Heavy metals in everyday items
I know many people with children who are metal toxic have the big question of “Where is it coming from?” In the case of mercury, we are fairly certain that most of it came from shots laden with thimersol, or from dental amalgams. But would you be surprised to find out that a derivative of thimersol (phenylmercuric acetate) is found in eye makeup, especially
mascara? Although the Food and Drug Administration restricts the use of phenylmercuric acetate, cosmetic manufacturers are not required to register with the FDA.
My personal quest has been trying to identify where the lead in my sonís body is coming from, and there are plenty of sources. But the one most alarming to me I stumbled upon
only recently: garden hoses!
This was a real “Oh my God” moment, as I envisioned my son playing in the front yard holding the hose (hand-to-mouth transfer) as well as soaking in the water from the hose in his wading pool. The ludicrous thing is that I have a garden filter that attaches to the outside faucet to purify the water for him since he loves to play in it so much. Turns out I was purifying the water only to poison it as it ran through the hose.
According to a study done by Consumer Reports, most garden hoses contain lead. Water that was allowed to stand in the hose contained up to 100 times more lead than is allowed by the EPA to come out of a faucet.
YIKES!!!
After reading this I immediately threw out our garden hoses and went on a quest to find a lead-free hose. Only if a hose contains the label ìsafe for drinking waterî is it safe for you
and your children to handle. I found one online called Handi Hose but didn’t order it since it was approaching a warm weekend and I wanted one immediately. After much searching, I found one at Target called Hydro Hose. Both the Handi Hose and the Hydro Hose are flat hoses on a reel. There are supposedly conventional round hoses labeled safe for drinking water, but I didn’t find any.
The flat hose I bought works very well, and my son was immediately drawn to its bright yellow color. I felt such a sense of relief, but also exasperation, knowing I had found one more piece in what seems a never-ending puzzle.