Lead in paint, jewelry and now....juice?

The gasoline you put in your car may be unleaded, but don't assume that glass of juice you sip with breakfast is lead-free. A particularly alarming report on NPR yesterday cited a California environmental group's study that found lead in a wide array of juices and fruit snacks sold nationwide. Brands found to contain the dangerous mineral included such popular names as Welch's, Minute Maid, Gerber, Hansen's, Del Monte and Dole (for the complete list, go to http://www.envirolaw.org/documents/ProductsTestedforLeadFINAL.pdf)

And don't assume that just because you buy organic, you're out of the woods. Many organic labels like Earth's Best, O Organics and 365 Everyday Value from Whole Foods were also affected. I printed the entire list out and it's five pages long. In many cases, a single serving or juice box was found to exceed federal limits for kids. (FDA, are you listening?) The American Academy of Pediatrics has long stated that NO amount of lead is safe for children.

I have two questions.....

1 -- Why has this story not gotten more play on the news?
2 -- Where is this lead coming from?

Is it possible that the soil used to grow these fruits is infected with it? Or, perhaps the machinery used in the manufacturing process has contaminated the products? Thankfully, my own kids don't drink a lot of juice, but I know that's not the norm. Much of the juice in this study is specifically marketed to children -- even infants. As you probably know, lead is especially dangerous for little ones who tend to absorb more of the metal than adults. Since lead poisoning often shows no immediate symptoms but the toxin can be stored in the blood, bones and organs for an extended period of time, the danger is often silent and progressive. The litany of related problems can include memory issues, poor cognitive skills, language impairment, decrease in fine-motor skills, trouble paying attention and an overall loss of IQ points.

It used to be that we only worried about pervasive lead exposure for kids who lived in houses built prior to the 1970s. Then came reports of lead popping up in the paint on toys and in metal used for cheap jewelry. Now it's apparently slipping into the most vulnerable in the population on a daily basis in their very own sippy cups. I thought BPA was my biggest worry with regard to my kid's thermos choices...now I find that the very thing we are giving our children to nourish their bodies could be causing irreparable harm? And here I was feeling so virtuous that I feed my kids fruits and veggies and forgo sugary staples like soda and Kool-Aid.

I don't mean to be picky, but I'll take my drinks without the added lead, thank you. Stay tuned for more on this as more details trickle out.

And to update a previous posting of mine, you may be interested to note that Tylenol has now expanded their recall of over the counter meds. This time, a different batch of extra strength Tylenol and Benadryl were pulled due to a moldy smell that has been linked to nausea and stomach pains. For details on the latest recall from Johnson & Johnson (their third in 8 months), go to http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/news_june.inc

With relatives like these, who needs enemies?

So, yes, I've been away for a while...not that there has been any shortage of things I wanted to write about -- it's just that somehow, life got in the way.

But fear no more -- I'm back and as paranoid as ever!

Today, I'm in a tizzy over a little company you may have heard of called Johnson & Johnson. Now, they bill themselves as "a family company," but I ask you, would anyone in your family knowingly give you something that might endanger your health? (if so, you have bigger problems that probably deserve more paranoia than my blog can supply).

The recall of various kids medicines including Motrin, Tylenol and Benadryl is now old news, having been pulled from shelves months ago with the original recall happening last July. But today, details emerged that are even more disturbing to me than the original recall notice. Allegedly, prior to the public recall, the company issued a "phantom recall," hiring another company to have employees pose as consumers and attempt to purchase the tainted medication before the issue was made known to the masses. This is wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin. I mean, it's not as if we're talking about a bake sale and a mom who tries to pass off store-bought goodies as homemade. This is medication we're talking about -- medication designed specifically for children, nonetheless. To attempt to evade a recall by such deceptive practice is totally unspeakable. Who knows how many additional bottles of questionable medicines were purchased during the time in which J&J knowingly deceived consumers by leaving it on the shelf rather than issuing an immediate recall.

Legislators are now investigation the company's motive and whether or not they sought to preserve their reputation at the expense of responsibility and safety to consumers. Well, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....?

If this is not enough to drive you to purchase generic over-the-counter meds, I don't know what will. The latest recall from J&J covers more than 40 medications that make up 70 percent of the pediatric market. I know my own medicine cabinet was filled with them.

Johnson & Johnson -- a family company? I think not.