Sidewalk Chalk and Lead. Do We Still Have to Worry?
Posted: Tuesday, June 12, 2007
by Lorrie Davids
A favorite summer activity is to grab a bucket of sidewalk chalk and escape to whatever world the kids can draw. Towns are mapped out for use with all those toy trucks and cars, hopscotch games, imagined worlds and even just names mark driveways and sidewalks. Recently, an email began circulating warning about high levels of lead in sidewalk chalk. In 2003 there were some voluntary recalls issued for chalk produced in China. Snopes.com does comfirm this. This new email brings up the question again: Is sidewalk chalk safe?
Our young artists have been using blackboard chalk on sidewalks and driveways long before sidewalk chalk came along. A big bucket of colors is hard for even adults to resist. It is possible to find sidewalk chalk that doesn't contain lead and why is it so important?
Lead is toxic because it is able to mimic other biologically important metals that our bodies use. Lead has no purpose in our bodies. Lead can bind to the same proteins and molecules as calcium, iron and zinc, but after it has connected to those metals, it cannot produce emzymes that are imperative to some biological processes in our bodies.
Chronic lead poisoning presents nausea, abdominal pain, irritability, lack of sleep, a metal taste in the mouth, lethargy, sometimes hyperactivity, and headaches. Lead poisoning has been know to cause seizures and comas. Gastrointestinal problems can also be present in extreme cases. Anemia, reproductive failures and kidney problems can also result. There is a direct link between early lead exposure in children and pronounced learning disabilities.
You and your budding artists want to use sidewalk chalk, and it can be safely done. There is a standard certification presented by The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) in which all children's products are tested for lead. You can rest easy that you and your child are not being exposed to dangerous lead by making sure the brand you purchase is in the ACMI Certification Program. These companies include Binney & Smith (Crayola), Dixon Ticonderoga Co. (Prang Brand) and Roe Art Industries, Ind. (Rose Art Brand)
Now that you know you can safely use some sidewalk chalks, grab your bucket, check the label and have a summer filled with all you can imagine and draw.
Information for this article came from www.acminet.org, and Snopes.com
Lead is toxic because it is able to mimic other biologically important metals that our bodies use. Lead has no purpose in our bodies. Lead can bind to the same proteins and molecules as calcium, iron and zinc, but after it has connected to those metals, it cannot produce emzymes that are imperative to some biological processes in our bodies.
Chronic lead poisoning presents nausea, abdominal pain, irritability, lack of sleep, a metal taste in the mouth, lethargy, sometimes hyperactivity, and headaches. Lead poisoning has been know to cause seizures and comas. Gastrointestinal problems can also be present in extreme cases. Anemia, reproductive failures and kidney problems can also result. There is a direct link between early lead exposure in children and pronounced learning disabilities.
You and your budding artists want to use sidewalk chalk, and it can be safely done. There is a standard certification presented by The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) in which all children's products are tested for lead. You can rest easy that you and your child are not being exposed to dangerous lead by making sure the brand you purchase is in the ACMI Certification Program. These companies include Binney & Smith (Crayola), Dixon Ticonderoga Co. (Prang Brand) and Roe Art Industries, Ind. (Rose Art Brand)
Now that you know you can safely use some sidewalk chalks, grab your bucket, check the label and have a summer filled with all you can imagine and draw.
Information for this article came from www.acminet.org, and Snopes.com
This Article has been viewed 3,826 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Yes, verry goodI'm glad it helped you.
I've never really have been interested in practicing sidewalk art. However I've always enjoyed viewing it. "helpful and informative article" thanksThanks for commenting. When my kids were growing up, they played with chalk often. Probably even ate some of it. Anyway, there isn't much that is found to be safe. Maybe we were better off before it was all tested?
In 2003 my 1 year old daughter was the cause of a nation recall of sidewalk chalk. At her 1 year check up we found her to have a lead level of 19. (20 is hospital admit) Finally we found that she had gotten the lead poisoning from side walk chalk made by aglo and company out of china. Funny thing is this chalk was stamped as safe. How did this get into our country as safe??? I will never, never let my child play with chalk again. She is now 5 and suffering from ADHD and has a very hard time in school. Sad thing is Target, Toys R us and Aglo and company got away with this.. They are going to keep doing this kind of thing because they do not get in trouble. They would not even pay my daughter medical bills. Kind of scary . My advise would be no sidewalk chalk is safe. SorryI have a HUGE phobia about chalk now due to this recall. How is your daughter doing today? Do you think she ate some of it, or was her poisoning due to just handling it? And then like all young children, put things or hands in her mouth afterward? What safety seal was printed on that packaging... do you remember? We are supposed to look for the ACI label. Hope you are going well. Please let us all know. Thanks.
Holly, thank you so much for reading and commenting. It is always good to hear from someone with firsthand knowledge of the problem. I am so sorry your daughter and your family have gone through all of this. What is her prognosis? Do the docs believe her health will return to normal eventually? It is sad that we have so much testing in place in this country, yet because China basically owns us and they don't test, we have no clue what we are being exposed to from all the imports. I am also left wondering who stamped the Aglo chalk safe? Amazing that the company was not held responsible. So many questions left unanswered with these situations. I wish you and your family well. Please, keep me posted of any updates you may hear of. Have you ever considered writing an article an posting it here? I wonder how many others are in the same situation as you.
I checked a web site called leadtoyrecalls and didn't find anything recent, so at least there hasn't been a recall in 2007 or 2008 about this. But good to know about older chalk.Thanks for the info and your comment.
I think it is ironic that our governments (USA and Canada) warn us over and over again about lead poisoning, then allow the purchase of so many products from China. If they really cared about our well-being, these products would be made in the USA and Canada, two countries that have high standards, but no, they buy from China. So what really is important to these governments, safety or the almighty dollar?David - It is frustrating. I don't think government is concerned with anything more than dollar signs. I would love to see America become in part a manufacturing country again, but I know it isn't likely. Thanks for reading and commenting! I appreciate it.
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