the US Food and Drug Administration, but it is also true that not all lead gets excreted once consumed. Some of the ingested lead accumulates in the human body. So what is a minute amount at a single dose, becomes a dangerous amount as an over-the-years build up in the brain, teeth, bones and soft tissue.

Artificial food colorings are abundant in most of our foods and personal care products. They are present in drinks, (including juices, sports and re-hydration beverages). They are an added ingredient in candy, cereals, oranges and syrups. They lurk in jams, cake and soup mixes, and condiments. They are found in fruit cocktail, meal replacement bars and powders, instant noodles, bakery products and icing. They are an ingredient in popular snack foods, even the ones marketed as "healthy." Colorings are used in the preparation of cheese, sausage and salmon. They are an ingredient in pet food. Artificial colorings find their way into personal care products such as face and hand cream, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste and chapstick. These colorings also hide in medication, including children’s remedies and vitamins.

Artificial colorings, and the lead contained in them, should and can be avoided. It only requires that we start paying attention to what is listed on food labels. If an item contains artificial colors DON'T buy it. Initially, it might present itself as a little challenge, but since we, humans, are creatures of habit, and we tend to buy the same products repeatedly, with time, this task will become just someting you do.

For more information on artificial food coloring visit the US Food and Drug Administration website. It offers a wealth of official government information about the various approved colorings and their content (including lead, mercury, arsenic, etc). In order to access the detailed information on each additive, scroll down the page, and click on the number in the 21 CFR Section.

Joanna Cerazy
Co-author Lead Babies: How heavy metals cause our children’s autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, low IQ and behaviour problems.

LEAD in PURSES and other ACCESSORIES

Oh, women's purses...
Our loyal companions. Wherever we go – they go. We carry them with us most of the time. We clutch to them. We touch them constantly. They contain our precious belongings and it is certainly not unusual that we store our kids’ toys, pacifiers and snacks in them. Their straps share our shoulders with our babies. And as children put almost anything in their mouths, it is certainly not unheard of that we catch our offspring chewing on our purses, wallets and belts. And let’s not forget that these colorful, cool-looking bags are also being lugged along by our teenage daughters who are most probably proud owners of at least a dozen of various purses, wallets, belts and the like.

When the Center for Environmental Health recently tested a large number of vinyl (faux leather) bags and wallets sold by retailers such as Sears, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Target, they found that the lead content in these items was up to ninety times that of what is permitted by federal standards. Recent testing carried out by the Center for Environmental Health, has shown that by simply touching a lead-containing purse an illegal lead level can be reached.

Lead affects almost every organ and system in the human body. Its harmful effects are not limited to a single age group. It hurts unborn children, new born babies, toddlers, pregnant women, and men. Exposure to lead has been shown to lower intelligence, cause behaviour problems, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, delayed puberty, fertility problems in women and men, cancer, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, kidney problems, anemia, and cavities.

The good news is that even though we have no immediate control over what materials are being put in our shoes, belts, purses, and wallets there are a lot of things we can do to avoid exposure to lead. For example, buying products that are made from natural materials such as fabric is a good start. If you already own faux leather accessories it is easy to check if they are lead free. This can be done inexpensively, at home using a lead test kit. If the result of your testing shows that lead is present, stop using these items immediately. You might be able to take them back to where they were purchased for refund. Do not underestimate your power as a consumer - ask for products that are lead free.

Lately, a number of companies (list below) pledged that they will stop selling accessories that contain excessive amounts of lead. While this is a move in the right direction, the reasons to celebrate are limited. Instead of completely removing the lead-containing merchandise from their shelves, the involved companies agreed that starting December 01, 2010, their accessory products such as purses, belts and shoes will contain no more than 600 parts per million of lead if they are made of leather, 300 parts per million for those made of vinyl, and no more than 90 parts per million of lead in paint. Accordingly, the retailers are given over six months to get rid of their lead-laden products and instead of removing lead completely, they will merely limit its amount. Also keep in mind, that these standards have only been accepted by bigger companies and are by no means all-inclusive.

Companies that have agreed to comply with the new standards by December 1, 2010:
Acme Accessories
AIJJ (Rainbow, 5-7-9 stores)
Aldo
American Eagle
Bag Bazaar
Camuto Consulting (Vince Camuto brand)
Coldwater Creek
Diesel usa
DSW Shoe Warehouse
eBags
Express
Fantasia Accessories
Forever 21
Fossil
Guess
Haddad Accessories (says will meet the standard by September 01, 2010)
H&M (already in compliance)
JC Penney
Jones Apparel (Nine West)
Kohl's
Limited
Liz Claiborne (Juicy Couture, Kate Spade)
Macy's/Bloomingdales
Mango NY
Metropark USA
Michael Kohrs
Mondani
New York & Company (Lerner NY) (says will meet the standard by September 01, 2010)
Pacific Worldwide
Phillips-Van Heusen/Calvin Klein
Ray Enterprises (Hobo Intl)
Rosetti
Saks Inc
San Diego Hat
Sanrio (Hello Kitty)
Sears/Kmart
Steve Madden
Target
The Dress Barn
TJX Co (TJ Maxx)
Urban Brands/Ashley Stewart
Tri-Coastal Designs (says will meet the standard by September 01, 2010)
Victoria Secret/Bath & Body Works
Viewmark USA

Joanna Cerazy
"LEAD BABIES How heavy metals are causing our children's autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, low IQ and behavior problems"

LEAD FOUND in BABY FOODS and JUICES

On June 9, 2010 the Environmental Law Foundation, a non-profit organization from Oakland, California filed a Notice of Violation of California Proposition 65 alleging that lead was present in a variety of children’s and baby food. More specifically, lead was reported to be contained in apple and grape juices, packaged pears and peaches (including baby food), as well as various fruit cocktails.
Environmental Law Foundation purchased a large number of samples of assorted brands of juices and fruit products around California and tested them in an EPA-sponsored lab. The results showed that many individual servings of these products, contained lead levels that are above the federal daily limit established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Lead is very a potent toxin that has to be avoided at all cost. Babies and small children are especially sensitive to lead’s harm. Lead-containing baby food and juice can provide significant exposure sources of this dangerous metal. It has been established by various scientific communities that the lead effects such as learning disabilities, ADHD, lowered IQ, mental retardation, behavior problems, criminal activity, autism, cerebral palsy, and birth defects can be caused by lead exposure and it is now common knowledge that levels below what is considered toxic contribute to behavioral and learning problems.
It is hard to say with any certainty how the lead got into these foods but since it does not dissolve over time, once released, lead stays in the environment. It can be taken up by plants from the soil or it can be deposited on plants and fruits as airborne particles. It can also end up in these products as a contaminant from the processing process.

Some brands and products reported to have exceeding amounts of lead include:
Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice
Chef's Review Fruit Cocktail
Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail
Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup
Earth's Best Organics Apple Juice
Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose
First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate
Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices
Gerber 100% Juice - White Grape Juice
Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)
Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice
Hansen's Natural Apple Juice
Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice
Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice
Langers Grape Juice (Concord)
Libby's Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
Libby's Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup
Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)
Minute Maid Juice Apple - 100% Apple Juice
Motts 100% Apple Juice
Mrs. Brown's Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grapes)
O Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate
Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice
Parade 100% Juice Apple
Polar Mixed Fruit
R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice
S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice
Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider
Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice
Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice
Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice
Trader Joe's Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized
Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider
Truitt Brothers Pacific NorthWest Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear juice
Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate
Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape
Welch's 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate
A complete list of all products and other details pertaining to this case can be found at the Environmental Law Foundation’s website at http://www.envirolaw.org/
Joanna Cerazy
co-author Lead Babies