…Stay tuned for a new series of blog posts where I answer your questions about lead hazards and solutions. If you have a question you want answered please post it in the comments below.
A year and a half ago the 1930’s home that we rent, had a shower cave in. The landlord then gutted the bathroom to give us a new one. It took a month. And the entire time we had dust and paint everywhere. The entire home is only 1500 square feet and it’s our only bathroom. We even had to bathe our child in the bathroom while being gutted. Well during this time, my daughter turned one. And she was also vomiting a lot. I attributed it to food allergies and baby illnesses and just stuff that kids get. It wasn’t until her one year appointment over a month after the work was complete that my pediatrician ran a routine blood test and found lead. Based on her levels approximately 6 weeks after exposure, we are calculating that they were around 30 at some point.
In the last year or so we have been to free tenants rights meetings where we meet with lawyers about what we can do. And to be honest, no one has been very helpful. To make a long story short, we don’t know what to do. We are still in the home because it’s going to take a lot for us to be able to move (her levels are normal now and we know that it was just the renovation that was the exposure) but our landlords have completely ignored us. They have never responded to phone calls or letters or anything. And after I demanded that the city come in and inspect, (by calling the city myself) the landlords raised my rent. I feel so stuck here. And my daughter seems fine intellectually but now we are having huge problems with her teeth. They are all decaying. And she’s only two and we are vegetarians with a great healthy whole food diet and there is no real reason this should be happening and I keep thinking that it must be the lead. This angers me to no end and I don’t know how to move forward or if there is any way I can make the landlords pay for this — and I don’t just mean financially. It makes me sick that I allowed this to happen to her, never even considering lead in the walls, and that it’s continuing to be an issue. What can I do next? Other than just move.
Can you offer any insight as to whether the majority of food products sold in the stores in glass jars have lead? I would imagine acidic foods would be more likely to leach lead out.
Dear Tamra,
Love your site and what you do! Was wandering if you’ve ever tested a veggie spiralizer or have a recommendation on one? It’s so hard to tell which products are safe for my family.
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Tamara,
I was wondering with the lead in old paper/books, what do you think the chance of lead being in recycled paper products? Maybe using recycled toilet paper isn’t a great idea?!? Or do you think levels would be pretty low?
thanks, Jodie
Generally recycled toilet paper is not made from post-consumer waste, but from pre-consumer paper manufacturing waste, so there is little concern for lead. That said I have tested some boxes and other things that were made of post-consumer recycled paper and they did have some trace levels of lead (that I was initially surprised by). This was specifically brown cardboard boxes. This is the brand of toilet paper we use: https://amzn.to/2L5ExFo (affiliate link)
Hi Zahraa! Thank you for commenting. I have done extensive testing on the Xtrema products… here is the category link for that: https://tamararubin.com/category/ceramcor/
The initial post (which has an incredible amount of comments that you might find amusing and/or disturbing to read) is here (136 comments, many from the owner of the company that manufactures these pans): https://tamararubin.com/2017/06/mercola_pan/
Thank you for your reply and for the links, which I have now read, and thank you for the research you have done.
As for the testing, I do not own any of Miriams Clay products yet and even if I did, I do not live in the US so sending them to you for testing would not be practical. Miriams Earthen Cookware is produced in the US. Would it be possible for you to gain access to one of Miriams’ cookware from within the US for testing? I am sure many readers would be interested in the results (perhaps some may already own one they may want to test?). I am happy to help in supporting this testing.
Can you tell me about my Snowflake Blue Corelle dishes please. I got them in the 70’s and wonder if they are safe. We only have a few and don’t use them. I do have the mixing bowls and use them as well as the vintage pyrex in the primary colors.
Hi Tamara,
I’ve searched your site for information on the Pyrex 2 quart tall drink carafe with a blue floral design on two sides and a blue plastic top, it’s labeled made in the USA. If you’d like I can send a photo. Also, have you tested the solid white French Corningware bakeware with clear glass lids? Thanks for your work to inform us! Deborah
Hi Tamara! Thank you for your hard work and all that you do. It is very reassuring to us all. I have a query – I’d like to invest in a glass casserole dish, a large one that can roast a chicken and some vegetables. Based on your research, is there a particular item you can recommend? Also, I’m in Australia – I’m happy to buy through your Amazon store, but it seems I can’t put any orders through ( I have tried!), since amazon don’t send a lot of items here, unless they go through amazon.au. If you can sort out a link for global postage, I’d love to be able to buy through you, to help out as best we can.
What steps need to be taken to purge lead residue from a home once the lead contaminated items are gone? For example, we have corelle dishes that have been losing their pattern in the dishwasher. Once we get rid of them, will we need to take steps to purge our kitchen of lead residue?
To be on the cautious side of things I would wipe out cabinets with Clorox wipes (or similar disposable wipe with surfactants) until the wipes come out completely clean on the last wipe, and run the dishwasher a couple of times with detergent but no dishes in it (on a full cycle – like a sanitize cycle or whatever your longest).
Dear Tamara,
A year and a half ago the 1930’s home that we rent, had a shower cave in. The landlord then gutted the bathroom to give us a new one. It took a month. And the entire time we had dust and paint everywhere. The entire home is only 1500 square feet and it’s our only bathroom. We even had to bathe our child in the bathroom while being gutted. Well during this time, my daughter turned one. And she was also vomiting a lot. I attributed it to food allergies and baby illnesses and just stuff that kids get. It wasn’t until her one year appointment over a month after the work was complete that my pediatrician ran a routine blood test and found lead. Based on her levels approximately 6 weeks after exposure, we are calculating that they were around 30 at some point.
In the last year or so we have been to free tenants rights meetings where we meet with lawyers about what we can do. And to be honest, no one has been very helpful. To make a long story short, we don’t know what to do. We are still in the home because it’s going to take a lot for us to be able to move (her levels are normal now and we know that it was just the renovation that was the exposure) but our landlords have completely ignored us. They have never responded to phone calls or letters or anything. And after I demanded that the city come in and inspect, (by calling the city myself) the landlords raised my rent. I feel so stuck here. And my daughter seems fine intellectually but now we are having huge problems with her teeth. They are all decaying. And she’s only two and we are vegetarians with a great healthy whole food diet and there is no real reason this should be happening and I keep thinking that it must be the lead. This angers me to no end and I don’t know how to move forward or if there is any way I can make the landlords pay for this — and I don’t just mean financially. It makes me sick that I allowed this to happen to her, never even considering lead in the walls, and that it’s continuing to be an issue. What can I do next? Other than just move.
Thank you. The work you do is amazing.
Katie
Dear Tamara,
I love your site (just stumbled upon it and subscribed). I so hope you are still following questions. 🙂
Is “white” generally a safe color for silicone? (Like the silicone rings available to replace the toxic rubber gaskets for Fido jars.)
Examples –
Silocone replacement fido jar rings:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N3QDLHI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3L4YTB19DJ3TI&th=1).
White fermentation lids: (Note, these are also available in green but my guess is there is cadmium in the coloring and since they are making contact with acidic fermented foods it’s especially important that they do not have any heavy metals.)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M06QCAX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AE90LGR0O2LZB&psc=1
Thanks so much!
Hi, what can we do about lead in vacuum cleaner cords? Same question for other appliances?
Thank you!!
Did you ever find the answer to this question?
Hi, Great work!
Can you offer any insight as to whether the majority of food products sold in the stores in glass jars have lead? I would imagine acidic foods would be more likely to leach lead out.
Thanks you in advance
Dear Tamra,
Love your site and what you do! Was wandering if you’ve ever tested a veggie spiralizer or have a recommendation on one? It’s so hard to tell which products are safe for my family.
Thanks for all you do!
Thank you. I don’t think I have tested one of those, do you have a link?
Hi Tamara,
I was wondering with the lead in old paper/books, what do you think the chance of lead being in recycled paper products? Maybe using recycled toilet paper isn’t a great idea?!? Or do you think levels would be pretty low?
thanks, Jodie
Generally recycled toilet paper is not made from post-consumer waste, but from pre-consumer paper manufacturing waste, so there is little concern for lead. That said I have tested some boxes and other things that were made of post-consumer recycled paper and they did have some trace levels of lead (that I was initially surprised by). This was specifically brown cardboard boxes. This is the brand of toilet paper we use: https://amzn.to/2L5ExFo (affiliate link)
Hi,
Have you tested the following? If not, would you possibly consider testing them? These are ceramic healthy cookware options:
Xtrema
Tierra Negra
Miriams Earthen Cookware
Thank you.
Hi Zahraa! Thank you for commenting. I have done extensive testing on the Xtrema products… here is the category link for that: https://tamararubin.com/category/ceramcor/
Also here is the most recent post, which is a bit of a summary: https://tamararubin.com/2018/08/july-2018-ceramcor-xtrema-saucepan-update/
The initial post (which has an incredible amount of comments that you might find amusing and/or disturbing to read) is here (136 comments, many from the owner of the company that manufactures these pans): https://tamararubin.com/2017/06/mercola_pan/
Here’s how to participate in the testing that I do (The testing is a collaborative initiative that I do with the help of my readers – this way I make sure to test things that they want to know the results for!): https://tamararubin.com/2017/07/subscribe-in-support-of-my-advocacy-work-you-can-become-eligible-to-send-in-a-box-of-your-things-for-testing/
Tamara
Hi Tamara,
Thank you for your reply and for the links, which I have now read, and thank you for the research you have done.
As for the testing, I do not own any of Miriams Clay products yet and even if I did, I do not live in the US so sending them to you for testing would not be practical. Miriams Earthen Cookware is produced in the US. Would it be possible for you to gain access to one of Miriams’ cookware from within the US for testing? I am sure many readers would be interested in the results (perhaps some may already own one they may want to test?). I am happy to help in supporting this testing.
Let me know if this is possible.
Kind Regards,
Zahraa
Can you tell me about my Snowflake Blue Corelle dishes please. I got them in the 70’s and wonder if they are safe. We only have a few and don’t use them. I do have the mixing bowls and use them as well as the vintage pyrex in the primary colors.
Hi Grace,
Based on both the age and the brand (and style/pattern) they are most likely leaded. – Tamara
Hi Tamara,
I’ve searched your site for information on the Pyrex 2 quart tall drink carafe with a blue floral design on two sides and a blue plastic top, it’s labeled made in the USA. If you’d like I can send a photo. Also, have you tested the solid white French Corningware bakeware with clear glass lids? Thanks for your work to inform us! Deborah
Hi Tamara! Thank you for your hard work and all that you do. It is very reassuring to us all. I have a query – I’d like to invest in a glass casserole dish, a large one that can roast a chicken and some vegetables. Based on your research, is there a particular item you can recommend? Also, I’m in Australia – I’m happy to buy through your Amazon store, but it seems I can’t put any orders through ( I have tried!), since amazon don’t send a lot of items here, unless they go through amazon.au. If you can sort out a link for global postage, I’d love to be able to buy through you, to help out as best we can.
Cheers for everything!
Hi Tamara!
What steps need to be taken to purge lead residue from a home once the lead contaminated items are gone? For example, we have corelle dishes that have been losing their pattern in the dishwasher. Once we get rid of them, will we need to take steps to purge our kitchen of lead residue?
Hi Amberlyn,
To be on the cautious side of things I would wipe out cabinets with Clorox wipes (or similar disposable wipe with surfactants) until the wipes come out completely clean on the last wipe, and run the dishwasher a couple of times with detergent but no dishes in it (on a full cycle – like a sanitize cycle or whatever your longest).
Tamara
Miriam’s Earthen Cookware test each batch of clay to be 100% lead free. What are your thoughts on this? Have you tested them before?
Somewhere on her site or social she tested MEC lead/metal free