With all the recent toy recalls for lead poisoning, parents are left wondering what else might not be safe.
We are forced to examine everything we buy and we have to ask ourselves: Should we buy a product made in China?
In the printing industry, more children’s books are being printed in China. Are these books safe for our children? Who’s checking up on the quality of these books? What is the chance of lead poisoning from chewable toddler books that have been printed in China? What supporters of the almighty dollar say and what is starting to show up in the lead recalls are at opposition.
On August 23, 2007, there was a recall for SpongeBob SquarePants address books and journals that were printed in China. There has also been recalls for baby bibs, train sets, dolls, art sets, jewelry, and bookmarks. What’s next? Is there anything that China hasn’t tainted with lead?
But let’s get back to children’s books.
More and more publishers are switching from American printing companies to Chinese printing companies. While, in the United States, books are generally no longer printed with lead-based ink, China is an entirely different animal. And while book publishers promise us up and down, and pinky swear, that their books printed in China for our children are safe, this parent is left to wonder when she will discover that reading China made books lowers her children’s IQ.
