Happy Birdy - Lead In Bird Cage Paint


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	Facts About Lead In Bird Cage Paint - by Larry Houston Background Information There is a bunch of information currently on the Internet about lead in bird cage paint - lead poisoning in birds and its toxic effects in birds. Some of it is not exactly correct. I am here to clear up the air of confusion. My name is Larry Houston. I post as Larry, Baby and Me. I am just a regular guy that tried to find out if my Umbrella Cockatoo was safe and free from lead in the paint of her bird cage. On the heels of the Mattel toy recalls and then the Broadbent Sanctuary in Kentucky story - I sent samples of my cage to LADDL for testing. The results came back as 3,200 parts per million for lead. So - since August, 2007 I have been working nonstop to research this lead issue and in turn provide others with the most accurate information. I am not going to go into any details here about the horrible effects that heavy metals can do to a bird. If any of you do not know - then there is plenty of information on the net that you can Google. --- it ain't pretty. Lead poisoning is one of the more common poisonings in birds. It causes nervous system disorders, usually seizures. Veterinary care should be sought immediately if you suspect lead poisoning in your bird. Cage Causes Zinc and Lead Poisoning! Many birds die from lead poisoning unless the symptoms are discovered and treated in time. Clinical signs of lead poisoning in birds include lethargy, weight loss, regurgitation, diarrhea, loss of balance, blindness, head tremors and convulsions. Also you can click here to read about lead killing our wildlife. Lead poisoning (also known as Plumbism) is the most common toxicosis in children. Lead poisoning is also very common in pet birds. There are a number of potential sources for lead in our environment. Lead poisoning is a very serious condition and requires immediate attention from a qualified avian veterinarian. The prognosis is very good if treated immediately. The clinical signs that are associated with lead toxicosis are nonspecific and the severity can vary depending on the amount of lead ingested and the length of time of exposure. Symptoms are associated with the gastrointestinal (GI), urinary and nervous systems. GI signs include dark green to black droppings (that may or may not be diarrheic), vomiting, regurgitation, anorexia and pasted vent. Urinary signs include polyuria (excessive urine production), blood in the urine, and increased thirst. Neurological signs include depression, weakness, ataxia (staggering) head tilt, circling, blindness, and even seizures.

	Is Your Cage Safe and Non-Toxic? I see posts on a variety of boards discussing this issue. I see some say... "I have brand X cage - I have "heard" they are okay - so I don't have to worry." Other posts say... "My cage is brand Y - and I bought it a long time ago - so I don't have to worry." "My bird has been in a China made cage for three years and it hasn't had any problems." You had better add "YET" to the above comment. LEAD CUMULATES IN THE SYSTEM. Don't fool yourself... If your bird cage was made in China - hey - and that is Asia folks....... GET IT TESTED!!! Can I vouch for the European bird cages??? I can tell what I do know... Europe has higher quality and safety standards that we do in the good ol' US of A. And - Yes we have had test results for a European bird cage line and the results are excellent. --------------------------------------------------------- Addendum to the previous paragraph (Date of this addendum = 04/26/08)... Here is a recent event I must share… It is about a very sick Hyacinth Macaw. He has all the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning. His European made cage tested okay for lead --- but it has 3,500 ppm for zinc - enough to kill a horse. The cage is a well known brand made in Europe. The cage is 6+ years old. Other recently purchased European cages of this brand have tested clean but this one is highly toxic. I have been working with the owner of the Hyacinth for the past 3 weeks... The bird is a bar chewer and just prior to his illness - he chewed more aggressively on the bars. I have been sharing heavy metal poisoning information with the owner to help get this bird over the crisis. Unfortunately the vet was treating for infection and not heavy metals. All the symptoms clustered around heavy metal poisoning and not infection. When presented with all the Hyacinth's symptoms - the vet agreed that heavy metals are the cause. Specialists have been called into the mix to get this bird on the mend. The Hyacinth was near death and he is not out of the woods yet. So - this has been intense and highly emotional. A word to the wise --- if you have a powder coated painted cage and it is not Stainless Steel -- then get it tested. It does not make any difference if you have a China made cage, European made cage or any made cage… if it is painted then get it tested. Your bird’s life is at stake. End of addendum... --------------------------------------------------------- Enough of the background information... Here is what you must do: Send paint scrapings off to the lab that I list here. DO NOT send anything other that paint scrapings. DO NOT send a part (metal bar or such). ONLY follow the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL) directions layed out here. In your letter to the lab - tell them that the samples are from a bird cage and you want the DIGESTION method performed.

	How much lead is too much lead in bird cage paint? Any amount of lead is too much. That amount is not open for debate. Lead is a heavy metal and if ingested can and often times will kill a bird. If the ingested lead does not kill the bird - it will cause serious health problems, including neurological damage and a shortened life. The maximum level allowed at which the US federal government has set in 1977 for ALL objects inside the home is 600 parts per million or 0.06 percent total paint content. The US government also set the max level for Hazardous Material (HAZ-MAT) at 5,000 ppm. Remember - these are maximum levels for items in the home for "human" contact. Here are some more links... http://www.epa.gov/lead/ http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/titleten.html http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/lead.htm And here are recent news stories about Lead Paint Found In Bird Cages... http://www.koat.com/news/14728879/detail.html http://www.itchmo.com/lab-finds-high-lead-levels-in-pet-products-4060 A bird is NOT a human. A bird's system cannot tolerate ANY lead. So - standards within the avian community are set by the consumer as - ZERO toxins in cage paint. Importers, distributors, and retailers advertise ALL of their bird cages to be "Toxicin Free". The manufactures of bird cages, parrot cages, monkey cages and other pet cages advertise that their baked on powder coated paint is non-toxic paint. BUT --- Some of the recent lab results for lead in cage paint that I have been involved with are: 500ppm 920ppm 1,400ppm 3,200ppm 3,700ppm 6,600ppm 9,600ppm 14,700ppm 19,300ppm ALL but one of these results exceeds the 600ppm Federal level, and the one is close to the 600ppm level. Other cages that were tested housed Tiels and other small birds came back with trace amounts of lead but high in Zinc. In other words folks ------ there was not one bird cage made in China that was tested that the results were TOXICIN FREE. Unfortunately - what I have found with most bird owners is apathy. It seems like most folks do not consider this a problem. Very few of the hundreds of bird owners that I have contacted have sent samples off to the lab for testing. Oh by the way ----- Home Lead Test Kits - don't work. Bottom line - they are a sham and a scam. If you want details on this - click here and here. Many Home Lead Test Kit companies will advertise something like this... Lead Paint in Bird Cages or Lead Tests For Bird Cages Test your Bird Cages for Lead using our Lead Test Kit Don't believe them - Home Lead Test Kits do not work!!!

	How To Collect Cage Paint Samples 1. Take a white sheet of “clean” computer paper to collect the sample. 2. Hold the paper under what you will be scraping. 3. Scrape the paint with a single edged razor blade or stainless steel knife (scrape – do not chip). 4. Scrape a sample about the size of a quarter - the size of a half dollar is best. 5. Fold the sample in the paper. 6. Lightly tape the paper shut. 7. Place the paper in a zip-lock plastic baggie. 8. Seal the baggie and place it in a regular envelope for mailing. Notes: If submitting samples from more than one cage - use separate labeled baggies for each paint sample. a) To avoid confusing which sample belongs to which cage, repeat the above process for “each” cage sample. b) Clearly mark on the baggie (not on the paper with the sample) the cage to which the sample belongs. c) Clearly state in the letter to the lab that you want them to indicate on the results report, the cage identification that you wrote on each baggy.

	A Sample Letter To The Lab Today’s Date Your Full Name Your Address City, State, Zip Your Telephone Number Your Fax – If appropriate Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory PO Box 25070 Baton Rouge, LA 70894 255-578-9784 Included is a paint sample of a bird cage that I would like you to test for Lead and Zinc using the digestion method. Also included is a check for $50.00 made out to Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory to cover the fees. Please call me with the test results at the above telephone number, and then mail me the test results at the above address. Thank you, Your Full Name

	Legal Recourse Many of you have asked either through posts or by email to me... "My cage tested lead or zinc toxic - I want my money back but where I bought it from... they are giving me the run-around." Remember this... According to state and federal court rulings --- ALL in the supply chain are EQUALLY responsible... importer, distributor, brick and mortar retailer, and Internet retailer. And please understand - the Internet retailer cannot claim that they never handled the product because it was dropped shipped to you by the importer/distributor. Tell them - it is the United States Federal law that all in the supply chain are EQUALLY responsible. You do deserve your money back from where you bought your cage.

	In Conclusion In this time in the history of keeping companion parrots - we have a disaster on our hands. If you think this issue is important - then please do not delay - get your cage tested. If you think this issue is really important - pass this on to as many people as you can. Do not be shy - your bird's health and your friend's bird's health is at stake. If you run up into ones - either by posting or by email - that try to throw a curve at you (monkey wrench into the mix) then consider them as suspect and they most likely have other motives other than keeping our birds safe. Do not delay - do what is right. Larry Houston aka Larry, Baby and Me Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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