Insightful Nana

Lead Poisoning and Crock Pots

October 4, 2008

Crock pots containing lead was the subject of an investigation that started in Salt Lake City with KUTV’s Bill Gephardt. After his investigation about lead in ceramic glazed plates, bowls and mugs and finding high a content of lead in them, his focus turned to ceramic glazed crock pots after a viewer did a little research on her own.

Stacia Stuart, a mom from Weber County, was a frequent user of her crock pot. Her concern about lead poisoning prompted her to take her Rival slow cooker to the county fair, where a booth was doing free lead testing on dishes. What she discovered was her crock pot contain lead. She notified Gephardt about her findings and he took the investigation from there.

Gephardt took several slow cookers to Data Chem lab in Salt Lake City to be tested. He found that 20 percent of the cookers were leaching out measurable amounts of lead into food. When ceramic ware is heated to just 80-degrees, it releases nearly 10-times the amount of lead as a plate at room temperature. (Something to keep in mind when you heat food in the micro-wave on ceramic dishes.) Crock pots can heat up to more than 250-degrees.

Wanting additional findings, Gephardt took Stacia’s crock pot to chemist Robert Aullman, who preformed the standard test established by the Food and Drug Administration for testing leaching lead. He found that the Rival slow cooker leached lead at .085 parts per million. Anything below 2.0 is considered acceptable by the FDA. (It’s important to note that lead does not leave the body easily. A build up of lead over a period of time is dangerous.)

Mr. Gephardt took his findings to Utah House Rep. Jim Matheson. Congress was looking into a proposed amendment that would force manufactures to put labels on ceramic ware to identify lead content. However, Gephardt’s investigation was reported in 2004 and, so far, no law or amendment has been put into place.

My research in to whether Rival had removed the lead from their crock pots produced conflicting information. I called Rival’s Consumer Services department (1-800-777-5452) and they confirmed that their slow cookers still contain lead. They stated that the level is below the FDA standard for lead in ceramic products.

Upon further investigation, I called Hamilton Beach (1-800-851-8900) and they assured me that their crock pots do not contain any lead or cadmium. (Cadmium is another highly toxic metal associated with zinc ores. Oil paint used by artist’s contain a lot of Cadmium and Zinc…. Cadmium Red…Cadmium Yellow… Zinc White. It’s also found in industries where ore is being processed or smelted. Ceramic can be colored with Cadmium colors.)

It’s been suggested that you can use plastic liners in your crock pot so lead doesn’t leach into your food. I personally don’t recommend doing that because plastics heated to high temperatures leach other kinds of toxins. However, Reynolds claim their liners are made from a high resin nylon which is suitable for high temperature cooking. You’ll have to be the judge on this one.

I don’t use my crock pot often, but when I do, I want to know that the food is completely safe for my family. “So long… Good-bye… Rival crock pot.”

I find it disconcerting that the FDA allows any amount of lead in products if it’s possible to manufacture them with out it. A little of this… and and little of that… here and there can amount to a lot of toxins being ingested by Americans.

I’m not convinced that the FDA always has our best interests in mind. Just look at how many drugs and products are taken off the market that have been found to be harmful… even deadly… after the FDA has put its stamp of approval on them.

Becoming aware, and taking responsibility for our own well-being is the best solution for combating toxic and lead poisoning.

Till Later
Insightful Nana

P.S. The Hamilton Beach 6 Qt. slow cooker runs about $49.99 compared to Rival’s 6 Qt. at $34.99. It looks like Hamilton Beach is a bit more expensive… but what’s $15.00 when you can have a lead free product and peace of mind.

P.S.S. If you find another crock pot that doesn’t contain lead… let me know

Count Your Blessings Monday

I am so grateful for my husband. I see all these different situations in marriages and my hubby is no where close to any of it(he could use a few prayers to help him quit smoking). He is such a wonderful man. A wonderful father, a wonderful mate and such a good person. Thank you God

My mom is doing wonderful. She is such a wonderful mom for letting us move in here. She could have sold the house and went on to buy a smaller one for herself and we would have had to make it go in the trailer in Milton. Thank you so much mom.

My children are wonderful. They love being frugal. It is so hard in these times and they love free clothing (thank you Candy~not sure if you have any clothes at your moms or not you'll have to let me know I am looking for pants for Wyatt) and they will do a shopping spree at the thrift store :) They are so wonderful.

Thank you for being able to help out others by offering them a place to stay till they get back on their feet. It is hard sometimes. But I am grateful to have Tina here. Just need to figure out the Josh and "big" Chelsea thing so we can all get along till you can get back on your feet. Thank you for being you Tina :)

My new tradition is going to a friends house and sitting around and talking while the kids have a blast. Thank you guys for starting this wonderful tradition! I love you all!

The Seed

A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. 'I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO'

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the boardroom. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him! When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back.

'My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said The CEO. 'Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!' All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought,

'The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!' When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!'

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, 'One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!'

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends, if you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment. If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant faith in Christ, you will reap a harvest. So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Prayers for my Mom please!

My mom isn't feeling well tonight. Her stomach is bothering her and she is chilled. She just went to lay down in bed. I told her to let me know if she wants to go to the hospital. It is really hard to take anything because of her cancer meds she is on.

Aprons, Contests and Bread

Dear friends and I are going to spend a day in the near future to bake bread and make aprons to give to those who need prayers and to help with their Thanksgiving dinner. It will coordinate with the National Tie One on Day on November 26th.

From www.apronmemories.com:

"National Tie One On Day™ celebrates the humble apron and the spirit of women of earlier generations who donned the universal symbol of home, family and mothering as the uniform of their daily wardrobe and helped make America the great country it is today. On the day before Thanksgiving, EllynAnne encourages us to pause in the preparation of our own meal, wrap a loaf of bread in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of encouragement in the pocket, and tie one on...an apron, of course!, and deliver the wrapped bundle to someone in need of spiritual or physical sustenance. According to EllynAnne, no matter which way you turn out of your own front door, someone who is deserving of a hug is very close by. “Women clad in aprons have traditionally prepared the Thanksgiving meal,” says EllynAnne, “and it is within our historical linkage to share our bounty.”

EllynAnne is holding a contest for one of her books or aprons. Go to her blog page and leave her a comment to be entered.Apron Memories Blog

Hope my local friends will join me that day for making bread and aprons....

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday October 13, 2008...

Outside My Window...the stars are hiding behind what is left of the snowstorm that is now hitting Canada.

I am thinking...about decorating for the holidays

I am thankful for...wonderful husband and children (and mommy) My husband is so wonderful and as I hear of more marriage problems from friends I truly am lucky to have such a wonderful man

From the kitchen...I hear sounds of the kittens playing

I am wearing...jeans, t-shirt and bare feet

I am creating...a website to sell my books, canning jars and wooly creations

I am going...to take some cold meds and head to bed shortly

I am reading...Women of Faith Devotional Bible

I am hoping...my cold lets up enough to get the chores done in the morning

I am hearing...the dryer running

Around the house...I see many toys from the kids adventures this evening.

One of my favorite things...is recycling sweaters and helping earn money from my ventures online

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: going to the thrift store, vacuuming the house, and getting the dining room decluttered to get out the holiday decorations

Here is picture thought I am sharing..

Check Out my Cafemom Group!

Check out my Group at CafeMom

The Portrait Party Planners