toys, bibs, medicine

Okay, so the rest of the week has brought us word that bibs are contaminated with lead, various Mattel toys contaminated with lead or containing dangerously small magnets, and OTC cold medicines should not be used for children without a doctor's recommendation. So... happy day, calloo callay, frabjous day! One hundred years after The Jungle and the first efforts at consumer protection--not to mention U.S. government arguments that Borax was a safer food preservative than salt--corporations are still finding newer and better ways to poison people.

To wit: the FDA never tested the OTC cold medicines marketed for children's use, because the companies said the products were already too popular. Thanks, guys. I stopped using anything containing dextromethorphan on Banana after I realized it did nothing to help her symptoms, but radically affected her moods. Again: thanks, guys.