DO NOT POISON YOUR LOVED ONES WITH LEAD THIS VALENTINE'S DAY

Recently, chocolate has been praised for its many health benefits. Unfortunately, along with its health promoting ingredients, chocolate can also be a hiding place for lead. Lead in chocolate comes from various sources such as sloppy manufacturing practices, the leaded gasoline used in farm equipment, or from fertilizers. Whatever the source of contamination, consuming lead-tainted chocolate is harmful, especially to young children. Lead has been found in a wide range of chocolate products including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, syrup, toppings, fudge puddings, and chocolate drinks. Even the label “organic” does not mean lead-free as was evident when 40,000 pounds of one brand organic chocolate products were recalled. Of course, the amounts of lead vary from product to product. Since children absorb more lead than adults, they are the most vulnerable when it comes to lead’s harmful effects. What seems like a small amount of lead adds up and accumulates in one’s system over the years. Taking into consideration that an average person consumes 12 pounds of chocolate each year and that chocolate is eaten in large amounts by children, it is very clear – there is absolutely no excuse for chocolate to contain lead!


Joanna Cerazy
http://www.nomoreleadbabies.com/

LEAD ALERT!

WARNING: REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS MAY CONTAIN LEAD

Thorton Laboratories (USA) has recently found concentrations of  LEAD in reusable shopping bags. More than half of the bags tested from approximately 25 different manufacturers had levels of lead ranging from 5 to 100 ppm.

SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?

Yes. The bags of concern have been distributed in both Canada and the US. Stop using your reusable grocery bags until you have determined they are 100% lead free. Remember, there is no safe level of lead!

HOW DO IN KNOW IF MY BAG IS SAFE?

First check where it was made. If it was made in China, the risk of it containing lead is much higher. Reusable bags with elaborate illustrations are likely to contain higher levels of lead. Yellow and green paints often contain higher levels of lead. Other bright colours should be a cause for concern and investigation as well. If in doubt, do not use your bag. Wash you hands well after handling.

CAN I CHECK FOR LEAD?

Absolutely. Use a home lead test kit and follow the instructions carefully. The LEAD-FREE STORE has the best selection of test kits available. They are inexpensive and ship in just a few days.

MY BAG CONTAINS LEAD. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Please do not throw your bag in the garbage where the lead will leach back into the earth when it reaches the landfill, or may become lead vapour if incinerated. Secure the reusable bag in an airtight plastic bag, and if possible, return it to the store where it was purchased. You are justified in a request for a refund, but the real purpose is to put the responsibility of dealing with the dangerous product back in the hands of the person who sold it you, while sending a clear message about the product safety standard you expect as a consumer.

WHERE CAN I GET A LEAD-FREE REUSABLE BAG?

Check with your retailer and ask specifically for “lead-free”.                                                     Or... here is a quick link to the LEAD-FREE STORE where you can order                       lead-free reusable grocery bags on-line.

For more information on lead, visit www.enoughlead.com .

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.

QUESTION: WHY IS THERE SO MUCH LEAD FOUND IN GARDEN SOIL?

ANSWER: LEAD found its way into the soil in and around our yards by way of a couple of routes.

The first is related to gasoline. When leaded gas was phased out, the accumulation of lead in the environment did not suddenly disappear as many wrongly assumed. Since LEAD does not dissolve or break down over time, lead particles from decades past have settled into soil and dirt.      

The exterior paint on pre-1970 homes has peeled many times and deposited lead contaminated paint chips into adjacent gardens in homeowners' yards. Power-washing has contributed enormously to garden soil lead levels as old layers of paint are blasted free from wood siding, fences, etc.

Garden products such as bone meal can add lead to soil, and nearby lead sources such as shooting ranges or sandblasting of metal structures such as bridges can send dangerous amounts of lead airborne, floating many miles before settling.

The MAY 2010 edition of the LEAD-FREE LIVING NEWSLETTER will focus exclusively on safe garden practices related to lead exposure, soil testing, and making your yard lead-safe for children. Sign-up is quick and free... JUST CLICK HERE.

For more information on lead exposure, and how heavy metals are causing our children's autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, low IQ and behaviour problems, visit www.nomoreleadbabies.com

LEAD SMART TIP --THERE IS NO PLACE FOR LEAD IN YOUR COSMETICS

Lead has been used as an ingredient in cosmetics for thousands of years. As far back as six thousand years ago, Egyptian women mixed lead and copper ore to prepare a paste they applied to their faces. Greeks and Romans slathered lead-containing concoctions all over their bodies. For similar purposes, a blend of lead and rice powder was used in China. In America, lead- containing creams, ointments and powders were legally sold well into the 20th century.

Lead is a versatile ingredient. In cosmetics, it was utilized in eye makeup products, as a whitening solution, as hair plaster, as well as face and body powder. Really, lead has had an unlimited utility in the beauty industry.

As a result, people suffered from this kind of self inflicted lead exposure for millennia.

Despite the fact that the use of lead in beauty products has since been regulated, lead still finds its way into today’s cosmetics. For example, lipstick produced by top brand cosmetic companies has been reported to contain lead. So were some progressive hair dyes, henna products, and a whole array of imported eye makeup products.

Unfortunately, the argument you will often hear is that the amount of lead contained in lipstick or other cosmetics is so small that, in fact, it cannot cause any harm. This is not entirely true. First of all, there is a mounting body of evidence that no amount of lead is safe. Second, a very tiny amount of lead might not harm you immediately, but since lead accumulates in human bodies (in bones and teeth), small amounts grow over time adding up to the past and future exposures. This is especially true for products such as cosmetics, as they are being used frequently, often multiple times each day.

Repeated ingestion of minute amounts of lead adds up in your bones and brain.
Remember: There is no place for lead in your cosmetics!

Joanna Cerazy
http://www.nomoreleadbabies.com/

Co-author Lead Babies Breaking the cycle of learning disabilities, declining IQ, behavior problems, and autism

LEAD SMART TIP -- IT'S IN WHAT YOU EAT

You can protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of lead with proper nutrition. Since lead mimics calcium, it tricks our bodies to store it as such. Some lead leaves the body via the bladder and bowels. What remains enters the blood system and ends up stored in the brain tissue and bones.

Eating right reduces the amount of lead that gets stored in the system. Some lead-smart eating guidelines include:

• eating regular healthy meals (lead is more readily absorbed on an empty stomach)


• eating foods rich in iron vitamin C, and calcium


• avoiding fatty foods


• avoiding canned foods from foreign countries

If you know of a LEAD-FREE product or retailer you think needs to be added to our LIVING A LEAD-SMART LIFE LINKS, please post it in the comments. We'll contact them and add them to the list of links and below.

Joanna Cerazy, co-author of LEAD BABIES

Kunati Inc.

LEAD BABIES RELEASED

Announcing the release of : LEAD BABIES

May 2009

LEAD BABIES exposes the epidemic of learning disabilities, ADHD and low IQ that until now has been treated as an unsolved mystery or genetically caused condition – at best, a spin of the Roulette wheel. With research confirming this is not case, LEAD BABIES ties proven science to everyday life, so that readers can grasp the reality of lead’s prevalence and the danger it poses. It then provides simple steps to follow to eliminate future lead exposure and encourages women who are planning a family to reverse the accumulations of lead already in their body, before getting pregnant.

The book was written by Joanna Cerazy M.Ed. and Sandra Cottingham Ph.D., researchers and authors with a combined 35 years experience as special education teachers. They believe it is time to make people aware of the facts about lead and the damage it is causing to developing brains. “Toys and food containing lead are a concern for all of us, but an unborn or newly born baby is at far higher risk to suffer more severe brain damage from lead.” The authors set out to empower the upcoming generation of parents to break the cycle of what Cerazy and Cottingham call, “lead babies”; those whose brains were damaged by lead early in life and now struggle in school or have compromised employment potential as adults.

Exposure to lead and the permanent neurological damage it causes comes down to two things: awareness and choice. Both are responsibilities that lie with our next generation of parents.

For more information, visit www.nomoreleadbabies.com.

Publisher: Kunati Inc (USA & Canada) 1-866-356-2442


www.kunati.com


Distribution: Independent Publishers Group (IPG)


ISBN: 978-1-60164-192-2

LEAD SMART TIP -- LEAD STILL LINGERING IN ART MATERIALS

Although lead has been removed from most art materials that are available in stores today, there is a ready supply of lead-containing materials from decades past. "Flake white' is the one to be especially wary of. If a tube of paint is described as flake white, old or new, don't assume it is lead free. Another example of a craft product that may contain lead is ready made papier mache, since it is made from shredded newspaper which may have been printed with lead-containing inks.

This week's TIP:

BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS AND RESEARCH ART MATERIALS BEFORE USE. Never eat food or snacks while working with artists' materials, and wash hands well before handling food.

Cilantro - A Very Powerful Chelator

Chelation is from the Greek word χηλή, chelè, meaning, to claw. In the case of accumulated heavy metals in the body, the goal of chelation is to create a biochemical reaction between the chelating agent and the lead, mercury, and other unwanted heavy metals for the purpose of removing them from the body.

Needless to say, chelation, both intravenous and oral, is not without its risks, or its controversy. The fact that there are pros and cons to both therapies may be the reason why so many are turning to natural methods of chelation, such as the commonly eaten herb, Cilantro.

Cilantro, or Chinese parsley as it is sometimes called is actually coriander. The leaves and stems, eaten fresh are an excellent chelating agent. In fact it is such a good chelator, it should be used with a fair amount of caution. Stirring up lead and mercury in one's system without a plan to assist with ensuring removal from the body can be harmful. Another concern is what happens after a bout of chelation related to parasites and Candida Clbicanas. It is highly advisable to rid the body of parasites and yeast first, then go after the accumulations of heavy metals. A naturopathic doctor is the best person to give advice. If you suspect you have high metal toxicity, then chelate under the supervision of a medical professional.

Pregnant women may elect to avoid cilantro to ensure safety of the unborn baby which does not have a blood brain barrier to protect it from lead and other metals made mobile by cilantro.

The best advice is to take it slow. Toxic accumulations did not happen overnight. And nor should chelation. Cilantro is a powerful herb.

If you want move info on heavy metals, what they do to us, and how to avoid them, check out "LEAD BABIES". It is a must-read for anyone thinking about starting a family, or wanting to protect the ones they care about.

Visit: www.nomoreleadbabies.com