Dear Katherine,
Life used to be simple. When I was a kid packing my lunch, avoiding garbage wasn't a big challenge. With my reusable Muppets lunchbox, Miss Piggy sandwich case and Kermit the Frog thermos, the only real garbage I had was the braunschweiger sandwich my mom made me take. (If you don't know what braunschweiger is, consider yourself lucky.) These days things are a little more complicated. Not only do we have to be careful to avoid garbage from over-packaged products like "lunchables"-probably more disposable packaging per serving than almost any other food product-but we have to make sure our kid's lunch isn't encased in toxins like lead. (Didn't know that was a concern? I'm always here for the good news.) Here are some important tips to make sure your child's lunch is both litter-free and lead-free.
Pack it in, pack it out
* Choose reuse: Pack a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin, stainless-steel utensils instead of disposable plastics, and a reusable drink container instead of disposables. Make these fun for your kids with bright colors or characters-reuse shouldn't mean boring. Remember to avoid plastic bottles with a #7 on them. A #7 on a reusable plastic bottle indicates polycarbonate (PC), which can potentially leach bisphenol-A, a known hormone disruptor. Instead, use a #2 plastic bottle, or even better, avoid plastic all together by using a reusable stainless steel bottle, available at REI, Vitamin Cottage, or at www.kleankanteen.com (they also create sippy cups).
* Pack food in reusable containers and avoid disposables like plastic wrap and plastic bags.
* Avoid pre-packaged items and reduce food waste by using reusable containers like Tupperware that can be resealed to take leftovers back home.
* Pack lunches in a durable lunch box or backpack instead of relying on paper or plastic bags. Check out laptoplunches.com for a fully-equipped reusable lunch kit.
Hold the Lead
Remember how we worked so hard to get lead out of products like paints and gasoline? If you've wondered where the lead went, check your child's vinyl lunch box. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) recently released testing results that show that common soft vinyl lunchboxes can contain lead. Initial independent laboratory testing commissioned by CEH last year found seventeen lunch boxes with high lead levels, with one lunch box testing at 56,400 parts per million (ppm) of lead, more than 90 times the 600 ppm legal limit for lead in paint in children's products. In most cases, the highest lead levels CEH found were in the lining of lunch boxes, where lead could come into direct contact with food. Photos of some of the lunch boxes can be found at www.cehca.org/lunchboxes.htm#photos.
As we learned long ago, lead is known to be harmful to children even in minute amounts. It can impair brain development and cause other behavioral and developmental problems. According to CEH, children may be exposed to lead from lunch boxes when they eat food that has been stored in them. Handling the lunchboxes just before eating could also be an exposure risk.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has urged companies "to refrain from marketing such lead-containing lunchboxes." As a result, CEH has found that there are fewer lunchboxes with lead in stores this year. Since it's not possible to tell by looking at it whether a vinyl lunch box may contain lead, CEH advises parents to avoid vinyl lunch boxes altogether. Parents can also test vinyl lunchboxes for lead; for information visit www.cehca.org/lunchboxes.htm#test.
Okay, I know that's a lot more than you wanted to know, but I hope this helps your child have a yummy litter-free, lead-free, and I'd recommend braunschweiger-free lunch.
