Sunday, April 17, 2011

Lead in your Sidewalk Chalk...

Lead is found in limestone in very insignificant amounts. Most chalk is made from limestone. It's not too tough to put together. Wee Can Too Sidewalk Chalk has no limestone at all and is made with all edible organic ingredients!

This comment from mother and article posted at:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/chalk.asp

Thought you would like know!


Hi everyone,

Be careful and only buy sidewalk chalk made from Crayola. Both of my children tested positive for lead exposure a few years ago. We had everything tested and it turned out to be sidewalk chalk. It was chalk they had gotten as a prize and it came from Joanne Etc. The only reason we tested the chalk is because a friend remembered hearing about a recall on sidewalk chalk in the past. The CPSC came to my house & took the chalk, due to its very high levels of lead. Both kids are just fine, fortunately our Dr.'s routine check up includes lead tests for everyone, not just those in particular areas.

So... if you have never had your kids tested, ask your Dr. And even if the package says "Conforms to ___ standard", if it isn't Crayola, don't buy it!

Origins: This e-mailed alert began circulating on the Internet in March 2007. While we don't yet know the specific product referenced in the letter (the manufacturer wasn't named), there was indeed a Recalled brand of sidewalk chalk recall of certain brands of sidewalk chalk in 2003 because they were found to contain excessive amounts of lead.

In 2003, voluntary recalls were issued by both Target and Toys R Us for the "Double Dipp'n Fun" brand of sidewalk chalk then being vended by both retailers. Produced in China, the triangular chalk sticks were multicolored and sold for about 99 cents per package. Some 26,000 units were sold nationwide between March and July 2003.

Given that there does not appear to be a current Consumer Products and Safety Commission alert about sidewalk chalk, there is reason to believe the March 2007 e-mail about lead being found in that type of product refers to the 2003 incident. Indeed, the letter's "Both of my children tested positive for lead exposure a few years ago. We had everything tested and it turned out to be sidewalk chalk" tends to indicate the product in question was the "Double Dipp'n Fun" brand that was subsequently recalled.

As to why this matter is of note, while exposure to lead presents a hazard to all, it poses an especial danger to children. Additional care must be taken to limit their exposure to it.

Lead poisoning can reportedly lower intelligence, cause mental retardation, memory problems, depression, fatigue, hyperactivity, aggression, hearing loss, liver or kidney damage, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and anemia. Very high levels can damage the nervous system, kidneys and major organs and even result in seizures or death. It can also lead to infertility in men and cause spontaneous abortion in women. In the final stages of lead poisoning, the victim experiences convulsions, paralysis, blindness, delusions, and then coma. People can and have died of lead
poisoning...

Barbara "get the lead out" Mikkelson
Last updated: 2 April 2007
Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2011 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.
Sources Sources:
Emsley, John. The Elements of Murder.
New York; Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-280599-1 (pp. 261-283).
Hogstrom, Erik. "Chalk Talk; Product Recall Shows Another Potential Source of Lead Poisoning."
[Dubuque] Telegraph Herald. 24 November 2003 (p. C1).
Stein, Jason. "Sidewalk Chalk Is Recalled by Target."
Wisconsin State Journal. 14 November 2003 (p. C9).
The [Syracuse] Post-Standard. "Lead in Sidewalk Chalk Sparks Toys R Us Recall."
12 December 2003 (p. C3) .

Friday, April 15, 2011

Coloring outside the box


Well, for the longest time we were racking our brains to come up with new products for Wee Can Too and then it hit me that we can recreate different variations of what we know already works...our present products!

Look out faithful customers! Just in time for Easter, Wee Can Too presents to you, these new products:

Edible/Veggie Sidewalk Chalk- "The Swirl"
Looks good enough to eat, and you can!!

Edible/Veggie Sidewalk Chalk- "The Nougat"
Two bright sticks infused, with a burst of color in the center!

Edible/Veggie Crayons- "Wild Rainbow"
Same crayons, rainbow & shaped round with different zoo animals on them...

Edible/Veggie Crayons- "The Speckled One"
Same vibrant yellow, with little beads of color exploding from inside. A rainbow surprise!

All of these are available on our website: www.weecantooart.com
Wee Can Too!

P.S. Wee still have some more tricks up our sleeve...

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Why not food coloring?


You've seen it many times on packaging, you probably have given your child many gummy chews or a "tropical punch" juice box today and have seen it on the label. It's the food coloring: Yellow #5 & #6, Red #40 & #3, Blue #1 & #2, Green #3, and Orange B

Recent studies have linked artificial food colorings to cancer and brain tumors as well as links to hyperactivity ADD, ADHD, and other disruptive behaviors in children. Artificial colors are made up of tar derivatives, long chain hydrocarbons, and other petrochemicals and are of no use to your body.

In effort to safeguard our children there has been a petition asking the FDA to require a warning label on foods with artificial dyes or colors and is considering, under the advisory of advocacy groups, banning the sale of the following commonly used colors.

This is why we set out to make finger paints and art supplies fit to be in baby's mouths. Sure, I let my children eat the occasional m & m, but now-a-day there are so many wonderful alternatives and it's wonderful! We are proud to announce that Wee Can Too is one of them.

If your child is old enough to know that he/she shouldn't put the products in their mouth, then the current art products available are adequate. But if they are actually mouthing and ingesting the ingredients, think again. A little here and there adds up. Here's to a future of safer products for our children!