As I was getting my mom's house ready to put on the market, I noticed that the lock on one of her door knobs was broken. I purchased a new one at the hardware store when my son noticed a small label on the front of the package. It was a disclosure required by California law that this product may contain small traces of lead which may cause cancer.
Since we live in Illinois, it was advised to wash hands thoroughly after each use. Needless to say, I returned the deadly door knob, and drove to another store to purchase one without any fine print.
This led me to an article about the dangers of antique pewter. It mentioned that the older door knobs, drawer pulls, or any type of hardware could contain almost 15% of lead. It was strongly recommended not to take a chance on putting any pewter objects in a baby's room as infants and small children often wrap their mouths around everything in sight.
This raises some important questions. Do Californians have more of a fighting chance against lead poisoning than the rest of us? How does this possibly relate to Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group?
We need to join forces, and proceed with closed mouths when we come into contact with anything that may contain lead in it. Then we must put our insecurities on hold, as we become human metal detectors. Hence, when opportunity knocks from that agent or publisher you were waiting for, calmly open the door with a gloved hand.
A door knob that's dangerous to touch! That's classic!
ReplyDeleteAh clever you combined the challenge and Insecure Writers Group. An interesting read, which raised important issues.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Excellent way to approach both subjects!! And who manufactures doorknobs with lead anyway? That is crazy!!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Jenn
http://www.wine-n-chat.com
Why the heck would they, in this day and age, knowingly make an object containing a contaminant and then blithely warn the purchaser expecting that it won't make any difference and they will buy it anyway? Are they nuts????
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder whether there are any faucets with that warning. "Turn off the faucet after washing hands. Wash hands after touching the faucet."
ReplyDeleteEllie
Ellie's Blank Book
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I'm sure I've got a few deadly doorknobs around this place. It's old and lead must surround me. *chokes and falls to the floor.
ReplyDelete:-)
well Julie, you have certainly made me laugh this afternoon...I started back at your 'A' and went through today...okay, first of all I hate bra shopping. I'd just as leave order something from a catalog in an approximate size then go in and try the dreaded holster on! UGH! If I find one I like I buy it in every color of the rainbow. Now, onto that constipation...my son is forever constipated and we've struggled with this since he was a baby....so the words in thepoem hold true...and really? lead poisoning on a door handle? My thoughts are we are all going to die of something so my take is 'don't sweat the small stuff!' and it's ALL small stuff!
ReplyDeletegreat job and have a lovely day!
Yee gads! What will they make next! Maybe a drink filled with lead with a label reading "guaranteed to refresh and cause lead poisoning!"
ReplyDeleteRosalind - It's a good thing my son was in town, because the warning label was so small that I didn't even see it. Thanks Rosalind!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I couldn't think of another way to tie it in with the IWSG, so I hope it works. Thanks Yvonne!
Jenn - I bought it at the same hardware store that we've been going to for years, so it was quite a shock. Thanks for following me, and I'll be right over!
Delores - The strangest part was that California was the only state that thought this might pose a problem! Seems pretty nuts to me too!
Ellie - Good point about the faucets! Is anything really safe anymore? Thanks Ellie!
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ReplyDeleteLee - Try to hang on at least until A to Z is over, and be careful!
ReplyDeleteTracy - Has your son tried Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal? It has fiber and omega 3 in it, and you just sprinkle it in your cereal. You may want to check with your doctor first. Stocking up on lots of colors is a great idea! Thanks for taking the time to read A - D in one sitting, and for your kind words! I hope your son feels better soon. Thanks again Tracy!
Mary - I hope they haven't already done it! Just in case, you better wash your mouth out with soap too! Julie
I don't know how our parents survived with all this new discoveries. Everything was tainted with this or that material that we now know is lethal... gee. I tend not to worry too much about this stuff, I eat right, try to exercise as often as I can, I keep out of my mouth strange, old, things, and then I don't think about it. I tell myself that when my time comes it can be a fall in the shower and still be deadly.
ReplyDeleteNice post!
From Diary of a Writer in Progress
It's amazing that we managed to grow up at all, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteWow. And here I was, thinking you could only get VD from a doorknob.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you merged the doorknob post and the IWSG smart move!
ReplyDeleteLove this - a serious message and humor, too, all wrapped in a tidy short post :)
ReplyDeleteSneaky! Will use gloves, promise.
ReplyDeleteDid you know I lived in California but I moved because it could have gave me cancer. Al gets things mixed up with toilet seats so you'll have to forgive him!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun blog. And I know this has nothing to do with doorknobs or Insecure writers, but I love your constipation poem!
ReplyDeleteGwynneth
http://todayinshenaya.blogspot.com
Gina - You definitely have the right attitude, but be careful in the shower!
ReplyDeleteVjicha - Yes it is!
Al - Exactly how attached are you to your door knobs?
Alex - I tried to tie it all together, but it was fun sneaking it in at the end! Gloves will only add to your mysterious persona!
Bushman - No, no California is trying to save us! Al is all worked up over "E," so we have to give him a break!
Gwynneth - I'm glad that you went back to "C." I really had fun writing it! Thanks Gwynneth
Suppose to wash hands every time after touching the door knob? I'd be afraid to be touching it at all. I'd say that's a bit scary to think about.
ReplyDeleteOnce when I backed up too forcefully into a doorknob.......oh, that's just a painful memory.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I wrap my toilet seats in Saran Wrap. The first time was so embarrassing. No one told me NOT to cover the bowl, too.
ReplyDeleteAs a native Californian (not so proudly so, though our weather can't be beat) I remember a huge lead-poisoning scare in the 70s. I was even scared to write with a pencil. I don't know if we've got more of a fighting chance against lethal lead. But we do have more fighters willing to chance looking silly (say, by labeling a doorknob cancerous) to advance a cause.
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
LOL, I love how you put everything together at the end. I also find a doorknob that is dangerous to touch so absurd that it seems like a joke. Now I'll be worried about my own doorknob and washing my hands every time I go in and out, as if I don't already have enough OCD. ;)
ReplyDeleteStuff like this gets me so riled up, if it's not lead in lipstick or toys -- it's on frickin doorknobs! Geesh, how is that stuff allowed to be sold anyway?
ReplyDeleteHilarious constipation poem, thanks for the grins!
Loved your C post and then I was afraid to read the D post, expecting diarrhea. Not that I would get it or that your writing would cause it, but that you would have a good poem for it. I must say deadly doorknobs was perfect. I look forward to more of your blog. BTW I too am an empty-nester.
ReplyDeleteSurprises come in little packages -- deadly doorknobs -- makes a great headline for the local newspaper!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realized the problem was so large, nor that anyone could still sell them -- well, I guess California can't so they send them out of state -- maybe california is trying to fill the rest of the continent with lead so they won't fall off the map into the ocean due to their population explosion??
Enjoyed the post - hope you can visit mine
Interesting post. Always something to be afraid of.
ReplyDeleteLisa
http://livethemoment09.blogspot.com
What! That is just absurb! I cannot believe there is a product on the market today which is lead based and needing to add a disclosure to cover themselves legally! I am totally shocked!
ReplyDeleteCarolynBrown-Books
Gee, and here I thought people who washed their hands after opening every door were just obsessive-compulsive. I don't know whether to laugh or shake my head in disgust.
ReplyDeleteOh and thank you for introducing me to the Insecure Writers Support Group.
Corinne - I'm sure that's part of it, and feel free to shake your head and laugh at the same time! As for the IWSG, I'm pretty sure that Alex is still accepting new members. Thanks Corinne!
DeleteSusanne - Disposable gloves are another option, but I think we'll all survive!
ReplyDeleteAl - I didn't get to that chapter in Shag Carpet Toilet yet. Please don't spoil it for me. As for the Saran Wrap episode, I'm just grateful you didn't fall in.
Robyn - I was always more worried about poking my eye out with a pencil! I agree that it's worth "looking silly to advance a cause." I just thought that it was strange that it was still sold in IL.
Julie - I always have hand sanitizer in the car, and constantly am washing my hands too. But we're perfectly normal aren't we? Thanks Julie!
Marla - I can't believe I found it in the store either! Glad "C" cheered you up! Thanks for following me, and I hope to see more of you!
Ms. Mouse - I can honestly say I've never given anyone diarrhea...indigestion maybe! Thanks for the kind words, and I'm so glad you stopped by!
Judy - I'm just happy that my son saw the label, and it all worked out. Though it is ridiculous that they are being sold in the first place. Of course I will visit you!
Lisa - That's true! Thanks Lisa!
C.M. - The amount was miniscule, but I agree that they shouldn't be on the shelves in the first place. Thanks for visiting C.M.!
I probably would have returned the doorknob, too, but to put things into perspective, California has insanely tight laws about the most minute presence of "dangerous contaminants". Finding products without that CA warning doesn't necessarily mean those same trace elements aren't present; it just means the product wasn't labeled or manufactured in California.
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interesting. I'm in Canada and looked over some door handles from a liquidation place. They were silver and modern, but it had that 'danger' label on the packages. Weird. Oh, they were from China. Those labels aren't mandatory here in Canada, so I wonder what are actual SAFE ones. Hmm.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article, and found it quite informative. And especially the part about the popularity of the Door Knobs. Thanks for sharing! I generally prefer Door Knobs to Door Knobs and would recommend it to all.
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ReplyDeleteits probably pessimistic to think so extreme . However you can use stainless steel aldrops or stainless steel door handles they probably dont contain lead. However one can consultmanufacturer of door Handles/Knobs before taking decision
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