Toxic metals found in cartoon drinking glasses

Lab tests turn up 1,000 times the allowable amount of lead, plus cadmium, in ongoing probe by the Associated Press.

AP

Drinking glasses depicting comic book and movie characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman and the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz” exceed federal limits for lead in children’s products by up to 1,000 times, according to laboratory testing commissioned by The Associated Press.

The decorative enamel on the superhero and Oz sets — made in China and purchased at a Warner Brothers Studios store in Burbank — contained between 16 percent and 30.2 percent lead. The federal limit on children’s products is 0.03 percent.

The same glasses also contained relatively high levels of the even-more-dangerous cadmium, though there are no federal limits on that toxic metal in design surfaces.

In separate testing to recreate regular handling, other glasses shed small but notable amounts of lead or cadmium from their decorations. Federal regulators have worried that toxic metals rubbing onto children’s hands can get into their mouths. Among the brands on those glasses: Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, Burger King and McDonald’s.

Coca-Cola, which had been given AP’s test results last week, announced Sunday evening that after retesting it was voluntarily recalling 88,000 glasses.

The AP testing was part of the news organization’s ongoing investigation into dangerous metals in children’s products and was conducted in response to a recall by McDonald’s of 12 million glasses this summer because cadmium escaped from designs depicting four characters in the latest “Shrek” movie.

The New Jersey manufacturer of those glasses said in June that the products were made according to standard industry practices, which includes the routine use of cadmium to create red and similar colors.

To assess potential problems with glass collectibles beyond the “Shrek” set, AP bought and analyzed new glasses off the shelf, and old ones from online auctions, thrift shops and a flea market. The buys were random.

Story: McDonald’s pulls ‘Shrek’ glasses for cadmium
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Story: Trinkets in trash after cadmium warning

The fact it was so easy to find glasses that appeal to kids and appear to violate the federal lead law suggests that contamination in glassware is wider than one McDonald’s promotion.

The irony of the latest findings is that AP’s original investigation in January revealed that some Chinese manufacturers were substituting cadmium for banned lead in children’s jewelry; that finding eventually led to the McDonald’s-Shrek recall; now, because of the new testing primarily for cadmium in other glassware, lead is back in the spotlight as well.

AP’s testing, conducted by ToyTestingLab of Rhode Island, found that the enamel used to color the Tin Man had the highest lead levels, at 1,006 times the federal limit for children’s products. Every Oz and superhero glass tested exceeded the government limit: The Lion by 827 times and Dorothy by 770 times; Wonder Woman by 533 times, Superman by 617 times, Batman by 750 times and the Green Lantern by 677 times.

Federal regulators will decide whether the superhero and Oz glasses are “children’s products” and thus subject to strict lead limits; if U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission staffers conclude the glasses to fall outside that definition, the lead levels would be legal.

Judging by the agency’s own analysis, obtained by the AP under the Freedom of Information Act, the Oz and superhero glasses appeal to kids.

“Licensed characters based on action superhero themes or friendship themes are very popular” with children ages 6 to 8, CPSC staff wrote when explaining why the “Shrek” glasses, which featured the cartoon ogre and his friends, would end up in children’s hands.

Warner Brothers said, “It is generally understood that the primary consumer for these products is an adult, usually a collector.”

However, on Warner Brothers’ website, the superhero glasses are sold alongside kids’ T-shirts with similar images and a school lunch box. An online retailer, www.retroplanet.com, describes the 10-ounce glasses as “a perfect way to serve cold drinks to your children or guests.”

The importer, Utah-based Vandor LLC, said it “markets its products to adult collectors.” The company said less than 10,000 of each set had been sold and that the products were made under contract in China.

The company said that superhero and “Oz” glasses both passed testing done for Vandor by a CPSC-accredited lab, including the same lead content test that ToyTestingLab did for AP — a test only required of children’s products. Spokeswoman Meryl Rader did not answer when asked why a test specific to children’s products would be performed on glasses the company said were not intended for kids.

“The results were well within the legal limits” of 0.03 percent lead, Rader wrote in an e-mail. The company would not share those results.

Informed in general terms of AP’s results, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said that the agency would pursue action against any high-lead glasses determined to be children’s products. The agency has authority to enforce lead levels for glasses going back decades, he said.

AP’s testing showed Vandor’s Chinese manufacturer also relied on cadmium. That toxic metal comprised up to 2.5 percent of the decorative surface of the Oz and superhero glasses, nearly double the levels found in the recalled “Shrek” glasses. But the CPSC only limits how much cadmium escapes from the designs, not how much cadmium the designs contain. Even that regulation is new: The CPSC used the “Shrek” glasses to establish a standard for how much cadmium coming out of children’s glassware creates a health hazard.

Five of the glasses that AP tested, including one ordered from the online Coca-Cola store, shed at least as much cadmium as the CPSC found on the “Shrek” glasses. While those five could have been deemed a health hazard under the CPSC guidelines used for the recall, recent revisions tripled the allowable amount of cadmium and the agency may no longer consider them a problem. The agency has said its upward revision means the “Shrek” glasses did not need to be recalled.

The all-red Coke glass shed three times more cadmium than the Puss in Boots “Shrek” glass that worried federal regulators the most last summer. Coke Zero and Diet Coke glasses did not exhibit the same problem.

In announcing that it was voluntarily recalling 22,000, four-glass sets “for quality reasons,” the Coca-Cola Co. said the glass designed to look like a red can of Coca-Cola “did not meet our quality expectations. While recent tests indicated some cadmium in the decoration on the outside of the glass, the low levels detected do not pose a safety hazard or health threat.”

The company said consumers who purchased the glasses from Coke’s online store will receive an automatic credit; customers who bought the glasses in retail stores will be instructed on what to do starting Nov. 30.

The glasses, which Coke said were “designed for the general adult population,” were manufactured in the United States by Arc International, the same company that made the recalled “Shrek” glasses.

In all, AP scrutinized 13 new glasses and 22 old ones, including glasses sold during McDonald’s promotion for a 2007 “Shrek” movie. The used glasses date from the late 1960s to 2007, mostly from promotions at major fast-food restaurants. Thousands of such collectibles are available at online auction sites; countless others are kept in American kitchen cabinets, and used regularly by children and adults.

First, AP screened them using a state-of-the-art Olympus Innov-X gun that shoots X-rays into a glass and delivers an estimate of how much lead, cadmium or various other elements are present.

The glasses were then sent to ToyTestingLab, which is accepted by the CPSC as an accredited laboratory for a range of procedures.

The glasses were tested according to the procedure that the safety commission used in the “Shrek” recall. The decorated surface of each glass was stroked 30 times with water-soaked wipes, with each stroke representing a hand touch. The wipes were then analyzed for how many micrograms of lead, cadmium or other elements they collected.

Finally, for seven of the superhero and Oz glasses the lab extracted samples of the decorations. That colored enamel was analyzed for its total lead content.

“I was extremely surprised at the levels,” said Paul Perrotti, ToyTestingLab’s director, of the total content test. He said his lab has seen glasses that fail to meet government standards, “But not 30 percent lead.”

Despite what Perrotti described as “grossly high” levels, the wipe testing picked up very little lead coming out from these seven glasses. His staff had to use a diamond-tipped grinder to remove the colors, suggesting the enamel was strongly bonded to the glass.

Perrotti and glass engineers interviewed by AP said the surface of the glasses AP tested could break down with repeated use, scouring and trips to the dishwasher, making the metals more accessible.

Following a cascade of problems with products manufactured in China, Congress in 2008 passed strict new limits that effectively ban lead in any children’s product. The underlying materials in these products — including the baked-in enamel — cannot be more 0.03 percent lead.

Lead has long been known to reduce IQ in kids; recent research suggests cadmium also can damage young brains. Cadmium also is a carcinogen that can harm kidneys and bones, especially if it accumulates over time.

Cadmium, however, also happens to be an indispensable pigment for an important part of the color palette — without it there is no “fire engine red” (think Superman’s cape and Dorothy’s slippers). Lead on the other hand is not essential.

A lot of a toxic metal in a glass does not necessarily mean a health hazard. Most of the 35 lab-tested glasses were safe under normal conditions — their decorations shed very low or no detectable amounts of lead or cadmium. Among those that did release higher levels in the wipe test, none gave off nearly enough to make someone immediately sick, according to AP’s analysis of the results.

Instead, the concern is low levels of exposure over weeks or months, whether kids also are eating a sandwich or licking their fingers.

In addition to the seven contaminated Oz and superhero glasses, 10 others raised concern over longer-term contact — two for both lead and cadmium, five for lead only and three for cadmium only. According to widely used computer modeling, the contamination that came off three of the glasses could measurably increase a child’s blood lead level.

If half of what gets onto a child’s hand enters their mouth, as the CPSC calculates, seven of the glasses would require fewer than 20 hand touches for kids age 6 and under to exceed U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for the maximum amount of lead they should ingest in a day.

Most of the 10 additional glasses were released before 2000, including a Disney “Goofy” glass distributed by McDonald’s that shed lead and cadmium, and three “Return of the Jedi” glasses from 1983 released by Burger King. One of the “Jedi” glasses hit the FDA lead level for 6-year-olds after just eight touches.

Both fast food chains said in statements that their glasses met applicable safety standards at the time they were manufactured. Disney, which ran several promotions with McDonald’s for glassware AP tested, had no comment.

Using computer modeling, nationally recognized toxicologist Dr. Paul Mushak, who has advised government agencies including the CPSC and now operates a consulting practice in North Carolina, concluded that if half of what came off the glasses was ingested, it could raise a 5- to 6-year-old’s blood lead level by 11 percent on the high end and 4 percent on average.

The blood level changes didn’t alarm Mushak, but he expressed concern because lead from the glasses would be absorbed into the bones, only to be released much later in life, for example in menopausal women.

Mushak suggested that the safety commission’s wipe test could underestimate real-world exposure, because it uses water on the wipes, a very mild approach. AP’s testing showed that when glasses were subjected to a wipe wetted with artificial sweat, the amounts of lead or cadmium that came off were up to four times higher than water wipes.

Members of the association representing the U.S. glassware industry say the glasses are safe and strongly protest that the wipe test does not accurately reflect how much lead or cadmium escapes in the real world.

Myra Warne, executive director of the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products, said she is frustrated that the CPSC used it, rather than a more commonly used method developed by the FDA.

“As we are aware, government agencies don’t always (or perhaps often) share their insight and knowledge with one another which is likely why CPSC and others are fixated on improper test protocol for our products,” she wrote in an e-mail.

…E agora por um Banco e uma Moeda Mundial

Por Luis R. Miranda
The Real Agenda
Maio 19, 2010

Desde a infância tenho ouvido sobre a possibilidade de uma moeda global. Naquele tempo, ninguém por perto conseguia me explicar como iria surgir e quem a controlaria. A resposta a estas questões já estão claras. Dominic Strauss-Kahn respondeu às minhas questões de infância. Uma moeda global gerida por um Banco Central Global. O chefe do FMI disse que isto é necessário durante uma reunião na qual reafirmou sua opinião de que esta crise é uma “oportunidade.”

Segundo Kahn, o Fundo Monetário Internacional e o Banco de Pagamentos Internacionais seriam de última instância nos casos em que a economia global ficasse em ruínas. Kahn disse que a nova moeda seria um ativo “livre de risco para o sistema independente de moedas nacionais” e um banco mundial central “também poderia servir como um emprestador de última instância”. Que inteligente o Sr. Kahn! O problema é que estas ideias não são novas e não são dele. A criação de uma instituição financeira global tem estado em formação ao longo de décadas.

A idéia de um órgão mundial que controle a emissão de moeda e a política financeira como um todo foi criado antes do nascimento das Nações Unidas, a Liga das Nações e da União Européia. Este princípio de concentração do poder e política foi originalmente concebido para acumular o controle sob o pretexto de evitar a corrupção econômica e os desastres financeiros. No entanto, não demorou muito para descobrirmos que é exatamente o oposto. Assim como a criação da Liga das Nações, as Nações Unidas e a União Européia não acabou com as guerras, a instabilidade econômica não terminará com a criação de uma organização supranacional -na verdade será perpetuada.

Revisemos alguns acontecimentos passados. Desde que as Nações Unidas nasceram, temos experimentado conflitos em todos os continentes. Esses conflitos não ocorreram entre países, mas eram desestabilizações realizadas com grupos criminosos patrocinados por governos ou agências de inteligência. Mossad, a MI6, a CIA, os talibãs e o IRA são apenas alguns exemplos. Guerras patrocinadas por países são uma coisa do passado, pois os banqueiros entenderam que poderiam causar conflitos usando e controlando as organizações terroristas que fariam o trabalho para eles.

No mundo da economia e finanças, os impérios, ou os países que aspiravam a tornar-se impérios, tinham e ainda têm os instrumentos para a realização de terrorismo económico e financeiro. As corporações que operavam fora dos governos, inicialmente contrataram instituições financeiras para realizar atividades fraudulentas. Depois, as corporações se tornaram o governo e, em seguida, era mais fácil realizar suas operações de terrorismo financeiro. Multinacionais da Banca estabeleceram uma nova ordem controlada por elas, acabaram com a supervisão dos governos e criaram políticas que efetivamente as transformou em donas da economia mundial.

Assim, os banqueiros não precisam de Al-Qaeda, MI6, Mossad ou a CIA para colocar o mundo de joelhos. Esse objetivo poderia ser alcançado através de Wall Street, o FMI e o Banco Internacional de Pagamentos. A criação de blocos regionais para promover o comércio e a troca era uma desculpa para consolidar o poder e os recursos. Essa idéia foi mais tarde provada em todo o mundo, promovendo a criação de uma instituição financeira global que irá lidar com a questão do dinheiro e em que condições este é fornecido.

Quais foram os resultados da concentração de política financeira e económica na Europa? Nós estamos vendo agora. Islândia, Grécia e agora Espanha, Portugal e Inglaterra estão em ruínas. Por quê? Porque a homogeneização financeira não se destina a promover economias estáveis e políticas econômicas sólidas, mas a reforçar o controle e a implementação de políticas que permitam aos banqueiros consolidar ainda mais poder. O objetivo dos banqueiros nunca foi uma economia estável, com uma política monetária sólida, porque nesse tipo de mundo eles têm menos controle e a riqueza não está concentrada em suas mãos.

Vejamos outro exemplo que a historia nos dá: A criação de políticas globalistas como acordos de livre comércio. NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT por citar alguns, foram as tropas no terreno para os banqueiros. O fim do mundo industrial, o fim do capitalismo como funcionou com sucesso durante algum tempo, deu lugar à abertura das fronteiras para o fluxo de produtos tóxicos e baratos assim como imigrantes ilegais. Os acordos de livre comércio não só destruiram a indústria, mas também aniquilaram a rede de segurança social nas nações do mundo ocidental. Enquanto o dinheiro das cidades e povos foi roubado e usado para investir em produtos financeiros imaginários, estrangeiros ilegais espremiam os serviços sociais básicos, já enfraquecidos, em todas as nações da América e da Europa.

Hoje, os políticos mais influentes e as estrelas da cultura pop justificam a falta de respeito para as nações, suas constituições e leis, para permitir não só acordos de livre comércio, mas o fluxo contínuo de imigrantes ilegais nas fronteiras. Aplicar as leis de imigração e a constituição é visto como racista e os defensores da imigração legal são rotulados como injustos, desumanos e simplesmente loucos. Este é exatamente o resultado que os banqueiros queriam. Dividir para conquistar nunca foi melhor. As políticas de imigração são definitivamente radicais em um mundo onde todas as pessoas, inconscientemente, acreditam que a abertura das fronteiras é normal e as mercadorias baratas feitas pelos escravos na América Latina e Ásia são os melhores pelo seu preço.

Agora que demos uma olhada para trás, vamos olhar para o futuro. Como seria um mundo com maior concentração de poder e controle nas mãos dos responsáveis pela crise atual? Vamos ser otimistas e dizer que não poderia ser pior, certamente, não melhor. A centralização de poder e do governo a nível regional é o que causou a confusão em que estamos agora, a centralização nas mãos daqueles que financiaram Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Noriega, Pinochet, Saddam Hussein e que agora controlam as finanças e os governos dos Estados Unidos, Inglaterra, Ásia e África vai fazer o mundo mais caótico do que já é. Para seu benefício, é claro. A história não mente, não é?

Aqueles que prometeram o fim da guerra, só trouxeram mais conflito. Aqueles que prometeram estabilidade financeira só criaram mais desigualdade, pobreza e miséria. Será que você deixaria as chaves de sua casa nas mãos do ladrão que está fora de sua propriedade para cuidar dela? Você não faria isso. Você não deveria. Na eleição seguinte, sem importar onde você mora, vote por você e vote os ladrões fora do governo. Essa é a única forma de derrotar a sua agenda de conquista e escravidão. Muitas pessoas já estão trabalhando ativamente para acabar com a tirania global criada décadas atrás, assim que você não está sozinho.

Agora, basta de falar! Vamos agir! Abaixo está uma lista de algumas das empresas fraudulentas que controlam o mundo de hoje. Eu estou esperando que você lhes negue o privilégio de conduzir a sua vida. Pare o uso, a compra e o consumo dos seus produtos. Vamos usar o globalismo contra eles mesmos. Um boicote mundial dos seus produtos baratos, tóxicos e fraudulentos é o primeiro passo.

Merck                              Napa                              Holiday Inn                    ACE

Old Navy                        Ford                              Seven Eleven                  USPS

Comcast                         Chevrolet                    Citgo                                  VISA

CNN                                 Dyncorp                       Pepsi                                  Chevron

Coca Cola                      True Value                   Kraft                                  Chrysler

Exxon Mobile             General Electric         Starbucks                        Westinghouse

Taco Bell                       Wells Fargo                  America Online             KFC

NBC Universal            American Airlines    Royal Dutch Shell         Bank of America

CBS                                  The Carlyle Group    GAP                                     Master Card

Master Card                Stop&Shop                   HBO                                     ABC

Nike                               Wal Mart                       Jiffy Lube                          JP Morgan

GM                                 Volkswagen                 Fox News Channel        Monsanto

Du Pont                        NASA                             Pizza Hut                           Syngenta

Microsoft                    Mc Donald’s                 Home Depot                    Safe Way

Burger King               Sony                                Dodge                                Intel

Staples                         Verizon                          Toro                                  John Deere

Firestone                    Bechtel                           MSNBC                             Goodyear

Amoco                        AT&T                               Mitsubishi                       Nestle

Sugira o nome de mais empresas através da seção de comentários. Além disso, participe na nossa pesquisa sobre as corporções e seu controle sobre os governos.

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