When the most innocent of objects poses a danger…
It’s August, time for school and new school supplies. It can be so easy: Click the name of your school, click your grade, click “Buy,” and you’re done.
Not so fast.
Crayons. Markers. Glue. Binders. Even water bottles. Many brands of these products actually contain dangerous chemicals.
CNN, network TV, and other media outlets across the country have released information about school supplies with carcinogenic ingredients. Benzene in dry-erase markers. Asbestos in crayons. Lead in plastic water bottles. Phthalates in three-ring binders. (Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastic more flexible.)
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an NGO, discovered the problem by conducting laboratory tests on school supplies purchased from online vendors, big box stores, and independent retailers. The original study, available as a PDF, details the process.
Of course, not every brand of every product tested positive for these substances. To help people make buying decisions, the organization has published a Safer School Supplies Shopping Guide.
Legislation was passed in 1990 requiring that consumers be alerted to potential dangers in art supplies such as glue, markers, and crayons. The 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act tightened the regulations … but the responsibility for testing the effects of hazardous supplies rests with the manufacturer. And we know how that can go. Indeed, the long-term effects of exposure from low levels of Phthalates, Asbestos, and other toxins are simply not known.
It may seem that a preschooler wouldn’t experience harm by eating a single crayon containing asbestos or by using a marker made with benzene. But do we know for sure? No.
To leave research into the effects of hazardous substances to manufacturers of the very products they create is negligent at best… something like the fox guarding the henhouse.
To leave public notice to a non-governmental organization whose leaders happen to look into the matter reflects a deep inattention to the welfare of our kids.
We should be used to it by now though. Trump’s deregulation and inattention to the greater good has become more obvious with each passing day.
If/when a sane individual occupies the White House, Executive Orders can undo some of the damage. But they can’t undo pollutants presently flowing into our rivers under deregulation. And they can’t take back the CO2 polluting the air due to burning more coal and loosening emissions standards for automobiles. They can’t bring back species that become extinct as the endangered species act is weakened. And they can’t reverse the effects of past negligence by manufacturers of children’s school supplies.
There is no short-term fix. Voting progressive may be our only hope.
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Days children and parents have been separated from each other at the border as of 8/13/18: 116
The dangers are only bound to get worse with this president. We must be alerted about each one so that we can be ware for ourselves and as many people as we can reach!
Very scary stuff to think that items so innocuous like crayons contain carcinogens. I want go back to the days of innocence when coloring was a fun, harmless activity.
Thank you for teaching me a new word…I can always count on you for that!
Thanks for sharing this! Along with the jury award to the man who sued Monsanto, we citizens and fellow consumers have to protect each other until we again have a responsible government looking out for us, the voters.
Asbestos in crayons? My 2 dogs LOVE crayons. We had to stop buying them. We used to find colorful presents in the back yard–they were easy to see hidden in the grass. Crayon-flavored dog treats would go over well with my pets.