Recently in Toxics and Contaminants Category

More information about recalled food products is available on the Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/

Federal Food Safety and Inspection
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Product Recall Specifics:  Call the Manufacturing  Company
Consumers with questions regarding recalled items should contact companies that issue recalls.

Testing Products for Safety
The Hygienic Laboratory in Iowa is one example of food testing to prevent outbreaks spreading. With techniques such as DNA fingerprinting, lab testing can identify specific contaminants, such as Salmonella.

The Hygienic Laboratory is the state of Iowa's environmental and public health laboratory, with facilities located at the University of Iowa's Research Campus in Iowa City and at the Iowa Lab Facilities in Ankeny, a Des Moines suburb. For more information about the laboratory and its programs and services, visit http://www.uhl.uiowa.edu.

Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery provides the following guidance:

"Consumers can check with their local recycling facility to see if they collect these kinds of contaminated jewelry and trinkets. To find a local recycling facility, they can go to www.earth911.com .

If a local recycling facility doesn't take these articles, consumers can go ahead and throw them in the trash. Our modern landfills are made to be able to hold such contamination without leaking it into the environment."

So, we can dispose of these safely.

For more information on the disposal of waste, please visit our Website. For information on product recalls and keeping people safe in and around the home, visit the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's Neighborhood Safety Network.

Start at the Beginning...

While it is important to know what to do with current products that are, or could likely be contaminated with lead and other elements detrimental to health, it is important to THINK EARLY and not buy them in the first place.

Establishing your own "Purchasing Policies" for gifts, housewares, hobby supplies, etc. make a lasting difference in the level of toxins in your home or workspace.  For example, you can adopt "best practices" that fit your needs such as:

• Buy from certified suppliers (Know which certifications are best in your field)
• Buy just what you need for the anticipated life of your project (Stuff gets old :-)
• Think long term -- limit purchases of fads and temporary fixes
• Buy less, but buy BETTER
• Buy multi-use items vs. single application tools, supplies and furnishings