Does anyone have time to organize these companies into categories? Such as clothing, toys, jewelry etc.

I am going to try to get my immediate family to do a Made in USA Christmas.

Myself, I have no problem with Wal-Mart. I have shopped there in the past. But now that my eyes are opened to the dangers of imports, the shopping experience at most stores (not just Wal-Mart) is frustrating to say the least. While looking online for Made in U.S.A. products I came upon this….

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/.....1#comments

I believe this is a good thing and am making a list off of the entries here. The holiday season is fast approaching and I forsee American Companies with increased profits this year. Maybe this would be a good thread for your forum? Lots of people from different parts of the country on these blogs. What American industries/companies are in your neck of the woods?

The sad part is that after half a century of pumping the fumes from leaded gasoline into the air, there’s probably more danger from lead in the dirt on a toy than anything on the toy itself.

Consumer Affairs deserves kudos for taking the initiative to do this kind of testing and to report the results. They’re a bright light in a media blackout on important issues. At the same time, I think on this round it might have been helpful to have had a little more perspective to allow consumers to more accurately assess the risk. For example, if a pet chewed all the paint off a toy, what would be the total exposure, and, perhaps, how long would it take at that exposure level to present serious health risks. Or even, what other sources of heavy metals are pets exposed to that are unavoidable, which would make it prudent to avoid even a little bit of additional exposure wherever possible. I believe legitimate concerns are raised by the findings, although probably more from long term exposure. If nothing else, it’s certainly enlightening to see how WalMart’s management deals with legitimate concerns.

Thanks for the good point, Don!

Wal-Mart is the slimeyest of the slime.
Dogs chew things, get into trouble with it sometimes.
I watch my dog like a hawk. His fave toy is a green tennis ball. Hope it’s not full of poison!!

September 20th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
I wonder how you would have your pet tested for Metal?

Trudy,

Just like people. Urine, hair, nails or blood. Urine & blood will show if metals are presently in the body. Hair & nails will show a longer history.

Chromium, in some forms, is actually sold as a dietary supplement. The dosage in those supplements is around 400 micrograms per day. Personally, I don’t think eating chrome is a good idea, but the levels found do not suggest an immediate health threat.

Cadmium levels also appear to be fairly low, but considering the toxicity of the substance, of the three, it appears to be the most dangerous.

Dr. Lykissa has done extensive research, over decades, on problems with the heavy metal platinum in breast implants. Early on he was practically the lone voice of opposition at a time when all the experts were saying the products were safe. The horror stories that eventually showed just how terribly right he was would turn the stomach of any right thinking person.

Under the circumstances, I think it would be fair to say his concerns over the lab results are from the perspective of long term health effects rather than near term prospects of immediate poisonings. Chewing the paint off a toy should be what any informed person would consider safe. Chewing the paint off a toy once a week for 5 years probably is not.

The silly part of this whole thing is these products are marketed to pet owners by the fact that the pet owners find the interesting shapes, and the brightly colored paints and dyes attractive. A plain white tennis or softball, is a fine toy for a dog, or even the ever favorite stick to throw. When my cats were babies, it used to drive me crazy that I’d spend good money on over priced toys, only to watch them play for hours with the boxes or wrappers the toys came in. Eventually I had to cure myself of impulse buying in the pet toy section of the store, and stick to the simple things they liked to play with that I could come up with at home for almost nothing - a piece of string with a wad of paper tied to the end, a strip of cardboard, the paper handle from a grocery bag, a small box, etc..

I have a question for the folks who are up in arms about the discovery that paint isn’t safe to eat. How many of you thought paint was safe to eat before this amazing revelation was brought to your attention? Also, how many folks who buy chew toys figure it’s time to buy a new one after the pretty paint has been chewed off the old one?