# Car Keys and Lead Poisoning??!! What??!



## jacksmama (Sep 19, 2003)

I was at the grocery store the other day, my son was in his cart with my car keys shoved down his throat - LIKE HE DOES EVERY SINGLE TIME WE GO OUT - and this nice woman approaches us and tells me that keys contain lead and that not only can my baby get it from sucking on them but that lead residue stays on his hands. She said that she was certain about this and I should not let ds have my keys. I took the keys away from ds and came home and started researching this. (I even searched the MDC archives but I didn't really find anything substantial - maybe I missed it?)

Lo and behold there it was - most keys contain lead. Car keys are often stainless steel but house keys and other types are usually lead since it allows the metal to be formed and keeps it soft.








WTH?!!! Was I not in line the day they handed this bit of parenting info out to all the mothers?? I can't believe that I spend huge amounts of money on antiobiotic free cheese and organic everything and I've been letting my baby lick a lead lollipop every day.

I'm not completely freaked out...but I am a little. Has anyone else heard about this - can you actually become poisoned from this? Has anyone had their kids tested for lead because of key thing? I'm thinking of call my ped for a blood test. My ds is 10 1/2 mos old and still not crawling - I'm sitting here thinking that I've od'd his system with lead - maybe that's why. My mama brain is spinning!


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

omg, how shocking!!!!! i had no idea! i see little ones chewing on keys alllllll the time-the only reason i never let my dd do it is b/c im scatterbrained when we're out and about and i was scared she'd drop them and i'd lose em..
i can't believe it. i guess they forgot to include that page in the Great Big Natural Mama Handbook. i hope you get some good answers to your ???


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## EllasMummy (Dec 10, 2003)

OMG! I didnt know that! I always give DD my keys to play with if we are out and she gets bored and I have forgotten to pack a toy.

I hope someone can answer your question.


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## wwhippetcrazy (Mar 3, 2002)

I read that in an article not to long ago. (In an area paper....) The article was about a girl in her teens that started developing weird symptoms of things that they found out was lead poisoning. So they figured it was something in the house, but it was a new house. Turned out it was the necklace/jewelry she was wearing. She use to run it in her mouth kwim?? It was that cheaper jewelry that you find everywhere. But apparently it is made of lead. The article then mentioned that keys also contain lead.
Makes you wonder why you haven't heard it before. I remember playing with keys as a younger kiddo.


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## MamaE (May 1, 2004)

This is very upsetting. I never knew it either. My dd is now 14 months and she's been sucking on keys for months and months! I am now thinking about doing a lead blood test also. Oh, no... now I'll obsess over this one for the next month or so...


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## Justice2 (Mar 18, 2003)

There was a thread about 6 months or so ago about what you give your child to chew on and keys was listed there. I had known about the lead for all of a week and promptly told everyone on that thread...I too felt like I had done something awful to my kid! I took the keys away and he seems just fine...[deep sigh of relief inserted here].


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## mom2mygirls (Nov 10, 2002)

Thanks for sharing the information. never knew that.

Christina


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## mariag (Feb 21, 2004)

That is completely and according to my ped. the highest lead level she has ever had a child have they tracked down her chewing on dad's keys to be the only exposure she had...This came up when ds has slightly elevated levels which we are still trying to figure out. So no keys!

hope everybody's babies are fine


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## Tanibani (Nov 8, 2002)

I have heard of this recently (







completely forgot where) but I'm glad I know now.

My son never really liked chewing on anything, so this was never an issue for me.

But it really does suck - because it's not common knowledge yet.


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## Breathless Wonder (Jan 25, 2004)

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/10891.html#1


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

I used to let my dd play with my keys a lot (but not every day) when she was little, before I heard about the lead thing. When she was 12 1/2 months, she had a lead test, and her lead level was less than 5 (they didn't specify how much less), so the keys don't seem to have had any big effect on her. But there's a study that suggests even very low blood lead levels can have negative effects on IQ, and that any level above zero may potentially be harmful.

We got one of those lead test kits you can use at home, and I tested my car keys and post office box key, and the P.O. key was positive for dangerous lead levels. So DP and I took our P.O. box keys off our key rings and now keep them in the glove compartments of our cars, so the lead dust isn't always getting on our hands every time we handle our keys.


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## 3 Little Monkeys (Mar 13, 2003)

Wow - thanks for passing that along! I guess the keys will now go in the diaperbag or pocket instead of letting the munchkin play with them.


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## jacksmama (Sep 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Daffodil*
We got one of those lead test kits you can use at home, and I tested my car keys and post office box key, and the P.O. key was positive for dangerous lead levels.


I didn't know that you could buy a home lead test kit. I will check that out! I am going to have ds checked out by the doc. I will update you guys when the test results come back. My ds is a big key chewer. I was even going to go to the hardware store and buy some keys to make him his own key ring! Luckily I never got around to it!


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## CTMOMOF2 (Aug 7, 2003)

I could never understand why people let their kids chew on keys to begin with!! I'm glad now, when i see someone doing that, i'll let them know the dangers!!


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