Ah! So refreshing not having to explain what Tibet is or what their situation is–don’t misunderstand me-I inform anyone who asks “What/Where is Tibet?” but it is nice every once and a while to not have to lecture!

And here we have China, concerning the 2008 Olympics, trying to show the world how Tibet just loves the fact China took them over! Unbelievable!

I’m so glad you found us. I encourage you to join the nomoremadeinchina.com forum… it’s a great place to keep informed and ask questions…

On the toy thing. i understand. I have a 3 yr. old and 1 year old. I used to go to toy store FREQUENTLY! Gosh- in the winter it is something to do for the boys! Play dates are practically revolving around them…. But i haven’t been to Toys r us in months now… At first my 3 year old asked to go to the toy store a lot… but now he almost never asks. And I think I realized I was more addicted to buying him toys than he was!

It has become a good example for my kids to consider things before they buy them. I wasn’t raised that way… for the most part I got what i wanted. It has been amazing to even learn to take a second and pause, consider what I’m giving money too. I have spent so much less- boy is my husband loving that! Your DD will get used to it, I assure you. It’s like a habit, it just takes time. It isn’t like having 100 toys makes our childs’ life more complete anyway. There are enough out there to be “enough”.

Please keep coming back! We’ll all just have to keep supproting each other in this. For Tibet, for every citizen in China deprived of human rights, and for every tainted import.

-mz

It has been SO hard shopping this week-my DD wants a toy, she wants to look at it, touch it (mouth it if I am not looking) and here I am saying nooooo! These toys are EVERYWHERE! Tantrums galore.
I am a feng shui practioner/consultant (ancient Chinese art of home decor/etc) and I must say this recall has even shaken me up and caused a moral conflict for me. I feel pretty weird about supporting a way of life which seems to go against what it is really like in China-at least at the factories. I have to remember that feng shui was created thousands of years ago, before Communism pretty much banned it. *sigh* I already support a free Tibet so this is just more fuel for the fire.

Thank you for having such a wonderful site!

This is a summary of the HISTORY OF THE USE OF LEAD PIGMENTS IN HOUSE PAINT found at www.leadlawsuits.com. Just follow the left side column and click on that link. Keep in mind, this is a law firm site but the history they list regarding the paint is very informative. It does not give any statistics on the cases of lead poisioning for that era so I will investigate that subject more. If the information is correct, it says that exposure after 1940 was limited to people working in industries so the exposure in homes was limited to those living in homes built and painted before 1940. So if toys and cribs no longer had lead based paint by then, a child’s exposure would be limited to those who chewed on window sills or door facings. Don’t laugh, it happened, especially with those kids described as having “pica”. I had a cousin who would eat ashes and the “old folks” would say she was lacking sulphur in her system. I remember from 1st grade on always and consistently being told to keep my pencil out of my mouth to prevent lead poisoning. It was something every child learned early on, not just from teachers but more often from mothers. I wonder if any are ever told about it today? While I don’t know the percentages of lead poisoning cases among children in those days, it did definitely exist. I wonder if the percentage of lead in todays imports is greater than that exposure back then, as that could make a difference. Let’s also consider, unlike those days, our exposure today goes far beyond toys but includes all the plastic in our lives, dishes, clothes, and who knows what else. I believe the plastic contamination is being transferred to our food and drink. Maybe more of us have a lead toxicity than we even know. Maybe it has a connection to Alzheimer’s disease and we know there is an epidemic of that as well. Maybe it’s that we have a much larger population that back in the 40’s and we live in an age of instant communication so it gives the impression that these illnesses are worse. I’m inclined to think the statistics will show there is something wrong and that the evidence is there if only it can be exposed.

-mz

What they seem to be linking lead in babys 0-3 to most is mental development and reproductive function (from what i have seen so far). Often times there is lapse in time between exposure and onset symptoms. Often times people never link the 2 because of that. Not all doctors think of trying to check lead levels… My hunch is that with all these problems they will once again make regular lead tests part of well-visits with children. I know I will be getting mince checked 2 times a year.

There are reasons for a parent to wonder if this has link to add, and autism. The 1/6 ratio is just insane… it has been quite the mystery why it is happening… except it does seem to almost always be boys. Part of me wonders if there is something between the testosterone and lead mix that effects the brain. In girls it can cause infertility and I wonder if in boys it can cause these mental issues. Also the rate of boys becoming pschitzo around 18-22 is pretty significant anymore… could there be a link??? I have no clue. I hope someone is researching these things though.

-mz

i have a scary question i am almost afraid to ask. is it possible that all this lead paint could be linked to SIDS? (sudden infant death syndrome)

Thanks for you comment,
Mz