Green Sprouts Hired a Lawyer to Shut Me Up. I Will Not Stop Talking.

Update: On March 2, 2017, Becky and Emi from Green Sprouts sent me an email apologizing for having a lawyer send me the letter this post is addressing. I am leaving this post up but have published their apology.

The apology reads:
We are writing to you to personally apologize on behalf of i play., Inc. for how we have handled communication with you and your readers since this situation came to light. I understand that you are committed to helping your readers make healthy choices for their families...(read the full text of the apology letter here)

Ten days ago I published a blog post telling you about lead that was found in the paint on the glass inner liners of Green Sprouts "Glass Sip N Straw" sippy cups. You can read that whole post here: Update on Lead in Green Sprouts Sippy Cups: What You Need to Know!

Since then, Green Sprouts' parent company, iPlay has hired a lawyer to try to bully me into removing the post. Their lawyer, Heather Jones of Spilman Thomas & Battle, called me and told me I was publishing "false and misleading information" about her clients. Interestingly, when I asked which information was false or misleading so I could correct it, she told me it's not iPlay's job to tell me that. 

Wait.

I wrote a well-researched blog post, referencing multiple sources, containing only information I believe to be true. Information that is not flattering - but true nonetheless.

The company accuses me of publishing information that is "false and misleading".

I ask which information is untrue so I can fix it. 

And they REFUSE to tell me saying it would be better to just take the WHOLE ARTICLE down if I can't figure that out myself????

Bull shit. 

BULL. SHIT.

Pardon my language but that is absolute garbage. 

After she became hostile with me on the phone, I told her I would be delighted to look at any factual corrections she or iPlay would like to submit to me in writing. 

Then today I got this certified letter (click the images to make them bigger):

I believe that iPlay is embarrassed about the discovery of lead in the markings on the glass portion their cups and wants to bury this issue. If that's true, they should be embarrassed. This is a company that has set themselves up as being one of the top brands for non-toxic products for kids. A brand that I, in fact, used to promote to other moms because I believed in the safety of their products (to be clear: I was never paid by Green Sprouts to do any promotion on their behalf. I simple believed in their products and told other moms and CGL readers about them).

I believe the right thing for Green Sprouts to do would be to issue a voluntary recall of the painted glass inserts. Instead, they are going to accuse me of publishing "false and misleading information" without telling me what information they believe to be false or misleading in an effort to shut me up and keep me from telling moms about the lead paint in their kids' sippy cups.

So let me be really clear:

It is a FACT that a test using an XRF analyzer operated by a trained and certified XRF operator gave a reading of 3,003 (+/-107) PPM lead when testing the paint on the glass insert. (source) 

It is a FACT that an investigation by Julie Watts of CBS San Francisco saw XRF test results of more than 4000 PPM lead when testing the paint on the glass inserts. (source)

It is a FACT that several independent moms tested the paint on their children's sippy cups with LeadCheck swabs and the swab (and sometimes the paint) turned red indicating that at LEAST 600 PPM lead was present - which is the federal limit for lead in household paint - the limit for lead in children's products is much lower. (see cover image for two such tests. More user-submitted images are available to see on the Natural Baby Mama website.)

It is a FACT that the moms I have talked to that own these sippy cups are uncomfortable with there being ANY lead in ANY place on their children's cups. 

It is a FACT that I do not take kindly to being bullied and I am not going to stop sharing the truth about this issue. 

UPDATE 2/26/2017: Tamara Rubin, renowned lead expert and the certified operator who did the original testing of the sippy cup, has also received a similar letter from the same attorney. See her post about it here: Letter from Green Sprouts Sippy Cup Attorneys on TamaraRubin.com.

UPDATE II 2/28/2017: While doing a home visit with a mother who owns two of the cups in question, Tamara was able to make a video showing how she tested these specific cups for lead using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). The readings for lead in these cups happened to be EVEN HIGHER than the amount of lead detected in the cups tested and reported on here. See the video below:

For further reading, please see:

• My original article in question, Lead in Green Sprouts Sippy Cups: What You Need to Know! on Creative Green Living.
• A copy of the letter sent to Green Sprouts by certified XRF operator and lead expert, Tamara Rubin.
• A copy of the letter the Green Sprouts attorney sent to Tamara Rubin asking her to stop publishing the true and verifiable information about their sippy cups on her website.
• Green Sprouts Sippy Cup Tests Positive for Lead, What You Need to Know on Natural Baby Mama.
• CBS San Francisco's independent report on this issue (news article).
• CBS San Francisco's independent report on this issue (news broadcast).
• CEH Testing: Lead-Tainted Sippy Cups on the Center for Environmental Health website.
• Lead in Sippy Cups and the Moms Making a Difference on News Mom.
• iPlay Baby's statement regarding the issue of lead in their sippy cups.

About the Author:

Carissa Bonham is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. The owner and lead writer at Creative Green Living, she won the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY Blogger" in 2018.

Her goal is to empower families to make easy projects and healthier choices that are beautiful and delicious! She is also the author of the hardcover cookbook, Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2017) and Proven Techniques for Keeping Healthy Chickens (Skyhorse, 2018). 

Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Capper's Farmer and Urban Farm Magazine. Follow her on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or join the Creative Green Living Tribe.

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