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