In a sudden fit of Christmas-y spirit, I decided to buy some of those dandy "icicle" lights for our porch. I could just see them hanging there looking all festive and stuff. So, while we were at CVS getting a birthday card, I decided to look for them. Lo and behold, there they were....and only eight bucks, too!
Next day I got ready to hang those babies up and just happened to notice the following little message on the box:
Warning. Handling the coated electrical wires of this product exposes you to lead, a chemical known to the state of CA to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm. Wash hands after use.
Umm...okay. "Wash hands after use..." This is LEAD we're talking about. Remember all the hubbub about lead paint? The recall of toys crafted by factory workers pulling 18 hours shifts in China? Oh, and apparently California is the only state that knows this dangerous fact. Aren't they great for sharing that secret with the rest of us poor saps?
Jeez. Can't a body enjoy ANYTHING anymore? I promptly returned the lights to CVS, where my new friend Apu shook his head mournfully when I explained the reason for my return. "What a shame," he said, in his wonderful Indian accent, as he put the lights in a bin to be whisked back onto the shelf for purchase by someone who doesn't read labels. You think there's anybody out there like that?
Well, maybe so, Mr. John Q. Public...but maybe not. If I wasn't already convinced that the planet is full of toxic shit, boy, am I ever convinced now. I went to Home Depot to find clips to hold up my OLD Christmas lights (which are no doubt laced with lead, mercury, or some other toxic substance that I've ingested every year since I bought them) and I took a look around at the impressive supplies of Christmas lights - every kind and color you can imagine. And I could not find ONE box...not one brand or style...that didn't carry that same little warning.
This is bad. Okay, that's an understatement, but let's think this through. Lead is an extreme neurotoxin, and that's been well-established. Is it not possible to make Christmas lights with coated wire that don't expose us to lead? Maybe it's not - I have no idea. I suspect, however, that something about the manufacturing is easier...or CHEAPER...when they're made this way. That's not too far-fetched, is it? Make things easier, faster, cheaper...and the companies make more money. Everybody's happy, right? Except...there's the little problem of what happens after children are exposed to this crap. We really have no idea what we're touching and inhaling and ingesting on a daily basis...not unless you can afford to live a totally organic lifestyle.
My child showed dangerous levels of lead when he was tested, back when we embarked upon the biomedical "path to healing"...where did that come from? Christmas lights, I suppose.
We have spent hours and hours of the past five years trying to get RID of whatever toxic things Stephen seemed to be carrying in his little body. You can't possibly know the torture we have put that baby through - blood draws done by incompetent techs, forcing sulphurous lead-grabbing medicine down him as he choked and cried, test after test, looking for answers... I'm not saying that we know precisely what caused him to have autism. We firmly believe that the cause is two-fold: a genetic predisposition PLUS some sort of insult to the body/brain/immune system. But in this world of plastic and chemicals and lead where you least expect it, can we really be surprised? With levels of pollution higher than ever and industry growing across our country at the speed of light, can we really profess to be shocked at the huge increase in autism and other neurodevelopmental problems over the last twenty years? Don't tell me it's because it's easier to diagnose now. Something is WRONG, and very few people seem to be willing to look at the facts.
We keep going like this and I just don't know what's going to happen. It's too late to totally "fix" Stephen...we've tried so many things and many of them did no good. I worry about babies being born today, though. I worry about Kerry's children - what kind of world are we preparing for them? Even if you think global warming or climate change or whatever isn't "real," please...listen to what I'm saying here. Why do we continue supporting businesses that allow KNOWN toxic substances to be put into the most innocent places? Poison toys and Christmas lights...is there some plot to rid the world of smart, healthy, beautiful children? It's horrible and frightening and disturbing, but it sure seems that way to me.
Last night, Stephen didn't go to sleep till about 11:40 p.m. His mama was one tired chick, and boy...was I frustrated with him. On a good night, he conks out a little before 10:00, so when the clock wound its way around to 10:30, then 10:45, I started to get worried. I wanted to just turn off the lights and go to bed, but, you see...you can't DO that with him. You can't make changes to the environment of the house without knowing that he's asleep...it can be really, really bad if you do that. All the lamps must be ON, and at the right brightness if they have a 3-way bulb. Don't put the comforter ON his bed, it must be crumpled beside the bed, and the TV must be at level 16 volume, not a speck less. Changes to these things can really upset him, and then nobody sleeps. I kept checking on him, and once I found him in his brother's room, crawling into the bottom bunk with Kerry. Then, in his room, he crawled under the bottom sheet and tangled his legs up really well...and finally fell asleep. I rather unceremoniously untangled him and rolled him over so I could fix the sheets, grateful that he was asleep at last, but so emotionally exhausted from the tension that I couldn't even stand there and look lovingly at the small boy who has finally surrendered to sleep. It's like I take a step outside myself at certain times, just to keep from going completely crazy...and I hate that. He's a child and deserves the very best of me, and there are times when I can't provide that. I love him more than my own life, and I would do anything for him, but the way that autism runs our lives makes it very hard to keep from just checking out sometimes. It's not his fault...and the fact that I sometimes feel disconnected from him BECAUSE of his autism makes me feel like an awful person. This damn thing is just horrible...and there's no one to bear the brunt of my anger.
Autism is bewildering and frustrating and heartbreaking...there are no easy answers. Did he get this horrible thing because I handled too many Christmas lights while I was pregnant? Did lead leech into his body from toys he played with as an infant? I guess we'll never know.
But we surely can do something to prevent that from happening to another little boy who deserves a full life. Can't we?
Next year, maybe we'll have an Amish Christmas.
"Christmas Lights Found with Potentially Unsafe Levels of Lead"
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/10/christmas.lights/index.html
Some points of note:
"'There is no level at which lead exposure is safe,' Dr. Trasande said. 'Even at one microgram/deciliter -- the lowest level in a person's blood stream that we can detect -- that level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children.'"
"The Consumer Product Safety Commission insists Christmas lights do not pose an elevated danger of lead exposure to children. A spokeswoman vigorously criticized the CNN tests, saying that using the CPSC's methods for testing lead on blinds and toys 'is like comparing apples to oranges and is rotten to the core.'"
4 comments:
Your comments about Stephen and autism brought this entry to an emotional close, but to everything you said before that...well, you spoke for a lot of people there, and all that I can say is AMEN. Keep up the good work, my dear friend.
It's all about money my friend. The only thing that these corporations are worried about is making money and staying within the confines of the law. They couldn't care less about John Q Public. If you die from their product, why should that matter to them? They're making money. And, they're obeying the law by putting all the proper disclaimers on the box. Unfortunately, we just assume that the government will protect us. We all have this comfort level that we've been lulled into by corporate America. They make all these products and pharmaceuticals sound so good for us. And the doctors are all in on the scam. Doctors nowadays just prescribe crap to you because that's what they're trained to do. I stopped taking my allergy medication 2 years ago, and I feel the same or better than I did when I was taking it. So, what does that tell you?
It's a shame that you only became wary because of your situation. Like you said, most of us wouldn't read the label. I know I wouldn't. And, the scary thing is, what else is out there? All of a sudden, they're recalling all these toys from China. What about the toys made elsewhere?
Thanks for telling us about the warning. I've never even thought of looking. I'll be sure to check for warnings on everything I buy from now on. I'm just worried about the products that don't have warnings. What are we going to hear about next?
I had no idea. Wow! I bought new Christmas lights this year and took them out of the box and never thought about having to read the label for a warning. I assume mine had the same label. I guess we all get too comfortable and complacent and wrongly assume that if a product is for sale on the open market it has to be safe. Obviously we are WRONG!! Thanks for letting us know to be more careful.
As for that update on the Christmas lights...gee, what a SHOCKING response by the CPSC to CNN's story, huh?
Warning. Handling the coated electrical wires of this product exposes you to lead, a chemical known to the state of CA to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm. Wash hands after use.
That sound like "apples and oranges" to you? The only thing "rotten to the core" is the accountability of U.S. government and its agencies in charge of making sure our kids aren't exposed to harmful elements. So many people are dropping the ball it's not even funny -- from allowing lead in holiday decorations and toys, to the additives in food that are deemed "safe." It's like they're saying, let's make money now, and HOPE the product is safe. If it's not, we'll just deny it and call the test results bogus. "Wash your hands," indeed.
Talk about feeling "weak and powerless."
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