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Is the museum digging for dinosaurs? The museum is getting a new ramp. Over the last few years the retaining wall has deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The New ramp will look like the original ramp, but will include some upgrades to make it more code compliant. The construction should take less than four weeks and the museum will be open for the duration. A temporary ramp is installed and can be accessed on the parking lot side of the building.

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Here you will find information about the organization, our programs & performances and our commitment to our community.

We are putting the finishing touches on our new website this week. When complete, the website will provide options to donate and buy memberships online, request reservations for birthday parties and group visits, and sign up for special programs. Please take a look and enjoy all the new features!

We hope to see you soon at the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine!

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The Children's Museum of Maine Board of Directors and staff believe that the Museum has the responsibility and opportunity to serve as a thought leader in early childhood learning in our community and beyond. When news of toy recalls surfaced in the fall of 2007, we began a serious discussion about how we as an institution focused on the children should respond to this concern. We asked ourselves if the products we make available to young children in our exhibits, as well as our store merchandise, were free of lead. This question and the pursuit of its answer have taken us on a journey far more complex and emotional than we ever imagined...

Shana Jaques, Store Manager and Buyer, reports, "I want our customers to feel good about their purchases, both their educational value and because the purchase supports the museum, a local non-profit. Our toys, books and gifts are carefully chosen with learning in mind. We take toy safety very seriously, and we know that lead poses real risks to children's brain development.
"When the wave of toy recalls began, we felt obligated to take action. Our vendors quickly reassured me through letters and by referring me to Web postings that their products were safe. We have many longstanding relationships with these vendors. I am sure that they believed their products were free of lead, but knowing how difficult that is to verify, we wanted to test the specific toys we were selling."

The quest to host a public lead screening of toys initially began as a result of correspondence between Science Coordinator Suzanne Eder and her friend Jocelyn Hubbell, the executive director of Cornerstones of Science (COS), a national science literacy initiative with offices in Maine. Cornerstones of Science, founded by Massachusetts scientist Dr. Lee Grodzins, Ph.D. and MIT Professor Emeritus, agreed to hold a public screening at the Museum.

Before holding the public lead screening, we felt strongly that it needed to have our own products and exhibit components screened to set an example for the responsible purchasing and sale of toys. In late November (2007), Hubbell and lead experts Grodzins and John Pesce spent a day at the Museum investigating the possible presence of lead in our store's toys. Museum staff helped record the results of this tedious yet highly informative process.

Using the ThermoScientific Niton XL3 analyzers, which are specifically programmed to report a concentration of lead in terms of milligrams of lead per square centimeter of sample area being measured, the scientists tested hundreds of items. The Niton XL-3 is a professional x-ray fluorescence analyzer used world-wide for lead inspection by most of the major toy manufactures and suppliers. Grodzins is also director of advanced research on portable elemental analysis for ThermoFisher Scientific. He started the Niton Corporation in 1986, which became part of ThermoFisher Scientific in 2005. In addition to his work at COS, Grodzins continues to develop the portable lead analyzers that he invented in 1994. Pesce, senior market specialist for Thermo Scientific Instruments, is a Master Licensed Lead Paint Inspector and is a nationally recognized expert in lead testing.

The Museum asked Grodzins and Pesce to determine whether lead was present in any of the toys sold in the museum store or included in museum exhibits. They measured the number of micrograms of lead present in square-centimeter test areas on all of the toys. They typically took several readings of different parts of each toy since toys are generally made from many parts, each of which is a potential source of lead. They were not asked to assess the level of risk from lead in toys to the health of a child, because in Grodzins' opinion, "I know of no responsible group who believe that this is generally possible given our state of knowledge about this complex issue."

We decided that we did not want to see any toy that contained a measurable amount of lead. Grodzins and Pesce agreed. Again in Grodzins' words, "I can tell you from the strong words of my daughter-in-law as well as co-workers with small children that zero tolerance means just that. If a toy has detectable lead, I don't want it. I have enough to worry about." Tensions were high when the lead screening gun was aimed at museum favorites. How would we bear to terminate some products in the event that they had detectible levels of lead? Could we find substitutes? Huge sighs of relief resounded through the store and exhibit areas when results indicated the absence of lead. Conversely, looks of deep concern were equally as prolific with the news of positive results.

One surprising result of this study was the seeming inconsistency in products that had lead versus those that did not. One assumption prior to the screening was that metal toys would contain high levels. It was also generally perceived that toys made in China would have lead, whereas European products would be lead free. Neither of these assumptions proved to be consistently true. Of the toys that tested positive for lead, some were made in China, and others were not. Some were metal, and others were rubber, plastic or fabric. Many, but not all of them, had red or yellow colors - a revealing trend that surprised museum staff members.

Jaques' reaction? "It was an eye-opening experience. Trace amounts at non-hazardous levels are found in almost everything." Here are some key findings:
- Lead can be imbedded in a toy's "plastic matrix" as easily as in its surface paint.
- The makers of any non-toy item, jewelry for example, may not even attempt to meet toy safety standards.
- Beware of discontinued or discounted merchandise. Why is it on sale? Not all companies may be dealing with unsafe merchandise in a reputable way.
- The U.S. tries hard to safely dispose materials like computer monitors and TV screens, but some of the material comes back in the form of recycled glass toys. Marbles, for example, may contain high levels of the very chemicals we did not want in our landfills.
- Just because one batch of product is lead free does not mean that a future batch of the same product will be lead free. You must test each batch each time to be sure.

With the data in hand, the Museum now needed to decide what actions to take. It was important to remember that a positive measure of lead is not a measure of health risk. The instruments used in the screening process were looking for the presence of lead, but they were not meant to detect health risk or lack of regulation compliance, as fulfillment of those regulations require laboratory tests. Since we had decided that we would take a zero tolerance position, we ultimately removed all of the items that indicated a detectible level of lead.

But there were additional, difficult ethical considerations that needed to be addressed. What was the museum's responsibility for informing visitors about products that had detectible levels of lead? How would we respond to the public's questions about the process? How would we deal with new products coming into the Museum after the screening was completed? In a global economy, regulating and enforcing lead standards in toys is very difficult.

Armed with accurate information and wonderful support from our scientist team (Grodzins and Pesce), the Children's Museum staff removed all questionable products from our exhibits and our store shelves and took the next difficult steps on the zero tolerance journey. Science Coordinator Suzanne Eder reflects, "It is a sobering experience to realize that any toy could contain lead. I felt naive in placing trust in companies to ensure that their products are safe. I now ask more questions. Has this toy been tested for lead? If so, who has tested it and with what instruments? Do I feel at ease with a child putting this toy in her/his mouth? It is extremely comforting to know that toys housed within the Museum's walls are lead-safe."

In late November, the Museum offered a brief lecture on lead in toys and a free lead screening session for toys brought in by area residents. Both the lecture and the screening were conducted by Grodzins and Pesce. In his lecture, Pesce stressed that while toys with lead can pose a threat to children, the greater threat is from lead in paint and in soil. In his words, those amounts of lead are, "orders-of-magnitude greater as are their concentrations. The risks are real, documented and contain no ambiguity."

Parents who brought in their children's favorite toys for screening shared our level of concern and were very appreciative of the opportunity to learn first hand whether or not their toys contained detectible levels of lead. As was the case with the Museum's own toys, some were safe and others were not. Grodzins noted that "many toys with substantial levels of lead pose almost no risk." He recalls an example of "a solid, high-lead-level PVC top of a well-built train. The lead would not come off by rubbing and no child could swallow it." On the other hand, he cities potentially serious problems with little cars that have small, rubber-like wheels containing lead. The wheels easily come off and are easily swallowed. The same problems can be present in "small molded animals and dinosaurs, bought by the dozen for a few dollars, with appendages that can be bitten off and swallowed. We tested one beetle that had a lead concentration of about 2,000 ppm. There would be consequences if a child swallowed even one of the legs."

Museum member and mother of a toddler Jenn Libby writes, "I am so grateful for the leadership of our children's museum administration and staff have shown in keeping children safe. The opportunity to listen to the lecture and have our toys tested was informative and brought great peace of mind considering the silent but deadly effects of lead. It was amazing to meet with lead-testing. If this opportunity hadn't been made available to our family, our daughter would still be playing with her maracas that had detectible levels of lead."

Our next step was to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission and our venders. We sent a formal report to each vender listing toys that did not meet our lead standard (no detectible level of lead). In the letters we identified the items, listed the violations and gave them the scientists' contact information if they wanted to know more specifics about the lead levels. We also asked for call tags for return of the product and a refund on our purchase. Responses from our venders have been mixed. Most respond with a form letter attesting to the safety of their toys, but all have refunded our purchases. A few have contacted our scientist friends for further information and have followed up with testing of their own.

One of our most responsive venders was Olga Suarez, President of Jelli Jewels, a company producing children's jewelry. Upon receipt of our letter, Olga called us for information and began her own journey to challenge or verify the testing results her company had already received from their venders. A grandmother of young children, Olga was sincerely concerned about the safety of her products. She has actively worked to clarify all questions and to provide us, a very small customer, with the information we need to continue our relationship with her.

Although we felt thoroughly satisfied with our process, information, and actions in the early stages or our journey, we quickly realized that we face a huge challenge going forward. How were we going to continue to screen incoming store merchandise and exhibit supplies? Professional lead-testing is very expensive. Fortunately, our scientist friends graciously agreed to adopt the Museum and volunteer to do screening on a regular basis. Now when we order stock and receive the merchandise, it is set aside until the screening takes place. Once the merchandise is cleared, it can be placed on the store shelves and in exhibits. This is a cumbersome process, and asking for this level of volunteer help for an indefinite period of time is not reasonable. We are uncertain about how we will maintain this level of safety in the future.

A bit of a surprise has been the response from our Museum visitors and Explore Store shoppers. Jaques reports that about one-third of shoppers are extremely appreciative of the measurers we have taken and promise to spread the word to their safety conscious family and friends. Another third don't believe that we have actually done the screening despite our printed statements and verbal assurances. The remaining third report that they don't view lead as a issue. After all, they all drank from lead pipes and grew up with lead in their paint, yet they are still healthy and happy...

After reading this article, we believe that our colleagues will ask themselves what, if anything, they can do about lead levels in their own museums. Lead paint testing takes place in every major city in the United States. Perhaps, you, too, can find people who will volunteer their time and expertise to start you on your quest for zero tolerance.

What comes next for us is the hope that changes will take place at the national and international level so that lead levels in all children's products will be established internationally and that there will be sufficient monitoring of products to ensure that what we purchase for children will be safe without our needing to do our own screening. We are aware that a major U.S. toy company and a huge U.S. department store are now taking steps to establish their own extensive lead screening programs.

As is the case with most difficult decisions we make in our lives, you make a decision because it feels right to you, regardless of the feedback you get from others. Once we knew that we were providing and selling toys with detectible levels of lead, there was no turning back.

Suzanne Olson is the executive director of the Children's Museum of Maine in Portland and Suzanne Eder is the museum's science coordinator.
Click here to read the full Hand to Hand Spring 2008 Issue

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Books:

• The Genius of Play: Celebrating the Spirit of Childhood
  Sally Jenkinson, Hawthorn Press, Early Years Series
• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
  Richard Louv, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (a division of Workman Publishing)

Articles:

• The Shape of Play Today - Kitetails Article, Winter 2007

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