By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

The Washington Toxics Coalition and the Michigan-based Ecology Center are releasing new chemical test data for more than 900 everyday products, including back-to-school products and pet toys, on a new website www.HealthyStuff.org.

The site offers information on more than 15,000 test results on about 5,000 common consumer items.

The site alerts consumers to the dangers of lead, cadmium, mercury, PVC, flame retardants, and other hazardous chemicals found in school supplies, pet toys, cars, and many other everyday consumer products.

I recommend baby boomer consumers make use of this information.

I took some toys, a plastic storage container, and a pair flip flops to a testing day offered by the coalition last year. All of the items I had tested contained PVC or a hazardous chemical.

It’s especially important to find out about possible toxins in children’s toys because children often chew on them.

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By Rita R. Robison, Blogging at The Survive and thrive Boomer Guide

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is fining nine children’s product manufacturers, importers, and sellers who have agreed to pay more than $500,000 in civil penalties for violating the federal lead paint ban.

The penalties settle charges that the firms knowingly manufactured, imported, or sold toys and other children’s articles with paint or other surface coatings that contained lead levels in violation of federal law. The commission has provisionally accepted the settlements.

Michael’s Store writing pens

These products were recalled in 2007 and 2008, and include items such as toys, children’s metal jewelry, children’s pens, metal water bottles, pencil pouches, sunglasses, and children’s Halloween pails and baskets.

Tests showed that paint or surface coatings on these children’s products contained lead in excess of 600 ppm, or 0.06 percent, by weight.

One firm’s testing revealed that its products contained surface coatings with nearly 60 percent lead.

In 1978, a federal ban was put in place that prohibited toys and other children’s articles from having more than 0.06 percent lead by weight in paints or surface coatings.

Lead can be toxic if ingested by young children and can cause health problems.

The commission has ordered the following firms to pay civil penalties to the federal government:

• Cardinal Distributing Co. Inc., of Baltimore, Md., $100,000, Recall No. 07-157

• Dollar General Corp., of Goodlettsville, Tenn., $100,000, Recalls No. 08-007, No. 08-068, and No. 08-080

• Family Dollar Stores Inc., of Matthews, N.C., $75,000, Recall No. 08-051

• Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., of Oklahoma City, Okla., $50,000, Recalls No. 08-084 and No. 08-229

• First Learning Co. Ltd., of Hong Kong, $50,000, Recalls No. 08-141 and No. 08-174

• Michaels Stores Inc., of Irving, Texas, $45,000, Recall No. 08-248

• A&A Global Industries Inc., of Cockeysville, Md., $40,000, Recall No. 07-144

• Raymond Geddes & Co., of Baltimore, Md., $40,000, Recall No. 08-096

• Downeast Concepts Inc., of Yarmouth, Maine, $30,000, Recall No. 08-231

Downeast Concepts metal water bottles

In agreeing to settle the matters, the firms deny the commission’s allegations that they knowingly violated the law.

The commission is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to thse product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell the agency about it by visiting www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx.

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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Guest Blogger

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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Guest Blogger

We usually have mild winter weather in the Pacific Northwest, but yesterday we had sprinkling of snow when I got out of bed.

I debated about taking my morning walk, bit I decided to try it. The snow was slushy and melting. I was careful and my 20-minute walk went well.

Beth Webber, 51, wasn’t so lucky. She fell in December during a walk with her husband neighborhood, according to an article on Indystar.com. About two blocks from the house, Webber, who was wearing walking shoes, slipped and broke her left arm.

I thought of the harsh winter conditions many people are having throughout the U.S. I also remembered the image I had of injured people in the orthopedic surgeon’s office when I fractured my arm and knee cap because I fell.

I decided to write this post on how to avoid the slips and falls that can occur during the winter months.

Nearly two-thirds of mishaps occur on snow, ice, or wet surfaces near entrances or on parking lots, according to the Utah Safety Council.

The council offers these tips to help you prevent falls this winter season:

• Wear shoes that provide good traction.

• Dress warmly. Being cold might cause you to hurry or tense your muscles – both of which can affect your balance.

• Give yourself plenty of time. Take short steps with your feet pointed slightly outward. This will help keep your center of balance under you and provide a stable base for support.

• Be extremely careful getting out of your vehicle. If possible, swing your legs around and place both feet on the pavement before you attempt to stand. Steady yourself on the door frame until you have gained your balance. Avoid reaching beyond your center of balance to take hold of the door, because this might cause a fall.

• Don’t take shortcuts. Always use sidewalks and the cleared paths in parking lots. Never walk between parked cars. Be especially careful when stepping to different levels — down or up steps or from curbs (don’t step on curbs). And remember, grassy slopes can be as dangerous as snowy steps.

• Pay attention to the walking surface. It might become wetter or slicker ahead of you. Look down, however, only with your eyes. If you bow your head, it could propel you forward.

• When walking after sunset or in shadowed areas, be alert for black ice — particularly in the days after a storm. Once parking lots, sidewalks, and steps have been cleared, a thin layer of water remains and re-freezes when the temperature drops.

• Carry only those items necessary. Carrying weighted or bulky packages is also risky.

Here are additional tips from the Indystar article:

• Stay inside when it’s icy or snowy if you’re prone to falls, waiting until the sidewalks are salted or the ice and snow melts.

• Be prepared by being informed about the weather so you aren’t caught by surprise by freezing rain.

• Keep salt by your front door so you don’t slip on that first step.

• Stay on the porch while you dog goes out in the yard.

• Spread the impact out over a wider area if you fall rather than having one focused spot of impact.

• Change your gait to a slow shuffle and move slowly, walk flat-footed, and take mincing steps if you realize the surface underfoot is slippery.

Good luck in the winter weather. I hope the rest of the season is a safe one for you.

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I recall very well the first holidays, anniversaries and birthdays alone as a widow. Sometimes you want to be with others and other times you will want to be alone. It’s important not to isolate yourself, but do be kind to yourself during these stressful moments. If you need to cry, do so. If you need support, ask for it. True friends and family that love you will be there to lend support. Sometimes we’re afraid to ask for that support, but on the other side, sometimes those friends aren’t sure what to do for you, even if it’s just listening while you talk or sitting quietly with you for support.

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