I’ve been aware of the dangers caused by lead exposure in children for some time now. But I’ve often wondered how in the world a baby bib could end up contaminated with lead. It turns out that lead is usually tied to the presence of PVC (also called vinyl) in baby bibs.
Throughout my research, I kept ending up right back at the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) website. The following are some great questions and answers from their Lead in Baby Bibs FAQ:
- How do I know if my baby’s bib has vinyl parts? Most bibs have a tab that lists the materials used to make the bib. If your child’s bib is labeled “polyvinyl chloride”, or “vinyl”, or “PVC” it may contain lead.
- Is lead dangerous? Childhood lead exposure has a profound effect on developing brains. It can lead to brain damage, lowered IQ, attention deficit, and behavioral problems.
- Why do they put lead in bibs? Some manufacturers intentionally add lead to vinyl (PVC) plastic as a stabilizing agent or a pigment. But there are safer alternatives. PVC can be made without lead, and bibs can be made from other plastics besides PVC. Bibs can also be made without plastic.
- How serious a health threat are these lead tainted bibs? Stores were selling bibs that had lead levels three to four times greater that the legal limit for lead in paint. We take this health threat seriously, but we urge parents not to panic. The lead levels are not high enough by themselves to cause acute lead poisoning during normal use. But we also urge parents to keep in mind that children are exposed to many sources of lead. Parents can do a lot to protect their children from lead simply by testing bibs and other suspicious products and getting rid of the ones that test positive for lead.
- Are there other problems with vinyl? From the factory to the home to the garbage incinerator, vinyl products are toxic from start to finish. When burned, vinyl releases dioxins, chemicals that can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems. Many vinyl products contain additional chemicals, including phthalates which confuse the body’s hormone systems. Vinyl is also very difficult to recycle.
- My baby’s bib (or toy, etc.) was made in China. Is it safe? The fact that your item was made in China does not make it unsafe. We’ve found many lead-free toys, bibs, and other items that were made in China. We’ve also found lead-contaminated products that were made in the United States. The only way to know if your items are contaminated with lead is to test them.
- Why are there so many dangerous Chinese products? What can we do about this? Huge retailers in our country are always cutting costs. They insist that their foreign and American manufacturers make products as cheaply as possible. This economic pressure favors dangerously cheap production at the expense of consumer safety. Retailers will tell you that they are simply responding to pressure from the American consumer who demands low prices. There are many things you can do about this: support small local businesses, write to the big retailers and urge them to protect consumer health, write to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and urge it to live up to its name. You can also support organizations like Center for Environmental Health.
I hope the CEH tips enlighten you as much as they did me. Also, keep in mind that while Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) contains the word “vinyl” it’s not the same as Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). Baby bibs and toys made from EVA are widely accepted as safe.
