Are G1 ponies safe?

[LadyMoondancer]

I just want to point out that "I did it and I didn't come to harm, so obviously it's okay!" is a fallacious argument.

First of all, we have plenty of community members with health problems.  Were they caused by lead?  Beats me;  but it's a possibility.

Second, anecdotes are not the same as scientifically gathered data.  You could find an 80 year old man who smoked every day of his life and has no health problems, but that doesn't mean that cigarettes are good for you;  it means he was lucky.  (I actually had someone in real life tell me that he didn't exercise because he knew someone who had a heart attack while jogging, and therefore he had concluded that exercise was bad for you.  I was just like " . . . . okay then.")  So, even if someone chewed on a G1 every day and didn't have health problems, that isn't 'proof' that they don't have the potential to cause health problems in a wider population.

Third, IIRC lead builds up, and the more builds up the more chances you have of medical problems.  So, it's possible that a lot of kids DID ingest lead from G1s--but not enough to start causing medical problems. And, again, that doesn't mean G1s are "safe".

Fourth, I think you need to be vigilant against perception bias, the tendency to WANT to believe something regardless of the evidence.  I would like to believe that G1s are perfectly safe.  But if I ignore evidence just because I want to believe that . . . then I am not really being honest with myself. I'm just telling myself what I want to hear.

Personally I would be wary about giving G1 ponies to kids, especially very young kids.  Both because they are more likely to stick things in their mouth and because lead is much worse for kids than for adults.

[Taffeta]

I just want to point out that "I did it and I didn't come to harm, so obviously it's okay!" is a fallacious argument.

First of all, we have plenty of community members with health problems.  Were they caused by lead?  Beats me;  but it's a possibility.

Second, anecdotes are not the same as scientifically gathered data.  You could find an 80 year old man who smoked every day of his life and has no health problems, but that doesn't mean that cigarettes are good for you;  it means he was lucky.  (I actually had someone in real life tell me that he didn't exercise because he knew someone who had a heart attack while jogging, and therefore he had concluded that exercise was bad for you.  I was just like " . . . . okay then.")  So, even if someone chewed on a G1 every day and didn't have health problems, that isn't 'proof' that they don't have the potential to cause health problems in a wider population.

Third, IIRC lead builds up, and the more builds up the more chances you have of medical problems.  So, it's possible that a lot of kids DID ingest lead from G1s--but not enough to start causing medical problems. And, again, that doesn't mean G1s are "safe".

Fourth, I think you need to be vigilant against perception bias, the tendency to WANT to believe something regardless of the evidence.  I would like to believe that G1s are perfectly safe.  But if I ignore evidence just because I want to believe that . . . then I am not really being honest with myself. I'm just telling myself what I want to hear.

Personally I would be wary about giving G1 ponies to kids, especially very young kids.  Both because they are more likely to stick things in their mouth and because lead is much worse for kids than for adults.

Normally I would agree with you. My issue is that there is no evidence. My argument is that we need that evidence, and someone with the skills and knowledge to do those tests. It's not about not paying attention to it. More about paying attention to the actual risk, rather than an imagined or presumed one based on a report with nothing in it.

And in my case, I was born with autism. MLP didn't give me that unless it had a time machine. But one reason I am so reticent about this report isn't trying to pretend it isn't a possible risk - it could be. It's about what happens when people don't have firm evidence and start panicking. There are so many theories about what 'makes kids autistic' that it really has created a nightmare for parents of autistic children. Vaccines, parental neglect, exposure to gluten, etc. None of those things have been proven to be true, and some have been proven to be false - but it doesn't matter. The rumour is out and the damage is done. In the case of vaccines there are kids at risk of dying from complications of diseases like measles because their parents believe the MMR vaccine will make them autistic. Even though that's garbage. People still believe it because they didn't bother to get the evidence. I think not being vaccinated and getting meningitis and dying or having half your body amputated or losing your sight or hearing or brain function is much worse than being autistic, which is something you're born with anyway, so won't matter either way.

That's why I am really hesitant to draw lines where there's nothing concrete.

I don't like that kind of media because to me that's definitely harmful, whereas right now nobody can prove if MLP is harmful. For me it's just a matter of time before someone says lead in toys caused autism, and that's that.

I want to see a proper report and study into this before we assume anything. Because sometimes assumptions and fears have more harmful consequences than the reality.

[Cswift]

Yep it did. It was my 1996 Pokemon annual. Tried cleaning it but the stain didn't come off. So I had to bin it.

That's tragic and I'm sorry. Spiders are vile.

Spoiler

DISCLAIMER: I know perfectly well spiders are not vile and are in fact very important to the environment. That doesn't stop the visceral feeling of disgust I feel punching me right in the amygdala when I see one, LOL

I want to see a proper report and study into this before we assume anything. Because sometimes assumptions and fears have more harmful consequences than the reality.

I agree. I don't think there are very many people in this thread actually arguing that MLPs definitely don't pose any threat whatsoever, but largely unsubstantiated handwringing does nothing but make our lives worse. I think several people have also brought up that with all the environmental pollutants we come into contact with every day, MLP is pretty far down on the list of concerns. I'd tend to agree with that. It's hard to get worked up about dangerous levels of lead that might or might not be in my vintage toys when we can't even get the politicians in my country to believe that global warming is a real thing that exists. 

[Carrehz]

I never said "G1 ponies are definitely 100% safe", but IMO until and unless we get hard evidence that they're harmful, personally I'm not going to worry about it.

[Luxrayx]

Yeah, I don't think it's worth worrying about something because it could be harmful (just like everything else in the world). Personally, I'm of the opinion that if something is presented without evidence, it can also be dismissed without evidence!

[ColdRuru]

I NEVER though about that, but... well... if we consider what was made in the past with chemicals that weren't good idea I would say: they may/are probably not safe. BUT to be honest, I'm not sure ACTUAL things are safer too. Sooo...

[Leave a Whisper]

Oh the things I put in my mouth when I was young... ponies are NOTHING to worry about.

This may not actually be true or at least a false equivalency.  Plastic, like many materials, degrades over time.  What was perfectly safe 30 years ago may not chemically be the same today.  Some things get less dangerous as they age, others get more so, but no matter which way you slice the pie entropy always wins.

I'll save you Baby Sugar Berry! Send all your G1s my way!

[Baby Sugarberry]

Oh the things I put in my mouth when I was young... ponies are NOTHING to worry about.

This may not actually be true or at least a false equivalency.  Plastic, like many materials, degrades over time.  What was perfectly safe 30 years ago may not chemically be the same today.  Some things get less dangerous as they age, others get more so, but no matter which way you slice the pie entropy always wins.

I'll save you Baby Sugar Berry! Send all your G1s my way!

Pfft, as if.  Nice try, but it'll take more than a possible trace of lead to pry my ponies from me.  Really it just comes down to common sense - ponies are old (fact) they were made in an era that had less stringent safety standards (fact), there is no substantive evidence that they are or are not harmful (fact), and most children are prone to putting things in their mouths that shouldn't go there (fact).

In light of those things, it's logical to keep ponies away from those too young to know better than to chew anything they can get their sticky fingers on, protecting both the hypothetical ponies and kids involved.  Simple enough.

[Leave a Whisper]

Oh the things I put in my mouth when I was young... ponies are NOTHING to worry about.

This may not actually be true or at least a false equivalency.  Plastic, like many materials, degrades over time.  What was perfectly safe 30 years ago may not chemically be the same today.  Some things get less dangerous as they age, others get more so, but no matter which way you slice the pie entropy always wins.

I'll save you Baby Sugar Berry! Send all your G1s my way!

Pfft, as if.  Nice try, but it'll take more than a possible trace of lead to pry my ponies from me.  Really it just comes down to common sense - ponies are old (fact) they were made in an era that had less stringent safety standards (fact), there is no substantive evidence that they are or are not harmful (fact), and most children are prone to putting things in their mouths that shouldn't go there (fact).

In light of those things, it's logical to keep ponies away from those too young to know better than to chew anything they can get their sticky fingers on, protecting both the hypothetical ponies and kids involved.  Simple enough.

[lostpony]

Ponies are perfectly safe and I do NOT have a problem.  I can stop any time I want, i just don't want to.  Keep believing that....

They do pose a choking hazard if you try to swallow them.  I don't believe the 3-and-under warning, they still stick in my throat and I'm four.

Lead paint is only harmful if eaten so if ponies do contain lead, just don't put the ponies in your mouth like I do, or lick your fingers after handling them like I do, or put them in your fruit smoothies like I do...I mean, I don't do any of those things.

More modern plastics seem a lot more dangerous to me, riding in new cars gives me a headache that lasts for days so i am sure that is more toxic, and plastic food packaging is going to kill us much faster than anything in our ponies, and if I am wrong about that I will die happy, stuffed with ponies.

[Carrehz]

They do pose a choking hazard if you try to swallow them.  I don't believe the 3-and-under warning, they still stick in my throat and I'm four.

Lead paint is only harmful if eaten so if ponies do contain lead, just don't put the ponies in your mouth like I do, or lick your fingers after handling them like I do, or put them in your fruit smoothies like I do...I mean, I don't do any of those things.