# Flashlights bad for our health?



## JRTJRT (Aug 23, 2007)

Just got back from Target and saw the *Lumilite **2660 4D Lantern
*black rubber Xenon, 4 D-cell, $10. Cool light! nice form factor...

http://www.lumilite.com/flash/product_steel_list.asp#s5

Almost bought it!

Then I saw on the back of the package the warning "this product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects". So they lost a sale from me. I avoid stuff like that whenever possible. All these cheap materials are killing and deforming kids and causing serious health problems. I suspect the chemical is lead and I wouldn't think of using lead paint in my house. I have seen other products like cell phone headsets with the same warning and I refused to buy those too. One cell phone headset package had the nerve to say "wash hands after using this product". Yea ok, I'll wash up each time I touch my headset... :shakehead

I ain't washin ma hands every time I touch ma light/headset/wall! 

Plus with China in the news lately about the lead toys and toxic products they are shipping here to the US... makes me wonder if those Chinese flashlights we talk about have any lead paint or other chemicals that we should worry about.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 23, 2007)

Those carcinogen warning labels are absolutely everywhere. Flashlights, like pretty much all electrical products, usually contain solder (at a minimum). Lead-free solder is not very commonly used, AFAIK. Batteries can also be hazardous, especially lithium cells. Another common carcinogen-containing commodity is gasoline, even the unleaded kind.

Basically, just be careful, and be aware of what you're handling. Wash your hands before eating, especially if you've just soldered something, filled up your car's tank, been at a shooting range, etc.

It can sometimes be hard to draw the line between a "real" warning label and a litigated one.


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## greenlight (Aug 23, 2007)

I visited my friend's apt bldg, and there was a sign in the lobby stating the same thing, some general warning about there being hazardous materials present. He suggested that there might be lead in the paint somewhere. Maybe lead in the pipes?


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## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 23, 2007)

greenlight said:


> I visited my friend's apt bldg, and there was a sign in the lobby stating the same thing, some general warning about there being hazardous materials present. He suggested that there might be lead in the paint somewhere. Maybe lead in the pipes?


I don't think leaded pipes are used much anymore, since that could put it into direct contact with potable water. If it's an older building, the pipes could be rusty steel.

The hazard could be some sort of asbestos. :shrug: FYI, there are several kinds of asbestos, and not all of them are unsafe.

But back to flashlights: don't eat/inhale/etc. the components, and you'll reduce the danger.


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## NA8 (Aug 23, 2007)

I recall the big deal about lead was some kids were eating lead paint flakes. ?? Whatever. Paint more often. Feed your kid more often. There was an old lady across the street, lived to be over 100, drank water out of lead pipes all her life. Who knows. Personally, lead is pretty low on my list of things to worry about. Now lithium I have a big respect for


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## chesterqw (Aug 23, 2007)

photonium.

it must be that!!!


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## h_nu (Aug 23, 2007)

Lead still is used in some cheap extension cords too. Be alert if you have small children in the house. It's even more dangerous to small growing children and with the Chinese made products, sometimes things get by the poor inspection process.

A few years ago lead was found in vinyl lunch boxes and it wasn't known to the public first. Food could have come in contact and gotten into the kids.


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## Flying Turtle (Aug 23, 2007)

The most hazardous thing for me about flashlights is the lack of sleep from staying up late on this forum. And, I've probably breathed a lot of extra exhaust fumes from driving around looking for them.

Geoff


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## luigi (Aug 23, 2007)

Anyway, you have to be very hungry to eat a flashlight and if you do just remove the batteries first.

Luigi


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## matrixshaman (Aug 23, 2007)

They are most likely talking about the rubber on the outside of that flashlight. It's made from petroleum products and those all have that CA warning. Unless you plan on eating the rubber off it I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe wash your hands if you've been holding it a lot. I'm very big on doing things healthy but you guys are beginning to worry me - you are starting to look a lot like Monk (detective in the TV series). :laughing:
Hilarious show if you've never seen it BTW.


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

JRTJRT said:


> ... Then I saw on the back of the package the warning "this product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects". So they lost a sale from me. I avoid stuff like that whenever possible...


 
Do you _really_ avoid stuff like that? Do you have any idea how many common chemicals are on Cali's hit list?

How about aspirin, for starters. Beverages containing alcohol. Asphalt. Coffee. Soot. Chemotherapy (Yes - the treatment for cancer, causes cancer, according to Cali). Vehicle emissions. Antifreeze. Solder that joins copper pipe in many homes. The US 5-cent coin. Oral contraceptives. Sand. Gasoline. Urethane. 

And many hundreds of chemical compounds in normal, routine usage in products found in homes and businesses nationwide and worldwide.

http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short_list_name=p65

Of course, there are a number of chemicals on the list that are seriously bad news. But there are also chemicals on the list that you'd have to eat by the pound, daily, for years, before running any serious risk - casual contact with them every now and then is about as harmless as life itself can possibly be.


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## scott.cr (Aug 23, 2007)

Well if you have a light with those cheap CR123s and it blows up in your front pocket, this would be very bad for the health of your future children.


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## FlashSpyJ (Aug 23, 2007)

I read this warning label on a friends USB cord to his MP3, player. I was shocked that stuff like this is allowed to be sold. If you should wash your hands after handling stuff like that! Its insaine! Maybe its there just to be super cautios...


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

FlashSpyJ said:


> I read this warning label on a friends USB cord to his MP3, player. I was shocked that stuff like this is allowed to be sold. If you should wash your hands after handling stuff like that! Its insaine! Maybe its there just to be super cautios...


 
I don't know the facts, but I'd bet my house that the warnings are there at the insistence of a lawyer, not a scientist. See my previous post. The California list is the insane part, not the labelling it provokes.


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## Jay T (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> D
> 
> http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-groups/one-list.tcl?short_list_name=p65



Thanks for the link, it is hard to believe some of that stuff is still legal. Like this one. 

http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=50-78-2

Wasn't this stuff used by the Germans in WWII?

Go ahead read the link and remember this stuff is allowed in schools.


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

Jay T said:


> Thanks for the link, it is hard to believe some of that stuff is still legal. Like this one.
> 
> http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=50-78-2
> 
> ...


 

Tongue firmly in cheek, right Jay T?


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> Do you _really_ avoid stuff like that? Do you have any idea how many common chemicals are on Cali's hit list?
> 
> How about aspirin, for starters. Beverages containing alcohol. Asphalt. Coffee. Soot. Chemotherapy (Yes - the treatment for cancer, causes cancer, according to Cali). Vehicle emissions. Antifreeze. Solder that joins copper pipe in many homes. The US 5-cent coin. Oral contraceptives. Sand. Gasoline. Urethane.
> 
> .



umm, so like, are you going to put antifreeze, gasoline, ethanol fuel, and asphault in your mouth?


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

VidPro said:


> umm, so like, are you going to put antifreeze, gasoline, ethanol fuel, and asphault in your mouth?


 
Who said anything about a mouth?

The original poster was worried about touching a lantern with his hands because it carried the Cali warning.


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## Jay T (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> Tongue firmly in cheek, right Jay T?



So far in I think I pulled a muscle, better find some aspirin to ease the pain.


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> Who said anything about a mouth?
> 
> The original poster was worried about touching a lantern with his hands because it carried the Cali warning.


 
hands , you mean like the hand you rub your face and eyes with? the ones you eat with? there are compounds in some plastics that go INTO the skin, like a solvent, well because they are solvents of sorts.

you make it sound as if the california list, is a bunch of Hoowey, but most of what you listed , isnt exactally something we would be rolling around in, in a more natural enviroment.

I certannly wouldnt have a problem with the toxic stuff they are making in china, i WOULD hold it in my hand, but to completly dismiss what is being learned about the plastics degassing, and leaving toxic oils and stuff , is to get sick from stuff , for no reason. myself i havent been sick in YEARS, but then i live in california  eat off of lead painted plates, and siphen antifreeze with my mouth


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

VidPro said:


> hands , you mean like the hand you rub your face and eyes with? the ones you eat with? there are compounds in some plastics that go INTO the skin, like a solvent, well because they are solvents of sorts.
> 
> you make it sound as if the california list, is a bunch of Hoowey, but most of what you listed , isnt exactally something we would be rolling around in, in a more natural enviroment.


 

No, I make it sound like SOME of the California list is a bunch of "hoowey" (hooey? bullcrap? whatever). That's the problem. There are some chemicals on there that will kill you, fast. And there are some chemicals on there that will not hurt you unless you ingest ludicrously large quantities.

Are you going to stop walking across a hot parking lot because that will expose you to asphalt fumes? Are you going to stop going to the beach because that will expose you to sand? See my point yet? Just because something is on the List, does NOT mean it is necessarily bad for you in normal daily life.


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## sween1911 (Aug 23, 2007)

Read the label on sugarless gum. I've seen the same thing on gum that contains saccharine.


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> Just because something is on the List, does NOT mean it is necessarily bad for you in normal daily life.


 
right just because its on the list, doesnt mean much, because some of it is based on quanitites, and continual exposure.

but when you say , would you avoid hot asphault smells because somebody poisened a rat with 5,000Times what one would get from it. YES i would , here is why.
the olfactory gland/lobe/bulb (what you smell with) is a Partical based gland, that means the particals have to arrive there to be able to smell that.
(think about that one next time sombody lets one off in a theatre.

also it depends entirely on the usage, LEAD in paint did a great job of killing molds and mildews, because stuff can't LIVE on it, but if you have a habit of eating paint  then its not so good, like say chewing on pencils, or your kid or dog gnawing on a window ledge.

Or take the relativly unknown Concrete , in its solid form nothing to worry about, but a 100Lb bag lands on the freeway, and everyone drives over it, sucking it into thier Vents , and breathing it, then its not so fun.

the list is there so people can be aware, if that leads people to be overly caucious, till there is nothing left but Wood toys , well then the pitch resisins in the wood toys will be next


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

sween1911 said:


> Read the label on sugarless gum. I've seen the same thing on gum that contains saccharine.



you actually eat that stuff?

what is happeneing here is an acceptance of the unnatural, via corporations that dont give a rats toxificated backside about the human.

i guess the youngens will be adapted into the lifestyle of unnaturality , then the same corporations can get ritch off the medical toys to fix ya back up again  

some old fart legislators who know the way things were back when everything wasnt contrived, dna altered, processed, grafted, and toxified, wants to put a label on this stuff, so people will know the difference.
looks to me like if they didnt, we would be eating plastic strawberries, and think they tasted good.


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## kelmo (Aug 23, 2007)

I think tripping in the dark and cracking your skull is more hazardous to your health!


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

kelmo said:


> I think tripping in the dark and cracking your skull is more hazardous to your health!



well that is under the assumption that the perfectally good Altzhemiers causing "heavy metal" flashlights would have you remembering better where the steps are


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## Mr.Urahara reloaded (Aug 23, 2007)

Oh my god...
I don't know any other country that is so afraid and panic about things like this then the U.S..
What do you think is a bigger problem, the chemicals used in the products you mention or the lack of using the seat belt in a car ( in the US only nearly 40% of all driver use the seat belt, 40%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

What do you think is a bigger problem, the chemicals used in the products you mention or the fact more than 50% of every american household has a gun?
( Did you know that every year nearly 70.000 person are killed by shot? Nearly 40.000 by accident, ONLY in the US).

What do you think is a bigger problem, the chemicals used in the products you mention or passiv smoking? ( statistics say that permanent passiv smoking leads to cancer by a chance of 1 / 30.000 , Now everybody says:" Oh my f***ing god, stop this smoking madness." In fact this means that neraly 6.666 and some would die of passive smoking. By statistics it is more dangerous to eat a hamburger every week than sitting in a room with other peaople smoking.)

Damn it,( excuse my exessive language) according to the annual year book of the US in 2003 more than 50.000 person hurt themself with beds, pillows and blankings!!!!! 50.000!!!!

To make a short story long, ( or the other way round) more than 60.000.000 americans hurt themselves in some way by doing household activity. More than 2.000.000 gained irreversible damage to their health.

According to the annual, in 2003 over 40.000 US citizens were delivered to hospital because of poison. ( This includes EVERY way of how you could be poisoned, like snake attack, drinking acid, drug overdose and even rusty nails that started a blood poison and they included poison because of flashlight that were very very very very bad to their health.) 
From those 40.000 , 13.000 died. You guess how many people died or really damaged their health with toxic components on flashlights or toys?
You guess, nearly no one.( I'm not talking about exessive lead or sulfur mustard (dichloroethyl sulphide). )



Before you worry of flashlights, tighten your seatbelts, eat no junk-food, learn not to injure yourself with a blanket and we can talk about hazards in real life that are important enough to mention.

I don't really want to make fun of anyone here, it is just curious to see what realy uprages some people here, not realizing the comparison and dimensions of this...

( Did i already state, that according to the bureau of safety of track and traffic nearly 3.400.000 people could be alive every year if anyone would fasten their seatbelts? it is really really sad to see this mentality of a majority of what they call themselves " a civilized nation"...
Need a comparison? Here in Germany according to the poilce, 97.8% of all drivers use their seatbelts.)

MfG Mr.Urahara


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## DaddyCool (Aug 23, 2007)

Is this Lumilite 2660 4D Lantern run by an rechargeable battery? I then assume it's this nickel-cadmium battery that "contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects". As long as you don't eat or feed it, you'll be safe!


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## Illum (Aug 23, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Those carcinogen warning labels are absolutely everywhere.



you can imagine my reactions when I saw it on a can of peanut butter:candle:


if its mandatory to but warning labels on everything flashlight based...we can expect to see cr123As with tabletop sized package wrapping with itty bitty texts


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> ( Did i already state, that according to the bureau of safety of track and traffic nearly 3.400.000 people could be alive every year if anyone would fasten their seatbelts? MfG Mr.Urahara


 
and how will they remember to do that , if the toxics are making them mentally deficient?

besides, how do you know that the OP doesnt already have most of that covered? and in thier attempts to live the best happy healthy existance they dont smoke, or breathe others smoke, avoid the death trap of automitive injury, and avoid stuff that has warning labels of possible negative coincidence? and i donno, mabey they sleep on the grass 

sure 38,000 people die a year and 6mill injured a year in the US via the automobile, but if they hadnt become mentally deficient at birth , mabey not so many would die :shakehead you tell me what happens when you give mentally and sexually deficient people, guns, 2000lb killing machines, and cigaretts?


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## soffiler (Aug 23, 2007)

Sexually deficient? Where did THAT come from?


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

soffiler said:


> Sexually deficient? Where did THAT come from?


 
umm guess you havent studied the effects of some of the stuff in the pastics.
but what could it hurt after all? population density will need to balance out, some viagra will fix it 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalates

here try this, its BASICALLY the stuff that makes the pastics soft. and if you know plastics over TIME they dont stay soft, they harden over time, from exposure to air and sunlight.


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## Mr.Urahara reloaded (Aug 23, 2007)

VidPro said:


> and how will they remember to do that , if the toxics are making them mentally deficient?
> 
> 
> sure 38,000 people die a year and 6mill injured a year in the US via the automobile, but if they hadnt become mentally deficient at birth , mabey not so many would die :shakehead you tell me what happens when you give mentally and sexually deficient people, guns, 2000lb killing machines, and cigaretts?




So you want to tell me that half or better 3/4 of all 310.000.000 ( or even more) americans or mentally and/or sexually deficient?

If you are so convinced about your statement to prove it in any way?
Here in europe do you think we do not buy the same crap and toxics have a different effect to our mentally and sexuality behavior?
Nearly no one here is shot by accident because guns are forbidden ( and i think this is a really really good thing to do so). 
In germany, or britain or france or......( insert name of european country here:_____________) the numbers of deathly car crashes is WAY BELOW americas ( really way below, if you actually want to know in percentage: statisticaly it is 37 times more dangerous and to die in an american car then in europe). Wow, does this mean, i will die with 145 years injuring myself with a blanked? Maybe i stumble over one of my flashlights and break my neck...:shrug:


MfG Mr.Urahara


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## DaddyCool (Aug 23, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> statisticaly it is 37 times more dangerous and to die in an american car then in europe:shrug:


Must be due to the cheapy maglites rolling in everyone's footwell and then behind your brakes while driving american cars...


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> Here in europe do you think we do not buy the same crap and toxics have a different effect to our mentally
> 
> MfG Mr.Urahara



i dont know, Havent you ever asked your self why humans are so screwed up? i see people doing that every day? they can even be drinking water from a plastic bottle when asking that. :tinfoil:


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## Monocrom (Aug 23, 2007)

If lights were really _that_ dangerous for our health.... most of us would be dead by now.

Who's dead! Raise your hands so we can get an accurate count!


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## Mr.Urahara reloaded (Aug 23, 2007)

VidPro said:


> i dont know, Havent you ever asked your self why humans are so screwed up? i see people doing that every day? they can even be drinking water from a plastic bottle when asking that. :tinfoil:



What kind of person? what do you mean by "humans"? Everybody, or just billy-thecrack-kid and his drugstoned gang?

BTW: i know what Phthalates are for and what effects they can have.
They are are forbidden in Europe now ( and in america as well, i'm sure...).
( Hey, wouldn't that slow down overcrowding?:green


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

Monocrom said:


> If lights were really _that_ dangerous for our health.... most of us would be dead by now.
> 
> Who's dead! Raise your hands so we can get an accurate count!



the dinosaurs  after all that is (suposedly) where all this crude oil to make the pastics comes from. a bunch of dead stuff.

besides, how many people presentally have Soft shelled oil leaching flashlights? most of the plastic junk is hard, the rest is metal.
so stuff like this is president setting.
which reminds me of the soft mouth bite accessory for maglights.


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> What kind of person? what do you mean by "humans"? Everybody, or just billy-thecrack-kid and his drugstoned gang?
> 
> BTW: i know what Phthalates are for and what effects they can have.
> They are are forbidden in Europe now ( and in america as well, i'm sure...).
> ( Hey, wouldn't that slow down overcrowding?:green


 
Phthalates (dont ask me to spell it) are not banned in the US yet that i know of. lots of the fear and discussion about it is in the VERY soft stuff, like sex toys, because some of them Leach out a LOT more than your average harder products. and if anyone had anything to fear, it seems like the largest actual exposure would be the biggest problem. soo the softer the item is, and the more it feels like you just changed your oil on your car, the more you would probably want to get it off your skin.

the Eu banned 2 of them before all testing was complete, and without reguard to the products ability to contain (vrses leach) the oils.

But the studies the CDC did seem rather flawed to me, as they tested the quantity comming OUT of the human, in urine. wheras with many of these oil based things , like bad food oils and all, they are fat soluable. retaining in the human in the fat. so i dont quite understand, and never will. it just seems to me if you want to analise the exposure of a fat soluable item, you would need to do a fat test also?

so why would they need to know if the human adsorbed, or extracted through waste, a certian parts per billion of this product, if it wasnt getting IN them, and if HIGH concentrations weren't shown to do some negative thing to living things like rats?
all they tried to show, is that the avearage human doesnt GET as much as the rats they gave it to, so therby its safe enough.
and i think in most cases it is. its all about exposure, and extraction of foreign objects from the body.


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## James S (Aug 23, 2007)

Are there any "all natural" "non-toxic" flashlights? I've seen some around here that were made from wood, but not all wood is non-toxic... I have some lovely lacewood sitting right here waiting for some kind of project as it's an exotic beautiful grain. But it's a member of a species that has some natural poison content and the sawdust can cause some people some irritation, so even that is not a guarantee.

Is there a warning on the bulb "warning, may cause death if lodged in windpipe"

I have no doubt there is lead in the circuit boards and solvents in the rubber, and if you smoked it you'd be just as sick too. But I still hate the warning labels because they add to the increasing sense that we live in a world overflowing with unnamed and unknowable toxins that need to be flushed and cleansed with more voodoo rituals. This is simply not true. You have nothing to fear from the flashlight, just like you have nothing to fear from other plastic products. You have nothing to fear from breathing regular air or drinking water out of reused plastic bottles left in a hot car, and the list goes on. 

Enjoy your new lantern but keep in mind that no matter how hungry you get, dont fry it up and eat it. If you need a warning sticker to suggest that if you have black goo on you from the rubber you should wash your hands, or that you shouldn't chew on the circuit boards you have problems larger than any sticker in any state will ever solve for you.


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## Mr.Urahara reloaded (Aug 23, 2007)

Then you are the first person who wants to be cut into slices to conduct a fat test? I am sure there are not many people who wants to be injured, because you have to take the fat OUT of the human.... ( i have a really big problem to find people for my experiments. I research effects to muscle and all vivo cntraction human materials but nobody wants to have a tiny bit of his flesh cut out during and after the experiments... I really don't know why:nana
And rats are not really representative for human methabolism....
I agree with you that Phthalates ( in german it is not so difficult to speak it out) are dangerous and should be banned in all applications were humans have contacs with it.


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> And rats are not really representative for human methabolism....
> .


 
and neither is mold , or fish say, or even Pidgeons used in mines to discover that which could kill humans.
but all of it is "life" persay, and things which kill cells, are often good at killing cells, and humans will outlive most lab rats, so that which kills them, i dont want  
everything can extract forign objects, and replace cells with new ones, but some things make keeping up with cell replacement harder :naughty:

i like to see that fish cells survive in the water i am going to drink, its a clue that my cells might survive also, even if my cells dont have gills.


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## VidPro (Aug 23, 2007)

James S said:


> Are there any "all natural" "non-toxic" flashlights? I've seen some around here that were made from wood, but not all wood is non-toxic... I have some lovely lacewood sitting right here waiting for some kind of project as it's an exotic beautiful grain. But it's a member of a species that has some natural poison content and the sawdust can cause some people some irritation, so even that is not a guarantee.
> 
> .


 
and in wood, you probably have stain, which keeps living things from ruining it, and oxygen away. plus you might have plastic coatings of the many types, poly whatevers and varnishes and such.

wood treatments, have huge arrays of warnings , so i guess its going to have to be a culturless yougurt flashlight , with lemon batteries.


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## KuoH (Aug 23, 2007)

Aww man, and here I was just wondering the other day about how my L1D and the 14500 inside would taste with honey BBQ sauce. :sick2:

KuoH



TigerhawkT3 said:


> But back to flashlights: don't eat/inhale/etc. the components, and you'll reduce the danger.


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## KuoH (Aug 23, 2007)

Yeah, around here they're called lightning bugs. Pretty compact and efficient, but not a lot of throw.

KuoH



James S said:


> Are there any "all natural" "non-toxic" flashlights?


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## James S (Aug 23, 2007)

VidPro said:


> and in wood, you probably have stain, which keeps living things from ruining it, and oxygen away. plus you might have plastic coatings of the many types, poly whatevers and varnishes and such.
> 
> wood treatments, have huge arrays of warnings , so i guess its going to have to be a culturless yougurt flashlight , with lemon batteries.



Lacewood looks beautiful with just a linseed or tung oil or other natural oil finish, and those things are HIGHLY toxic and all natural  Though for a wood flashlight you could use a salad bowl finish, or even walnut oil which would be safer and still mostly natural (some salad bowl finishes are just mineral oil and wax) unless you're allergic to walnuts in which case that would probably cause problems too.... As far as poly finishes, fully cured polyurethane is completely inert and has no exposure limits or guidelines from OSHA or any other organization. Unless you burn it, then it's nasty. In order to get it to flow over your work piece though you have to dissolve it in some pretty active solvents which are not so good for you in large doses or continued exposure at work for years and years. But once it's dry it's VERY safe to have around. Considering most plastics are made from the same stuff and most foams are too they are also completely safe when fully cured. The problems come into play when you get a foam or a plastic that is still outgassing solvents or other additives like phthalates. The whole question of Phthalates in PVC is still under investigation. The studies done were small and had some big problems that could null out all the people level data entirely so it remains to be seen if they will actually pan out to be bad for you in normal quantities or not.


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Aug 23, 2007)

People's Republic of Kalifornia can a very weird place indeed...


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## Bror Jace (Aug 23, 2007)

I agree with most in this thread that this is more CYA than anything else ... bigger things to worry about. Drinking and driving kills around 60,000 Americans every year. That's like an Omaha Beach landing AND a Pearl Harbor attack _every month._ 

I never smoked, don't drink anymore, use no illegal drugs, use very few over-the-counter medicines, wash my hands frequently, etc ... I'm simply not worried about fumes or residues given off by consumer products. :shakehead

But I can't eat wheat, rye or barley (I have Celiac Disease). :sick2:

Guns? I luv 'em ... have almost as many as flashlights. I've never injured myself or anyone else with any of 'em. Definitely keeping 'em. :thumbsup:

Will someone please let me know when life spans in the U.S. start to decrease? I want to know when to begin worrying. :shrug:


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## Illum (Aug 23, 2007)

chesterqw said:


> photonium.
> 
> it must be that!!!



aint gamma...but just as radiating


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## lucio (Aug 26, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> In germany, or britain or france or......( insert name of european country here:_____________) the numbers of deathly car crashes is WAY BELOW americas
> 
> MfG Mr.Urahara



even if I put "Italy" in there? hmm, I wouldn't know . 

anyway, I agree, I don't really consider that warnings to be really dangerous for my health, I fear CR123 a whole lot more, and I still use them.

p.s.: sorry for the avatar  . ehehe just kidding


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## Radio (Aug 26, 2007)

WARNING: LIFE may be hazardous to your health! It may even result in Death!!


Who knew?


:tinfoil:


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## mdocod (Aug 26, 2007)

A flashlight is far more likely to help in a time of need and potentially SAVE a life than kill a person.

I heard on the radio this week, that in theory, had environmentalists not thrown a fit about asbestos back in the 70s, the twin towers may have survived the plane crashes. Properly isolated and maintained asbestos is rarely a health risk, and may have provided the fire retardant necessary to prevent the towers from falling.

I heard on the radio this week, that in theory, if the NASA program were still allowed to use a particular type of refrigerant in their foam paneling (on shuttles), the columbia disaster may not have happened. 

Point being, that generally speaking, the benefit of a product outweighs the side effects or risks, (much like drugs). But for some reason, law makers like to make a bigger deal about the small negative than the large positive, and get things outlawed, or slap silly warnings, or restrict usage, etc etc...

I am really bothered by the possibility that lawmakers may outlaw primary cells, and incandescent lamps in the next decade or so.


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## 65535 (Aug 27, 2007)

Rubbers usually Chinese Rubbers contain lead unless you have ROHS Compliant solder you have lead right there, lead is a very common carcinogen.

I was at a restaurant a year or two ago, there was a sign stating that products served in this store may contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm. My assumption being that it was Sushi Boy, was that since some fish ingest amounts of mercury that ends up in their muscle which is basically the meat.

I wouldn't concern myself with those signs, as long as you are aware of your environment and whats in it, you shouldn't have problems, those signs are basically legal disclaimers so people can't say I bought this item because it wasn't going to give me cancer or make my children more retarded than I am.

Food for thought.


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## Spalding (Aug 27, 2007)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> People's Republic of Kalifornia can a very weird place indeed...



I couldn't have said it better! The warnings you are seeing about the State of California, etc. are the result of a proposition passed in the '80s. It required all "cancer causing" things to be labeled (but we can still have these things). The new car I bought last year had a label on it since something in it or it's _operation _could "cause cancer". Rest assured, these warnings are pure nonsense and needless to say I voted against that proposition.

I'm surprised that there are folks scared of virtually everything. This is no longer John Wayne's America.

Eddie


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## James S (Aug 27, 2007)

65535 said:


> Chinese Rubbers



 There are some things it just doesn't pay to skimp on the price...





> lead is a very common carcinogen.



LONG before lead gives you cancer it will make you stupid and sick from heavy metal poisoning that has nothing to do with cancer. Our fear of cancer often makes us do stupid things like put up signs like this all over the place when other problems from the nasty stuff is much worse and much more common. Ask the smokers around today if they are more afraid of the cancer that that probably wont get or the end stage COPD that will be much more likely to kill them slowly when they get older...

Though my memory might be faulty I believe that these signs are based on the ludicrous assumption that a substance that when ingested in *any* amount by a mouse and causes cancer, is then assumed to cause cancer in a person. This is just so not true. The amount that you have to ingest is really important. You can feed a rat the equivalent of a person eating a grain silo of something for breakfast every day. And mice aren't people metabolically anyway. They are a good first stage test to show you where to concentrate your efforts in future studies, but they are not the place from which to draw your public health policy.



> I wouldn't concern myself with those signs, as long as you are aware of your environment and whats in it, you shouldn't have problems, those signs are basically legal disclaimers so people can't say I bought this item because it wasn't going to give me cancer or make my children more retarded than I am.
> 
> Food for thought.




Here here!
James


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## LED61 (Aug 27, 2007)

I am in total agreement with Soffiler on this one.


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## gnubee (Aug 28, 2007)

Mr.Urahara reloaded said:


> Then you are the first person who wants to be cut into slices to conduct a fat test? I am sure there are not many people who wants to be injured, because you have to take the fat OUT of the human.... ( i have a really big problem to find people for my experiments. I research effects to muscle and all vivo cntraction human materials but nobody wants to have a tiny bit of his flesh cut out during and after the experiments... I really don't know why:nana
> And rats are not really representative for human methabolism....
> I agree with you that Phthalates ( in german it is not so difficult to speak it out) are dangerous and should be banned in all applications were humans have contacs with it.




urine and stool can and will show metabolites of fat solubule chemicals in a persons body. the trick is to look for metabolites of the chemical and also to have the test subject actually metabolise body fat. some chemicals present in body fat may also cause that fat to metabolise to a greater or lesser degree than other body fat due to the contaminant being present. some of these chemicals can not be metabolised by the body at all-those can be excreted quite readily.


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## Beer (Aug 28, 2007)

Monocrom said:


> If lights were really _that_ dangerous for our health.... most of us would be dead by now.
> 
> Who's dead! Raise your hands so we can get an accurate count!


 

I'm dead. :sick2:


I just bought this exact light...and it is pretty freaking sweet....if anybody cares.

Except the first time I turned it on......................


















............my face exploded. Guess it is dangerous.


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## Jeritall (Aug 30, 2007)

I don't know about my health, but they're killing my billfold.


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## Mockingbird (Aug 30, 2007)

"I heard on the radio this week, that in theory, had environmentalists not thrown a fit about asbestos back in the 70s, the twin towers may have survived the plane crashes. Properly isolated and maintained asbestos is rarely a health risk, and may have provided the fire retardant necessary to prevent the towers from falling." mdocod

Actually, it was not the lack of asbestos that brought down the towers, but the presence of asbestos. Some but not all of it was removed in an asbestos abatement program. It proved to be too expensive to remove all of it, so the buildings needed to be brought down cheaply. Plus, it provided an excuse to invade various countries. Human life is cheap to the *******s that benefitted from 911. 

_____________________
Vyzygoth - Because it _is _a conspiracy


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## Jeritall (Aug 30, 2007)

Mockingbird said:


> "I heard on the radio this week, that in theory, had environmentalists not thrown a fit about asbestos back in the 70s, the twin towers may have survived the plane crashes. Properly isolated and maintained asbestos is rarely a health risk, and may have provided the fire retardant necessary to prevent the towers from falling." mdocod
> 
> Actually, it was not the lack of asbestos that brought down the towers, but the presence of asbestos. Some but not all of it was removed in an asbestos abatement program. It proved to be too expensive to remove all of it, so the buildings needed to be brought down cheaply. Plus, it provided an excuse to invade various countries. Human life is cheap to the *******s that benefitted from 911.
> 
> ...



This is the stupidest post on CPF I've ever read! Going from a warning lable to 9/11? That's pitable...


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## Bror Jace (Aug 30, 2007)

*Jeritall*, you missed his point that an overly-enthusiastic warning label, or similar unjustified hysteria over one potential problem can end up causing even worse problems. This has happened many times throughout history ... maybe I'll try to dig up a few examples.


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## Wassernaut (Aug 30, 2007)

I quit worrying about all of the nonsense when George Carlin reported this fact on national TV: 

*"It has been discovered that saliva causes cancer, however only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time."*

Now . . . . . what, me worry?

Worrying, no doubt, causes more death than death ray flashlights.

- Larry, laid back and cruising . . . . . . .


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## Illum (Aug 31, 2007)

JRTJRT said:


> Plus with China in the news lately about the lead toys and toxic products they are shipping here to the US... makes me wonder if those Chinese flashlights we talk about have any lead paint or other chemicals that we should worry about.



that may explain why I have bad breath when I mouth my rubber lights....

surgeon's warning: flashlight causes bad breath


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## gromit (Aug 31, 2007)

Beer said:


> I'm dead. :sick2:
> 
> 
> I just bought this exact light...and it is pretty freaking sweet....if anybody cares.
> ...



Move towards the light. 
It might be the next best flashlight on the market


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## James S (Sep 3, 2007)

surgeon generals warning: Listen to your mother! Take that out of your mouth!


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