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Craft Paints

February 5, 2023

To follow on the Consumer NZ research on face paints… let’s talk about art products like face paints, finger paints and craft paints. Long story short… Don’t ever use these in ways other than they were intended, and don’t assume they are “safe”. Don’t use markers or tempera paint as face or body paint. Be wary of acrylic paints for kids. And for the love of God, please…

Consumer Results on Face Paint Tests

January 30, 2023

Some good news! Consumer recently tested a set of face paints and none of them had high lead levels. This is a big improvement from the same test they did in 2014 where one product was extremely high in lead, and others had issues too. I hope this means progress. But maybe the one high-lead product currently on the market just wasn’t picked for testing this time. And…

Soil Testing as a Condition of Home Purchase

January 10, 2023

I recently heard from with two families with soil contamination at extreme levels- in the range of 10,000-30,000 ppm lead. (NZ soil is considered contaminated at 160 – 210 ppm) At these extreme levels, a toddler shuffling around in a cloud of dirt could inhale enough lead to cause a notifiable blood level. Or a baby playing in the mud and putting a handful in their mouth is…

Lead and You

January 4, 2023

Globally, lead is responsible for 900,000 deaths annually. That is almost as many deaths as from HIV / AIDS… and more than the deaths from malaria, war / terrorism and natural disasters, combined. However, annual deaths capture only a small slice of lead’s true impacts. The most insidious effects of lead exposures occur within the brains of children. Buying products containing lead contributes to the poisoning of humans…