Lead in Children's Books before 1985

We have all heard the alarm bells go off about lead in children's products. Did you know the legislation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect children from lead exposure involved children's books??? There is a ban by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on distributing Children's Books printed before 1985. Why you ask?? The ink contains lead. Children are notorious for putting things in their mouths so this makes sense to me. Unfortunately libraries and thrift stores are unhappy about this ban. In a tough economy libraries don't have the money to restock newer books. Next time you buy a book, why not buy a second and donate it to your local school or library.

Some people believe the risk is small, but an investigative reporter in Seattle proved skeptics wrong.
The new guidelines on LEAD safety can be confusing to consumers. To see if you can make sense of it READ MORE.

I happen to have some of my old childhood books in storage. I will be sure to dispose of them. Apparently older books aren't the only ones to be watch out for now. There have been recalls on newer books as well. There was a recall in January on the book 'Big Rex and Friends'.


Here is another link to find out about other recalls from parents.com After all, we don't want our children to get sick. You can learn more about lead risks from Healthy Child Healthy World.

Also watch tonight on CNN about Toxic America. As parents, we need to be knowledgeable.