more vinyl items with lead -- and a clarification

["Charlie Cray" <ccray@dialb.greenpeace.org>]

  quick response to Bill Caroll:
  
  On Nov. 15 you posted this to the list:
  
  " Lead in PVC at levels of thousands of ppm may be there as a
  stabilizer. Levels of hundreds of ppm are probably pigments; in the
  low hundreds may be lead from the environment on the article, 
  possibly modulated by its point of origin.
  
  Then, in response to my posting, where I pointed out that the TMA 
  just about lied when they issued a statement that said they do not 
  use lead as stabilizers, you said:
  
  "I do want to address the "lie" issue.  The high lead article to 
  which I referred was the raincoat.  The TMA statement referred to 
  toys.  At the risk of getting another explanation, if you view your 
  raincoat as a toy, I hope Santa thinks more highly of you this year."
  
  The problem with your response is that the raincoat wasn't the only 
  vinyl children's item that we and others have found lead in the 
  thousands of parts per million.  For instance, NBC's Chicago 
  affiliate recently did their own tests and found 6,610 ppm lead in an 
  inflatable toy pizza.
  
  It would be foolish to argue that this item is not a toy and that 
  it is not designed to be put in kids mouths.
  
  Ultimately, the question whether the lead is in there as a stabilizer 
  or pigment additive is not the real point.  The point is that kids 
  should not be exposed to vinyl, cadmium, phthalates, etc.  Vinyl 
  products are a pandora's box of these poisons.
  
  -end-