Letter to Senator Merkley today requesting help with the Lead-Painted-Baby-Bottle-Issue.

The image below has all seven patterns of NUK-brand glass baby bottles that I have tested that have been positive for unsafe levels of Lead in the paint.I sent this letter to Senator Merkley today through his online communication portal (on his website) and also pasted it as a comment on his Facebook post from earlier today.

Hello Senator Merkley,

We haven’t met – but we should!

I would like to meet you and I think you might appreciate getting to know about my advocacy work (if you are not already aware of it.) People in your office have helped me periodically – but I think this (the reason I am writing) would be an issue that would be worthwhile for you to handle personally.

By way of introduction, here’s a little video my son made for me. It is an 11 second video loop from my 2016 presentation with Bernie Sanders in Flint, Michigan (I’m in tie-dye on the far right of the screen)… I am sharing this with you #1) for fun and #2) so you know I am legit and have done outreach for childhood Lead poisoning prevention with Bernie Sanders: https://youtu.be/ML2FZNDsXqo

I am an environmental activist for childhood lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety. I have won two awards from the federal government (presented to me in 2011 and 2014 by HUD, the EPA and a consortium of federal agencies). I was one of the two named whistleblowers in the Portland Public Schools Lead-In-Water case in 2016. My children were acutely Lead poisoned at our home in Irvington in 2005 – when my son Avi was just 7 months old. He is 16 now and is taking classes at PSU, however he has a diagnosed “brain injury due to Lead poisoning” with his visual memory in the 4th percentile (in addition to many others disabilities and health impairments related to his Lead exposure.)

You may be familiar with my work because I am also currently suing the State of Oregon in Federal Court for multiple counts of civil rights violations against me; violations that attempted to destroy my credibility and my advocacy work. You can read the latest filing from that lawsuit here if you are curious: https://tamararubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Third-Amended-Complaint-Lead-Safe-Mama-2021.pdf

The reason I am writing you today is that I have found MANY brands of LEAD PAINTED baby bottles in the past several years and I have gotten absolutely NO TRACTION with any government agency or with the news or with the manufacturers who are creating these lead painted baby bottles – and I was hoping you could help.

Most recently, a friend purchased FIVE of these baby bottles (from NUK) and had them shipped to me in Oregon. They were purchased on Amazon. It just occurred to me today that perhaps this is something that is in your power – something you could do something about, since technically it is AMAZON being responsible for selling LEAD PAINTED BABY BOTTLES that (using their services) were shipped to Oregon.

Can you help with this? The CPSC does not seem to think this is a violation of the 2008 CPSIA. I have so far tested SEVEN different NUK brand baby bottles that were painted with Lead paint – but have also found several other brands with either Lead in the paint or Lead in the sealing dot on insulated stainless steel bottles. Here are some links that might be helpful:

1. My most recent overview post on the concern (which outlines the legislative changes I would like to see to help stop this sort of thing from happening): https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/is-your-babys-bottle-painted-with-lead-paint-this-nuk-glass-baby-bottle-is-made-in-germany-purchased-in-the-u-s-on-amazon-in-2021/
2. One of the five bottles that was shipped to Oregon: https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/lead-painted-teal-colored-leaf-pattern-glass-nuk-brand-baby-bottle-purchased-on-amazon-2021-14000-ppm-lead-90-ppm-lead-up-is-unsafe-for-kids/
3. One of the five bottles that was shipped to Oregon: https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/paper-airplane-pattern-glass-nuk-brand-baby-bottle-purchased-on-amazon-2021-14600-ppm-lead-in-the-paint-90-ppm-lead-up-is-unsafe-for-kids/
4. One of the five bottles that was shipped to Oregon: https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/sailor-themed-glass-nuk-baby-bottle-2021-bpa-free-and-only-15400-ppm-lead-in-the-paint-jk-90-ppm-lead-up-is-unsafe-for-kids/
5. One of the five bottles that was shipped to Oregon: https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/yellow-flower-pattern-glass-nuk-baby-bottle-purchased-on-amazon-2021-20300-ppm-lead-in-the-paint-90-ppm-lead-up-is-unsafe-for-kids/
6. My post from Summer 2021: https://tamararubin.com/2021/06/warning-summer-2021-stop-using-nuk-brand-glass-baby-bottles-until-further-notice-lead-paint-found-in-exterior-decorations/
7. My original post finding Lead in NUK baby bottles: https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/another-baby-bottle-with-lead-paint-nuk-glass-bottle-19900-ppm-lead-why-are-regulatory-agencies-ignoring-this-issue/

Video clip (90 seconds) chatting with Jon Fishman (drummer of Phish) about Lead in baby bottles (Christmas Eve 2020): https://youtu.be/rDRt99VZKX0

Thanks for taking the time. You know where to find me!

If you have time before we meet in person (and you are welcome to come stop by a visit at our home in Sellwood if you are home for the holidays – we are all vaccinated) please consider watching the preview screener of the documentary film I produced and directed on childhood Lead poisoning. The film is 92 minutes long and it includes music donated by The Who and Tom Waits (and others!), footage from my presentation with Bernie Sanders in 2016, footage from my interview with Noam Chomsky and interviews with experts and parents of Lead poisoned children around the United States. Jon Fishman (drummer of the band Phish) is also an Executive Producer on the project (his youngest son also tested positive for Lead.) https://vimeo.com/156169133/7915741044

Thank you for your time.

Tamara
Owner, Lead Safe Mama – LLC
7933 SE 15th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
Mother of Lead Poisoned Children

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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. Tamara’s sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in August of 2005. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009 and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. Tamara uses XRF testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals), including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony and Arsenic. All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Please click through to this link to learn more about the testing methodology used for the test results discussed and reported on this website.