| Dear melissa, Every child enjoys a juice box with her after school snack. But what parents don't know is that a disturbing number of juices contain unsafe levels of lead and inorganic arsenic that can lead to serious health problems for children. While the government has rules in place to limit lead and arsenic in our drinking water, there's nothing to stop companies from making juices and other children's drinks that contain unsafe levels of those poisons. A new study by Consumer Reports found that at least 10% of apple and grape juices sampled had more arsenic than what the government says is safe for drinking water -- and even more had unsafe levels of lead. Now it's up to the Food and Drug Administration to make rules to regulate how much arsenic and lead can be in juices, like they do for drinking water. Click here to sign the petition asking the FDA to protect children from poisons by regulating arsenic levels in juices. While not lethal, that kind of sustained, low-level exposure during early childhood "carries the most serious long-term risk," according to researchers. The dangerous effects of unsafe levels of inorganic arsenic and lead in children are shocking: - Inorganic arsenic is linked to cancers, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and immune system problems
- Children exposed to drinking water with unsafe arsenic levels had decreased intellectual function
- Low-level arsenic exposure is "significantly related to poorer scores in language, visuospatial skills, processing speed, and immediate memory," among other problems
- Unsafe levels of lead were found in 25% of juices sampled, and lead exposure is linked to brain development and behavioral problems
If lead and arsenic are unsafe for children in their drinking water, the same poisons should be regulated for the juices that so many children love. Click here to sign the petition on Change.org asking the FDA to protect children from unsafe levels of arsenic in juices. Thanks for being a change-maker, - Michael and the Change.org team | 
