worried! Am I overreacting?

[becca29]

We have been SO careful through our whole pregnancy, making sure to do everything right. Well, just last week I read something about lead and vinyl mini-blinds. So DH got a kit and tested our blinds, and sure enough, they contained lead. He's taken them all down, but I'm 33 weeks right now and all I can think of is "what damage have I done?" I've been opening those stupid things every morning for the last two years! DH is trying hard to tell me not to worry but all I can think of are worst-case scenerios. Granted, what I read about the blinds said that they are considered the biggest risk to young children, and not adults (since we don't put them in our mouths) but I still can't help worrying.

[AmyG]

Try not to worry. First of all, worrying won't help. Secondly, I doubt that there is much of a risk there at all. Like you mentioned, you haven't been chewing on them like a baby would have. You've been opening them, but that's really not enough manipulation to free the lead particles. Plus, it's probably not as bad when it goes into your nose as it is when it goes in your mouth. You probably sneeze what does go in there right out. I can't imagine that much at all would make it into your bloodstream.

I know it's hard to be rational when it's yourself you're worrying about, but your baby really should be fine.

[becca29]

Thanks!

I am feeling better about it today. I'll ask my doc about it next week, but overall I thought about all of the other things that can happen that we can't do anything about. We've taken the time to do so many more things right, and will continue to do so after the baby is born, so I'm just trying to focus on all that good stuff instead of one problem that may not even be a problem.

[Ravin]

Okay, a bit about lead:

It's pretty dense stuff, and as long as whatever's made of it is intact, presents very little hazard. Unlike paint, which can chip and flak into bitty pieces which can then be inhaled or ingested, the mini-blinds are only going to be a hazard if, as someone suggested a baby might, you chew on them. So unless you tried to eat them for lunch, it's highly unlikely they did you any harm. There are a lot of things that is true for. For example, while I was in the service I worked in a lot of old buildings with asbestos tile on the floor. We were warned to watch for chipping of the tile, but it was considered generally safer to leave intact tile in place than to tear it out, as the work involved in tearing it out was quite hazardous while walking on it was not.

A general rule of thumb is, if someone MIGHT put it in their mouth, or it might shatter and be breathed in, it should be natural and free of dangerous chemicals. Otherwise, it's probably not an immediate threat to health. As for lead, the most important things to make sure are free of it are any old paint around the house (on the walls, furniture, etc.), any really old dishes (some of the funky colors popular in the seventies, for example used lead), and the pipes. (If you've got an older house, the hard-to-get-to pipes could be lead. It tends to last, which was why it was used so much).

[roarzilla]

I wouldn't worry too much. Dh is a freak about this type of thing too. He had our soil tested and now only pot gardens.
SARAH Mom to Aurora 6/11/01 and Genevieve edd 6/29/03

[becca29]

Thanks for the info! I think the hardest thing with these kinds of issues is that it's hard to find out how dangerous they really are. And for those of us worrywarts, that can be really freaky.

Reading your posts actually reminded me of the whole lead-Christmas-light thing this year. Apparently they contain lead, so there are now warnings on all the packages. Well, DH and I went around and around about it, he saying its no big deal since they are just sitting on the tree and me worrying like crazy about it. Finally I did some research about it, decided that it was fine to have DH put them up and I just wouldn't touch them. Well, in reading about the lights I found out about tons of other products that all contain different levels of lead or other toxins, some probably dangerous and some not even close. I knew it was time to just cool down and take a reality check when I found out that there is one group in California who wants warning labels on chocolate bars, because chocolate contains natural levels of lead and other metals. I mean, that just seems a little too much! :

I've decided that for the rest of my pregnancy I'm just going to try to let things roll off me. DH pointed out to me last night that I've been trying to "micro-manage" this whole pregnancy and its just stressing me out more. There are just too many things in this world that no matter how much I read or do or prepare I just can't do anything about, so I'm trying hard to just let myself be excited and know that in a few more weeks our first baby will be here!!

Thanks for the support. It's amazing how much having a few people just remind you to relax can make a difference!