Re: Testing toys for poison

On Aug 15, 2:39 pm, Frank <frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet> wrote:
number6 wrote:
On Aug 15, 11:41 am, cho...@xxxxxxxxx (Rusty Oxhide) wrote:
I want to buy some toys made in China for "Toys for Tots" holiday season
US Marine charity drive. I am retired, low-income with some science
background, but not a chemist. How do I test the toys for poisonous
chemicals including lead?

You can't do it cheaply ... and in todays world ... you do need
assurances ... people are crazy ... the recent newsreports illustrate
this ... I'm amazed at the panic and outrage ...
But, if you are over 40 ... you and you peers played with plenty of
toys ... with all sorts of pigments ... containing lead ...
cadmium ... chromium ... cyanide ...

and

I doubt any of your playmates suffered any ill effects ... maybe the
problem is greatly overblown ... maybe that generation is just
tougher ... or smart enough not to eat the paint ...

Take the amount of paint on any of these recalled toys ... count how
much lead is in it that paint ... figure out how much of that lead
would be assimilated even if all of it were eaten ...
Then figure out how much lead need be ingested ... to poison
someone ...
divide the numbers ...
how many toys did the parents buy their kid ... ???

I'll give you a clue ... no where near enough to cause this panic ...
Great fears ... little risks ... but today ... the great fears
rule ...

Of course it is overblown. I've also seen private in vitro studies of
lead pigment extractability from plastics and it was in the order of 1%.
Consumer product, EPA and FDA regulations are being flaunted by the
Chinese, most likely out of ignorance. The way industry and
environmental groups operate, I would not be surprised that they were
testing and turning in violators.


Maybe ... but our experience with dealing with China is that if they
think they can get away with something ... they'll try ...
We asked if one sold a low lead impurity of a chemical ... sure ...
here ... had low lead like they promised ... but 10000 ppm Cadmium ...
Oh you wanted low Cadmium also ... sorry we don't make that ...
A company in China that was doing essential the same as one of our
processes ... used the solid waste from that process as landfill to
widen the road to their plant ... a nearby stream would flood
occasionally and erode the road bed ... well that waste would leach
out hundreds of ppm lead and cadmium ... into that stream ... that
supplied the drinking water to a nearby town ...
Is it any wonder that they have little concern about lead in paint ???
Where real hazards are not even considered ...
Although from what I read ... the manufacture of those recalled toys
killed himself in shame ...

This lead in paint in childrens toys is indeed very overblown .... but
the lack of Chinese concern over QC, health and safety concerns ... is
not ...

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Testing toys for poison
    ... chemicals including lead? ... Take the amount of paint on any of these recalled toys ... ...
    (sci.chem)
  • Re: Testing toys for poison
    ... Take the amount of paint on any of these recalled toys ... ... Of course it is overblown. ...
    (sci.chem)
  • Re: Chinese caught redhanded botching quality
    ... a good Chinese bashing story. ... Mattel have now admitted that the recall of 18.2 million toys in the last ... paint for toys. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Re: Chinese caught redhanded botching quality
    ... a good Chinese bashing story. ... Mattel have now admitted that the recall of 18.2 million toys in the last ... paint for toys. ...
    (uk.rec.models.rail)
  • Chink Exec at Center of Chink-Lead Paint Toy Recall Commits Suicide
    ... Exec at Center of China-Lead Paint Toy Recall Commits Suicide ... BEIJING - The head of a Chinese toy manufacturing company at the center of a huge U.S. recall has committed suicide, ... Lee Der made 967,000 toys recalled earlier this month by Mattel Inc. because they were made with paint found to have excessive amounts of lead. ...
    (alt.politics)