Fear of lunch boxes

[LunaMom]

Great, now our lunch boxes are dangerous.

I hate the news, because all they ever do is tell you one more thing that you're supposed to be afraid of. Now they're saying that the linings of vinyl lunch boxes can contain dangerous levels of lead. Has anyone else heard about this? Here's a link:

http://www.cehca.org/lunchboxes.htm

My daughter has two insulated bags that she brings to school - one for lunch and one for snack. I put ice packs in both. Neither one is a brand mentioned in the press release, though that doesn't mean anything. Would you be alarmed? Are there alternatives other than brown paper bags, something I could still put an icepack into so her lunch wouldn't spoil and cause another problem???

Did I say I hate the news? I didn't even WATCH it; it was one of those commercial-break teasers, the ones that always sound like this: "It can kill you and it might be in your refrigerator...find out what it is on Fox News at ten!!!" :

[amj'smommy]

I saw that too Both my kids have a soft lunch box from The Childrens Place that is material on the outside but the insulated type lining on the inside and I'm now wondering if those are safe.... seems like you can't win kwim? If you use brown paper bags you're killing trees.... plastic bags are bad for the environment.... a cloth bag would work but their lunch would get warm sitting in their cubby all morning and now their lunch boxes are bad..... Maybe I should just let them buy school lunch every day instead of once in awhile, at least I wouldn't have to worry about their lunch boxes, but that's just a waste of $ and my kids are picky eaters anyways so they'ld probably go hungry Any ideas for safe lunch boxes/sacks that would keep their lunch cold also?????

[Elastagirl]

Be afraid...be very afraid...

Doesn't it seem like everything on the news is completely alarmist and sensational these days, though? "Faux" News is the worst, IMO. As my dad always says, "If you have enough of ANYTHING it'll kill ya!"

But that's a little OT... Do they still make those hard-shell lunch boxes with a thermos like I had in the late 70's/early 80's? Holly Hobbie was my favorite! Seems like those would be pretty safe...wrap up your PB&J sandwich in wax paper, a little milk or soup in the thermos, and you're good to go! Those were the days...sigh...(Nostalgia alert!!)

[UlrikeDG]

I was going to buy a lead testing kit after I voted in the school board election yesterday, but by the time I'd driven 4 blocks from the polling place to the hardware store, it went from barely sprinkling to pouring rain so hard I couldn't see the center line, so I went home instead. I plan to pick one up today if I can get away from MDC and actually do it.

Anyway, yes, there is a lot of sensationalism in the news, but this is an issue that I'm concerned about. My kids use their vinyl lunch boxes as toys and will play with them all day somedays. If there's toxic levels of lead, I want to know, and I want to report it!

[LunaMom]

Okay, so this morning there was a brief in the newspaper about it, so I'm taking the issue more seriously. The paper said that a home testing kit only costs about $3, so I figure I might as well.

[Lil'M]

Thanks for posting this! I fell asleep before they got to the story on the news and just figured that it was another alarmist bs story. Well, I saw a picture in the article that looks just like the lunch box we bought for my dd at Target last week! I'm buying a lead kit today!

[UlrikeDG]

I tested both of ours, and neither tested positive. They're both Thermos brand. :-)

[Sneezykids]

Where do you get the test and how do you test a lunchbox?

I saw the article on MDC the other day and followed the link. We had about 4 of them and I threw them out today. Some were old and torn inside anyway.

My dd has a Minnie and Mickey metal lunchbox that I bought at a flea market. It was like new. I think those are safe. I don't know for sure? I agree the ice pack dilemma is hard. But then again, I brown bagged all my school life w/o one. ::rememebering the room temp bologna and mustard:::
Would a room temp turkey and mustard really be dangerous by then? People used to do it all the time before they had ice packs KWIM?

I think you can still find metal lunch boxes out there. I'll google and see. Or, a large metal tin from the dollar store. I pack my sons snack in there w/ a cold juice box, it works well too.

[Sneezykids]

http://www.lunchboxes.com/snoopy.html

This is cute. (I'm a Snoopy fan) :LOL

they have plain ones too

[Ruthla]

I think my dds' previous school banned metal lunchboxes because some of the kids were too wild and hit other children with them. The plastic/vinyl was supposed to be safer. I know I haven't seen any brand new metal lunchboxes in years.

[UlrikeDG]

I got the test kit at my local hardware store. The first one I went to didn't have them (they had one for testing water, but not for testing paint, etc), but they were able to call their sister store, which did have them in stock.

There's a bit of info about testing in the link the OP posted. I didn't get either of the brands they recommended, because the store didn't have them. It was a simple process; I just followed the instructions that came with the kit.

[rainsmom]

Maybe those mamas who bought the testing kit and tested their lunchboxes could post their findings/brands etc.

Luckily......we had a metal OLIVIA lunchbox that I switched to. Dd goes to a private preschool and the use a fridge....but also recommended us using soft lunchboxes to save on room. I printed out the info........but didnt want to cause mayhem at the school. Should I give it to the director and let her do with it what she will?

The vinyl lunchbox we got was from Walmart and it was an ARCTIC ZONE brand.

[UlrikeDG]

rainsmom, did you test it? Was it positive?

[rainsmom]

No....havent tested it yet......dds been sick and now I am. Im going to try to get to the hardware store tomorrow and Ill post results.