Safety Saturdays...

Starting this week I'm doing a new blog called "Safety Saturdays". The point of this blog would be to raise awareness of all things dangerous to you and your family (mostly children). There are many things that are unsafe in our homes that we are unaware of such as a toy ridden with lead paint. My hopes are that starting this blog will help others to make their homes safer for their families.  I've been called the "Safety Queen" before and I guess maybe that is a appropriate name but jokes aside it is important to keep our families safe especially if doing so is as easy as keeping tabs on the website for Consumer Product Safety and checking your home regularly for items that become unsafe over time.
Fellow bloggers are welcome to join in on this blog by doing a "Safety Saturday" blog each week and linking your blog to this one in each "Safety Saturday" blog.


I'll start the first Safety Saturday today, so here it is....
Lead Paint - One of the scariest dangers in the home...especially for our children...
Facts:
Any home built before 1980 may have lead-based paint on the walls....

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/9029-detect-lead-poisoning/#ixzz1DaxJ7Dza

Lead can filter into your water through pipes

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/9029-detect-lead-poisoning/#ixzz1DaxRQhJl

 

Dirt and soil clings to fingers and hands, on toys, and in things that children put in their mouths. Over time, soil absorbed in this manner can cause poisoning if it holds a high amount of lead. Soil in urban areas usually contains about 200 to 500 parts per million, while country soil contains significantly less. Soil with over 1000 parts per million is considered hazardous. You can test the soil around your home by calling your local health inspector or by using home soil-testing kits such as Lead Check. If you are concerned about high amounts of lead in your soil, you can counter it by planting grass, by paving over the soil or by laying down several inches of pebbles or wood chips.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/9029-detect-lead-poisoning/#ixzz1DaxatEMh

Doctors can perform a simple blood test to determine the amount of lead in a child's system. You can do this when the child is between six months and one year old and then again when the child is two years old.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/9029-detect-lead-poisoning/#ixzz1DaxmRSmO

 

A Couple Toy Recalls for 2011 (there are MANY MORE, these are just a couple...)

Type = Rattle

Brand = Sassy 

Read more: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11114.html

Type = Play phone
Brand = Discovery Toys
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11094.html