Toxic Pacifiers and Teethers

Alerts regarding excessive levels of lead in toys have caused parents to become extremely vigilant as to the safety of the items surrounding their children. Regardless of how careful parents are, however, there are always risks we are simply unaware of. An example of this is the compound bisphenol-A found in many plastic sippy cups, which had millions of parents throwing millions of dollars of cups away earlier this year. Most recently a new hazard in the realm of chemical threats to our children has come to light: pacifiers and teethers.

A story recently published in The Telegraph, a newspaper from Calcutta, India reports that the Consumer Education and Research Society found several brands of pacifiers and teethers contain hazardous levels of lead as well as cadmium and chromium. While the companies producing these products maintain they remain within guidelines set for toys, they fail to recognize that things made specifically to be put in an infant's mouth should be required to have lower limits of acceptability.

Heavy metals such as lead, chromium and cadmium are very toxic to small children in minute amounts. Each can cause a plethora of health effects, many of which are too severe for tiny bodies to battle. Babies and toddlers that use pacifiers and teethers are particularly at risk for poisoning, more so than toys, because these are things that are intentionally placed in the mouth.

The contaminants are found within the nipples of the pacifiers and within the water in the teething toys. While some of the brands tested are unavailable in the US, there are a few that show up on the shelves of American supermarkets including some Nuby, Fisher Price, and Disney brands. There are currently no guidelines to protect children against high levels of these metals in pacifiers and teethers.

Pediatricians in India are beginning to advise that thumb-sucking is a safer option. However, many parents are unwilling to encourage this habit as it can be much harder to break in toddlerhood. The discovery that pacifiers and teethers may be toxic again has parents wondering just how safe the things are they give to their children. More stringent guidelines on toys, teethers, and feeding aids should be put in place since these are things that our children come into contact with most. Particular attention should be focused on articles that are made to be put in children's mouths.

To read the entire story in The Telegraph, visit http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080728/jsp/atleisure/story_9610775.jsp