I agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. While there are many sources of exposure, I have never seen any studies that attribute elevated blood lead levels to bathtubs.

kudzu9, you need to get more educated on the subject before speaking out. There are numerous examples out there of children being poisoned solely by the lead in their bathtubs. A simple google search will yield you more than you care to know. And this is not exclusive to older worn tubs either. In a cast iron tub that contains lead, the lead will be present in the invisible dust on the surface of the tub. This fills the water and infiltrates the body through the skin and cab be enough to be the sole cause of lead poisoning for a child. Do some research before chastising parents who actually care enough not to stick their head in the sand. This is not a "zero probability" issue by a longshot.

bdrhome-

I'm not aware of chastising anyone, nor am I telling anyone that they need to educate themselves better. And I'm not trying to win an argument...just expressing an opinion about relative risks.

I am probably as familiar with lead risks as you are, and was simply suggesting that I believe there are a number of other significant sources I would worry about first besides bathtubs. I am not unaware that there are many stories out there about exposure from bathtubs, and maybe this is a significant issue, but I'd like to see a well-designed, peer-reviewed medical assessment establishing this, rather than anecdotal information, or postings by people who have business to gain by asserting that your bathtub is a major lead threat. If I see a reliable, large-scale study or two that demonstrates that elevated blood lead levels in children are primarily a result of bathtubs, I'll quit being skeptical that this is a major source of child lead poisoning. If you had thoughtfully read my other posts on GW concerning lead, asbestos, and environmental exposures, you might not leap to the conclusion that I am dismissive of environmental risks. My main concern is we sometimes address risk by not always going after the primary causes. And people can look at the same Google results and come to different conclusions about the reliability of the info out there.

But, regardless of what my opinion is on this point, I am not trying to discourage you or anyone else from believing what they want and acting accordingly.

Has anyone heard anything about what is in Japanese wooden soaking tubs? Been holding off on buying a much needed tub until I can find a non toxic one. Thanks!

What would you worry about with a wooden tub?

The bonding or protecting materials.....

Do you have any reference to suggest such wooden tubs pose a risk? Just curious....

We found what we believe to be a less toxic new tub option - enameled steel by Kaldewei. It's more than $400, but hopefully worth exploring.

Haven't researched that yet, was hoping someone had already done my homework....but do know treated woods have killed plants and trees at my friends house and kids have been to doctors from being on and around them....so am curious what kind of treatments the tubs have.

Treated woods are impregnated with copper compounds to resist rotting in situations where the wood is continually in contact with moisture and subject to damage by micro-organisms, like fence posts. This has no relevance to wooden bathtubs.

So no arsenic?

I have no idea why arsenic would be involved. It would seem totally unnecessary to use toxic compounds in a wooden bathtub. A wooden tub is not going to deteriorate from being filled with water, even on a daily basis. I think you are worrying about nothing. But, if you don't believe that, contact a manufacturer and see what they say about how their tubs are constructed..

Thanks! I'll check it out....it's just that they put it in fence posts and deck materials if it's touching the ground and getting wet. Maybe since bathtubs get a chance to dry out, they dont need it. Thanks for your time/comments, very cool.

Please post back when you have checked into this. I don't think you will find anything to alarm yourself, but it would be interesting to hear what they say. And let me reiterate that fence posts and outside decking materials is a completely different situation compared to an indoor tub. Remember that the Japanese have been successfully building wooden tubs for centuries...long before chemical preservatives were invented and used to treat outdoor wood. Also think about wooden barrels and the fact that those have been made for centuries for many purposes, also without preservatives.

To maderawoodworking-

Did you ever find any more information or decide to go with the Kaldewi enameled steel tub? Looked up their website and seems to be a good option.

Trying to make a decision on a freestanding tub but not coming up with a lot of product testing information.

Hi jtsheet - yes, we decided on the Kaldewei. We haven't installed it yet, but will be doing so soon. Other than the fact that it wasn't well-packaged for freight shipment and it got a bit scratched up on the way here, it looks like a really nice tub.

Hi jtsheet - were you able to confirm that your Kaldewei tub is toxin free?

elscotto67-

No, I was unsuccessful in determining where to purchase the Kaldewei freestanding tub. The local vendor listed on their website did not carry the product and did not have additional information. I think I have decided to go with cast iron/porcelain enamel coating tub by Barclay.

I just bought a Kaldewei online (amazon).

I was taught be my mother (along time ago) -not to lick the bathtub. That seems to have worked - I'm 68 and healthy.

Honestly, I can't understand the logic of the 'phobes'.

Maybe she was thinking of the dirty water you would be ingesting?

They always worry about the wrong things. Like frequent candle users who buy organic.

We're going with a solid soapstone tub and avoiding the whole issue of chemicals. Soapstone doesn't even have to be sealed. Plus, you get get stone that's quarried in North America, decreasing the environmental costs of quarrying and shipping from other continents.

anjaromanova-

Just so you are aware: some forms of soapstone (not all) can contain asbestos, such as tremolite. If this is a concern to you, you might want to enquire further about the chemical analysis of the soapstone from this manufacturer, if they have indeed tested it. I don't consider that it would be a serious issue because you are probably not going to use abrasives on the tub. But your post does illustrate how people looking to avoid one perceived risk can end up with another.

Most commercially available soapstone is not from North America. It’s from South America.

And phobic people buying cheepchinesecrapola with an Americanized name is absolutely hilarious when they think that an Kohler, Wisconsin produced tub isn’t up to snuff.

I sleep with a tin-foil hat -with my head facing north.

geoffrey-

Don't forget to face south when it's daylight savings time...

Actually (no joke)☺️Sleeping ANY direct but north is best for your physiology due to the fact that your blood has iron in it and magnetic north pulls on you like rubbing a cat the wrong way. It ages your nervous system more rapidly. Even Buddha was buried with his head pointing north so his body would decompose more quickly. Funny but true.

Whack-a-doodle-do.

Things sound whacky when we don't understand them.

Kohler cast iron tubs are made in CHINA, not the US, that's the whole point. And since you didn't read the whole thread, they've been confirmed to have lead in them, both by lead surface swabs and by Kohler themselves. I'm not just talking antiques here, their brand new tubs have lead as well. Lead in bathtubs causes lead poisoning to children because it creates lead dust on the surface so children get the lead-filled water on their hands which goes into mouths. Or it gets onto bath toys which go into mouth. So it's not "phobic" people worrying about this, it's very legitimate as a parent to want to protect your children from lifelong brain damage. Getting a safe bathtub is worth looking into and if that is not something that interests you then why are you on this thread?!

https://www.mommypotamus.com/lead-leaching-bathtubs-the-dirtiest-secret-in-your-bathroom/

http://www.nbc12.com/story/20075834/12-investigates-child-poisoned-by-bathtub

http://www.lead.org.au/lanv4n4/lanv4n4-18.html

Maybe not have a bathtub?

not take baths?

Friends baby had some skin condition, she didn't bathe him until he was 2. Doesn't seem to have any ill effects. Curious if your kids are allowed to swim in swimming pools?

Frankly, I don't know what to think since all of these stories are anecdotal. Does anyone have any references to peer-reviewed, scientific studies?

The CDC tracks all of that as it is federally mandated to report the lead content in children’s blood from both private and public testing. Years and years of data. Mounds of it. With the incidences of lead poisoning continually trending downward over the years

There are no bathtub warnings.

If you are not poor and do not live in pre 1978 housing, your chances of your child having lead poisoning is almost nil. Unless you buy cheap dollar store toys. Lead content in porcelain is well regulated and tested.

Because everyone raised with an old iron bathtub ended up intellectually stunted from lead poisoning.....

Sheesh.

I live in a pre-1978 house that's been undergoing continuous remodeling. We had an old porcelain tub. Want to know what our lead levels are?

0. Actually 0. Our arsenic levels (from background arsenic) are higher.

Lead poisoning comes from eating paint chips and dust and from ingesting contaminated soil. It's not hard to avoid, even with babies. Lead found in significant levels in a tub in a way that can get into you is a freak occurrence.

And lying with your head north is nonsense.

For concerns about babies/infants one possible solution is to bath your baby in your stainless steel sink if you have one. At least when they are so young it not only protects them from lead etc. but it is easy, uses less water and you don't have to bend for so long.

Milly-

I keep thinking that if my mother wouldn't have let me slurp the bath water when I was a kid that I would have been a genius rather than just normal.... ;-)

@Serc: What is special about something made in Europe?

That’s where I live.

I'm more worried about chemicals in the plastic toys....

Has anyone found a non-toxic tub? I like cast iron but I'm worried about it.thanks

Sophie: I love it! I solved the problem by not bathing. Besides wearing a tin foil hat, it's best to sleep with your head facing north, and never step on cracks.

Olivia-

There are many things in our environment that have some degree of environmental risk, but this is not one of them. I spent decades dealing with environmental inquiries from the public at an environmental regulatory agency, so I've seen everything from major, serious disasters to non-issues. This is a non-issue.

My grandma eats sweets including homemade pies with 1-2 c sugar per pie, loves sweets in general, eats too many fried foods for my taste, doesn’t eat paint chips, bathes in a porcelain tub, and was JUST moved to a nursing facility this year since she’s losing her mobility (mind is still intact) and in another month she will be celebrating her 100th birthday. You don’t have to live in a bubble to live a long life. Much of your life expectancy is predetermined in large part by genetics. Use common sense and don’t lick the bathtub.

Hello! All you out there who think the only way to ingest lead is through your mouth: lead/toxins in a bathtub filled with hot water are absorbed through your pores. The hot water opens your pores. Toxins go in. Your skin is your largest organ, much more significant than your mouth.

I bathe every day in a cast iron tub. I’m also a member of Mensa. Have a nice day.

The likelihood of absorbing lead through your skin from bath water is essentially nil. First, the release of lead from a bathtub is trivial to non-existent. Second, the amount of any lead compound in the bath water would be insignificant if there were any in the first place. Thirdly, it would not be in a chemical form that would readily pass through the skin. Give me a reference for a peer-reviewed, toxicologically-founded, scientific study that demonstrates this and I'll consider a dialogue on it.