Pottery Barn's Theater of the Absurd

This was the response I received today regarding my question about whether the Rhys Media Lift contains formaldehyde:

Hi Ashley,
>
>
>
> Thank you for contacting Pottery Barn.
>
>
> We received your message and suggestions for the use
> of environmentally friendly products. Your opinions
> are valuable to us and have been forwarded to the
> appropriate department for review.
>
> We are extremely excited to announce that virtually
> all of the paper used in our catalogs, across all
> brands, will be Forest Stewardship Council
> certified. FSC certification ensures, through
> independent third-party audits, that the paper used
> by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. for our catalogs comes from
> well-managed forests that adhere to strict
> environmental and socioeconomic standards. The
> Forest Stewardship Council is the global and
> national leader in the independent certification of
> forests. FSC is the only certification group
> recognized by prominent environmental organizations.
>
>
> We appreciate your feedback and will include your
> proposals in our considerations for future marketing
> plans.
>
>
> If we may be of any further assistance, please
> contact us via email. Alternately, you may contact
> our Customer Service Department directly at
> 1-800-922-9934 from 4:00 am to 9:00 pm (PST), seven
> days a week.
>
>
>
> Kind regards,
>
>
>
> L. Riggi

Are you kidding?

Pottery Barn Rhys Media Lift--the saga continues

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that I've been trying to get an answer out of Pottery Barn regarding its Rhys Media Lift for more than three months. I have been interested in purchasing the console for some time, but noticed the back panel is made of medium-density fiberboard (MDF)/particleboard. This composite wood is typically made with formaldehyde (the chemical currently making Katrina refugees violently ill in their FEMA trailers.) However, there are some manufacturers of formaldehyde-free MDF, and since PB operates out of California, I thought there might be a chance the company patronized one of these manufacturers.

However, I have yet to receive a definitive response from Pottery Barn about this matter. They can't, they've told me, get an answer from their vendors. Absurd. What has been even more frustrating is seeing the deluge of visitors to this blog from Williams-Sonoma corporate headquarters in California. Apparently these folks have enough time to track bloggers who blog about their products, but not enough time to pick up the phone, call their vendors, and get some information about a basic component in one of their best-selling products. What has also been interesting--and somewhat satisfying, I confess--is the number of visitors to my blog who happen upon these posts after a Google search for "Pottery Barn", "Rhys media lift", "pottery barn and formaldehyde", along with numerous other search word combinations. I can't help but hope that these potential buyers think twice before purchasing this product without information about the glues used to make it.

If you are thinking about purchasing the Rhys Media Lift, please consider dropping Pottery Barn customer service an e-mail about its use of formaldehyde-based glues and formaldehyde-based fiberboard in the product. The more people who e-mail them or call them, the better chance we have of getting an answer. You will likely get back the boilerplate response I got: "We adhere to California's rules on toxins, etc, etc." Shoot back a response saying California does not yet have laws on the books governing the use of formaldehyde. You can contact PB at: customerservice@potterybarn.com. In the meantime, here is my latest missive to Pottery Barn customer service.

Hello,
I am following up on my query from October regarding the use of formaldehyde-based glue in your Rhys Media Lift. I've been awaiting a response to my question for nearly three months. I am following up one last time before moving on to Williams-Sonoma corporate offices.

I maintain a blog regarding the use of toxins in everyday products (www.scienceforsale.blogspot.com) and have been blogging about my experience with Pottery Barn regarding this question. It has been very frustrating to see numerous visitors to my website from Williams-Sonoma's corporate offices (I can track my visitors), employees in the executive office who apparently have time to track bloggers but not enough time to find out simple answers to basic questions regarding their products. Perhaps you can also pass along the fact that I receive numerous visitors to my website who have Googled "Pottery Barn media lift"; they happen upon my blog, read about my experience with Pottery Barn in trying to get an answer to this question, and go away wondering if they should buy from Pottery Barn at all.

Please respond to this e-mail to let me know if an answer is forthcoming. If I don't hear back in a few days, I will go ahead and write to Pottery Barn's corporate offices, as well as Williams-Sonoma.
Thank you.

Green to Grow Bottles--the tryout

I received a supply of Green to Grow non-BPA baby bottles as an early Christmas present and was eager to give them a try. Hudson had been using BornFree's non-BPA bottles for his breastmilk (when I am running errands, etc.) for many months, so I wasn't sure how he'd like the new bottles.

As you can see, the Green to Grow bottles have that honey-colored plastic, a hallmark of bottles without BPA. The nipples are free of nitrosamine, a potentially harmful chemical that is found in some rubber nipples. (Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about nitrosamine). The bottles do not have a filter, like BornFree's bottles, that regulates the flow of milk into the nipple. As a result, the milk came out way too fast for Hudson's taste and he choked on milk several times. He also tongued and chewed on the nipple since its shape is markedly different from BornFree's. So, unfortunately, the Green to Grow bottles are going to play second fiddle in our household for the time being. I suspect this is because Hud's been so used to his BornFrees for so long. Regardless, the bottles are free of BPA and are sturdy and attractive.

Minnesota Bans Mercury in Make-Up

Minnesota became the first state in the nation to ban mercury in make-up. Mercury is still used in some eye make-up as a preservative, as well as in other personal care products, such as nasal sprays, contact solution, face cream, skin lightening cream, etc.

The ban will go into effect beginning January 1st. The fines are relatively minimal, unfortunately: $700 for any outlet knowingly selling items containing mercury (could be very difficult to prove) and $10,000 for any corporation producing such products and selling them in Minnesota. However, it's a brilliant start. Typically it's California that is on the forefront of these things. I'm so proud my home state it taking the lead on this one.

For anyone who's interested, I'm providing a link from the FDA's website that lists numerous personal products that contain mercury. It is a bit difficult to decipher because most of the products are not listed by their brand name but instead by its formulation. However, it's not too hard to figure out what the product is by looking at its description and its manufacturer.

Mercury in Drug and Biologic Products (FDA)

Pottery Barn Kafka Media Lift, Part II

Many of the visitors to this website arrive here via a search engine search for an array of toxins. What has been most interesting of late has been the number of people who found my website by searching for "does Pottery Barn Kids furniture contain formaldehyde" or "pottery barn formaldehyde", or any number of combinations of these words.

While my beef with PB is over the Rhys Media Lift and its use of particleboard (or MDF)--and a goodly number of people come to my site after having searched for the Rhys Media Lift--I can see why the presence of formaldehyde would be a much more pressing concern to anyone looking to furnish their child's room with PB's lovely furniture.

My situation has been left completely unresolved despite the fact that Pottery Barn corporate headquarters (Williams-Sonoma in San Francisco) has been all over my website like white on rice this last week (sorry for the cliche--I'm sitting here in my son's nursery and have only had a sip of my morning coffee.) As I promised myself, I will write a letter to these clandestine folks about this situation. And if that raises no response, I've been putting together a pitch for my friends at The Green Guide and E: The Environmental Magazine for a piece about this experience.

It's funny; I'm a consumer who wants to buy this piece of furniture. In fact, my husband and I have put off buying another media console for this reason: because we want the Rhys Media Lift. Of course, the length of months that have passed since I originally asked my question have basically answered that question, and I should look elsewhere. Most consumers wouldn't have waited even that lng and would have bought another media console. But the other day, as I walked through a Pottery Barn at the Galleria in Edina, I studied the furniture on display. And it all seemed quite well-made--sturdy wood, with nary a piece of particle board in sight. Except, of course, for the Rhys, which was also on display. As I knocked my fist lightly against the particleboard backing, I told myself, with dismay, that this is now a matter of principle. So I might have to kiss any visions of Pottery Barn furniture in my home bye-bye. Sigh

How to Find Out About Levels of Toxins in Toys

Overwhelmed by hits yesterday, the website for The Ecology Center's consumer action guide to toxic chemicals in toys, HealthyToys.Org crashed, and was only up intermittantly throughout the day. That's because yesterday, the nonprofit released a massive chemical report on levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, PVC/chlorine, tin, bromine, and a handful of other chemicals in popular children's toys. Splashed across newspapers around the world, the website was quickly overwhelmed.

I was able to spend some time on the site yesterday, looking up my son's toys, and reading the top ten "best" toys and top ten "worst" toys. I was shocked to discover my son's pacifier had a trace amount of arsenic in the nipple (trace is enough for me to throw it out.) The yellow foot of a multi-color-footed crab rattle he has was loaded with arsenic. On the bright side, a stacking toy from Fisher-Price was considered one of the best toys, as it had no detectable levels of any of the chemicals discussed.

The site allows you to look for a toy by name, manufacturer, or type. It is by no means comprehnsive--the organization tested 1,200 toys. But it's a start. The Ecology Center is a nonprofit based out of Michigan that is concerned with keeping toxins out of the hands and mouths of children, as well as a host of other environmental issues.

Consumer Vigilance

The Times ran a piece last week about the role of citizen vigiliance in the lead/cadmium-in-toys epidemic. Essentially, the largest recalls from this year came to pass only after ordinary citizens took it upon themselves to test everyday children's items, such as bibs, toys, bracelets, etc., and found them to be composed of high levels of lead and even cadmium in some instances.

It's a good reminder as to why we, as consumers, need to be uber-vigilant when it comes to the personal products we use everyday, especially those used by our children. Our regulatory agencies have either been hobbled by budget cuts or by legislation giving them very little power. For most of us, including those of us without easy access to lead-testing facilities, research is our best tool.

Citizen Vigilance Leads to Toy Recalls