For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
- Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for 5 product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
- Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
AJ in 2006, Jackson Hole, BLL 4.0
Originally Published: January 15, 2015
Question from a Lead Safe Mama Reader:
What do you say to people who say, “Oh, they’ll be fine! I ate lead paint all the time as a kid.” Or what do you say to caretakers who don’t remove the antique toys you requested them to put away?
Tamara’s Answer:
Hello! What I say (if I am feeling polite)…
Do you realize how much our collective health as a species has declined in the past 150 years since the Industrial Revolution?
We have unprecedented rates of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and other epidemics. It has never before been like this for humans. (Also unprecedented levels of senseless violence as well as full prisons and special ed costs at an all-time high.)
What single most profound health-impacting event has happened over the last 150 years?
The large-scale industrialized mining and manufacturing of Lead — ushered in an era of the global proliferation of products containing this heavy metal, which is one of the most potent neurotoxins known to man.
All of the health impairments we have today — from heart disease and cancer to immune system disorders, learning, cognitive and behavioral disorders, and a host of other health issues are now known to have significant links to Lead/ heavy metal toxicity, etc.
A study by Leonardo Trasande estimated that the total cost of Lead Poisoning in America today is (as of 2011) a figure of $50.9 BILLION ANNUALLY. (The total cost of ALL environmental illnesses assessed in that study was $76.6 BILLION ANNUALLY, and Lead accounted for more than two-thirds of that total cost.)
This $50.9 BILLION annual cost is actually a conservative amount by all estimations.
So, has Lead impacted you? Probably. Arthritis? Kidney Disease? Heart Disease? Memory Issues? Infertility? Sexual Dysfunction? Headaches? Seizures?* What ailments do you have today?
*All of these have been linked to Lead exposure.
Can we prevent it from impacting our children?
Most definitely.
It’s the single most expensive yet single most preventable environmental illness in the world today.
Prevention starts with awareness. If you don’t know it’s a problem or don’t think it’s a problem — you can’t do anything to fix the problem — so please, for the sake of YOUR child (your grandchild? niece? nephew?) start learning about this.
Thank you.
P.S. “We cannot visit your home if you continue to have toxic toys and decorations out within reach of my child. I’m sorry about that. It’s just too important and not a compromise I am willing to make.”
For the couple seconds most dry goods are in the measuring cup can the exposure be that much of a concern? I would think the greater concern would be the Tupperware containers used to store food. Have you tested those?
I do appreciate your warning
She has addressed this-It’s when they rub on other items- the friction causes fine lead dust particles. I thought the same thing!!
Well said! THANK YOU for the work you do.
What year of manufacture were the Vintage measuring cups? I have a set from my Mother in Law from the 70s and I have a set from the mid 80s.
Hi Peggie!
I am still trying to figure that out. It’s difficult because none of them are marked with the year of manufacture or other specific mark that would help to figure that out.
So far all of the folks that have chimed in have said the ones that have been positive for toxicants are most likely from the early 1970s.
Tamara
I noticed my 2 Pyrex 2 cup measuring cups have small dots and numbers on the bottom. I know with cast iron the dots were to determine what shift the pan was molded on. I wonder what the dots mean on the measuring cups. Have you ever asked Pyrex? I might… also I have the 4 cups blue print anchor hocking measuring cup. You discuss the 1 cup. Do I assume my 3 are toxic? I DO own that big plain 8 cupper you said you wanted lol and some metal scoop ones (dry goods presumably) and metal measuring cup also so I could purge the painted versions if also unsafe. One last question.. I am trying to figure out my corelle ..I have all white with the chip and break resistant stamp… I only see one white bowl on your page…are those safe? I have to purge my Corelle I own that thanks to you I know they tested high leaded. But want to know if the plain white is ok. Some say Corelle by corning, some say corelle Vitrelle and some say corelle chip and break resistant … looking for a catalog or list of stamp marks /age to determine if any i have are safe. I do have some of those Country bright floral plates from my mom..she died of BC and had two kinds of Thyroid cancer…
A friend shared your post on Facebook, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. My mother was a Tupperware lady, and gave us the coloured Tupperware dishes and storage containers when our six kids were small. They were in use every day. Cups, cereal bowls, a set of canisters, measuring cups and spoons, drink jugs. My blood runs cold to think about it! My husband liked the storage containers because the lids were so easy to put on and remove.
When my mother died 10 years ago she left behind a storage locker full of old Tupperware. I brought home a box of the coloured storage bowls and lids. Coming up our driveway, I dropped the box and the bowls fell to the ground. The yellow, green and orange bowls were fine, but the brown ones exploded into thousands of tiny shards of plastic! We were still finding them in the flower beds a year later. No idea why just the brown ones.
That’s interesting! I would be cautious not to use that flower bed for vegetables or other produce.
Hello, I have just recently starting reading through pages and pages and now know that I need to replace some items. But had no idea that Tupperware would be on the list of items containing lead. I have many of the green, orange bowls and, OH NO, I still use my brown sugar and flour canisters I bought in the 80’s. After reading yours exploded, these will be the first to go out. Thank you to all that have left comments, it has opened my eyes wide and thank you Tamra for all your hard work.
Best,
MS
There is lead in Tupperware?!? It looks plastic. Which is bad enough.
Hello Tamara,
Thank you for sharing your important research.
I was shocked and very disappointed to learn about all the items that I have in my home that contain lead and other toxic chemicals. I (used to) love vintage Pyrex and other “cute” retro dishware, I’d use it daily in the kitchen. And now – I feel the urge to pack up everything in my cupboards and get rid of it. But to where? Maybe collectors who won’t use them for food? The landfill? I’m not a fan of the idea of making more garbage…
And all those ‘quality’ and ‘they don’t make ’em like they used to’ toys from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Ugh. I will be purging those too. I looked into purchasing lead test swabs at my local Home Depot and they don’t even carry them!?
Have you heard of SCITUS lead testing swabs? I want to test a lot of stuff and want to buy in bulk.
Thank you for opening my eyes!
Hi Em.
Thank you for commenting. Most of these things (especially the plastic items) will not test positive with any sort of home test – so it is frankly usually not worth the money to buy them for that application. That’s one of the reasons I post this information freely (not behind a paywall) on my blog – so my readers have access to information that is otherwise inaccessible. Here’s one post about that: https://tamararubin.com/2017/02/leadcheck-dishware/
In terms of deciding whether or not to throw these things in the trash, here are my thoughts on that: https://tamararubin.com/2013/11/what-should-i-do-with-my-lead-contaminated-dishes-to-toss-or-not-to-toss/
Tamara
My husband’s aunt has these cups. I just showed her your article and read a bit to her and she said she didn’t car at her age that there’s enough stuff out there that she just can’t worry about. She’s in her 70s. She also has another set of measuring cups right next to these in her cabinet but still uses these old ones, too. So, oh well. I think if we could help you raise funds and do LEACH testing on some of these items, especially the popular food and toys that people love to collect and pass down and still USE, then write in that same article about how leaching works, what common acute and long term side effects are that people underestimate and at what level damage occurs, continuous low level exposure, and then link your list of what to buy and use instead, all of it right there together vs. people having to click and go somewhere else to put the whole picture together, would really drive it home for the doubters. But especially the leach testing. A friend of commented on the Facebook post I shared of your blog article about the Tupperware measuring cups that you could literally grind one in a smoothie and drink it and be fine. People really do think that a child is the only one at risk and only if they eat lead paint chips like a bag of potato chips and that it’s only about paint and that was all gotten rid of 50 years ago and it just isn’t even a inside anymore.
Hi Jessica!
Thank you for commenting. I would love to be in a position to do leach testing on these. Possibly will be soon!
Tamara
I have a big problem with you saying our collective health as a species has declined since the industrial revolution. Despite all the raving about GMOs, hormones, “toxins” ect, people are living longer, having fewer fatal illnesses, and enjoying a better standard of living. There truly has never been a better time to be alive in the history of our species.
Wow! What bubble are you living in? Maybe you should check the statistics and get the facts.
Hi Rose, thank you for commenting. Which points do you disagree with?
Tamara
Totally not true in America! Autoimmune conditions, Cancers, Allergies, Diabetes are at all-time highs, causing premature deaths and chronic health issues! Environmental Toxins from Big Industry, Vaccine induced suppressed immune systems and poor quality diets of “fake” foods have all played a part …
The statistics show a huge increase in crime that is correlated with the introduction of leaded gasoline. Add to that many other sources of lead (and other toxic elements) exposure, like the heavy use of lead arsenate as a pesticide prior to DDT. That’s highly persistent in soils and continues to cause things like apples and grapes to have lead.
Hi Tamara
We in Australia have the same coloured Tupperware. Brown, green, yellow , orange multi snack bowl set. However, they do say Made In Australia on the bottoms but then one container has a clear lid , or more opaque now , that shows Made in Orlando Fl…. An orange small container.
Are our items of a similar risk to our health?
Hi there Rhon!
I haven’t tested any “Made in Australia” ones – so that would be hard to guess. I imagine they will be similar. Industry in Australia has had an equally shady past (equal to the U.S. and England!) when it comes to the use of Lead in consumer goods and paint (unfortunately)…
Tamara
P.S. I have a “Lead Safe Mamas Australia” group on Facebook and we just started talking (last night) about finding a sponsor (like a hospital or university) to have me come to Australia in September or December to do some presentations and free testing of consumer goods for the public. If you have any ideas or contacts that might help with that, please let me know! Thank you. Here’s the Facebook group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/764046013948390/
So has it been proven that the lead and arsenic get in our food when we use them?? How much ??
I have thecsame small orange dnack containers with opaque lids. Thesecarevon ghe no-no list? Along with the orange, green, yellow, blue flared drink tumblers with opaque lids? When you refer to vintage how old is this?
Tupperware also made smaller versions of the pitcher with bowls for kids sets as well as a sorting ball. Have you tested just the measuring cups or have you tested any of the Tupperware toys?
These were made later so they may have had different practices.. the sorting ball is red and blue with yellow shapes.
I also have the Corning ware butterfly gold pattern and used it exclusively as my first set of dishes after marriage until I switched to the Calloway Ivy pattern. I live in Canada so the products were most likely produced in US.
Holy Mother of God ! I am one of the very few, who held off for many years putting a microwave in my home. My husband loved taking the leftover foods stored in Tupperware straight from the refrigerator into the microwave, especially spaghetti with tomato sauce. I saw the erosion inside of the container and now believe it helped to cause his death & seizures.
Thank you for the information on Tupperware. I have an autoimmune disease called transverse myelitis. I’m 75 and used Tupperware. You have a lovely family and l would love to spread the word.
Thank you for commenting Linda! That’s the thing… while some people may “be fine” – so many of us have mystery illnesses these days – chronic issues with unknown origins – many of which can be traced back to heavy metal exposure with a little bit of sleuthing!
Tamara
My daughter is a college-educated graduate who loves “old” things. She was delighted when her bathroom had a old-fashioned claw-footed tub. Until I mentioned it to her, she had no ideas that lead was leeching off into the kids’ bath water. You know how kids just LOVE to suck on their wet washrags- why IS that? Just thought I’d mention this related topic for those know-it-all mommies who don’t know it all!
Not sure you can answer this. I have more Tupperware opaque pantry storage ware from the 1980’s. Bottoms opaque and the lids are a light pink. Can this opaque have lead? I got rid of all my orange measuring cups and spoons since I started following you. Kind of horrified since I used them for 40 years. Never in the dishwasher to break down the plastic.
Also garbaged a set of mixing bowls tan w/ bleu heritage motif from the late 1970’s. I used just the paint lead tester and all positive for lead.
Thanks your work.
Thanks a lot for everything you do! Most of my family members give me that classic response! They often say I’m overreacting! I wish someday they could understand how important is to keep all those toxic metals away and how bad they are for our health! Anyways, I will do anything to keep my children safe so I don’t really care what others think or say about me! Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for sharing all this information with us!
I 100% agree lead is dangerous, but your argument is false. “Do you realize how much our collective health as a species has declined in the past 150 years since the Industrial Revolution?” Prior to the Industrial Revolution (pre-1740s) until around 1900s life expectancy was 50-55 years (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4577070/).
Today life expectancy is 77 years old.
Our life expectancy has consistently risen over the last 150 years. We are much healthier and live longer than 150 years ago. As people live longer, and we can treat diseases like cancer that use to be fatal, people will experience more diseases (because they don’t immediately die when they get sick). As people live past they have more chance to acquire more diseases. Lead is terrible for health, especially children but smoking, nutritional improvements, mass inoculation against diseases like small pox, education, access to healthcare have all been much larger positive factors that have outweighed lead’s negative impact.
Life expectancy is not the same thing as life quality. People clinging to life because of better medical treatment and antibiotics, while being sick for decades is not cool. It also doesn’t help when the crime rate rises and IQ drops, both of which are proven to have happened due to lead exposure — primarily (but absolutely not exclusively) from leaded gasoline.
Just because something doesn’t kill you instantly, doesn’t mean it’s not wreaking havoc over the long-run and over an aggregate population. By analogy, if you smoke a cigarette and state that it didn’t kill you, and then make the conclusion we should all smoke cigarettes and not worry about it…I think it’s obvious today why that is a completely preposterous way of thinking.
I have a red and blue shape sorter for toddlers with yellow blocks inside I want to send to my great grandson . Are they safe ?
I think one of the most pervasive myths in our modern age is that long ago, people lived short, miserable, brutish lives and we are all now living in the highest standard of living. This kind of thinking has lead to all kinds of excuses about the things in our day. This kind of thinking is even pervasive amongst the most “science-minded” of people who claim that the only reasons we have more people with autoimmune disease, cancers, etc. is because we are living longer and more people are surviving with disabilities; whereas in the past they would have died. Really, if you go ask people on sites like Quora and Reddit in the science spaces you have people with (alleged) ph.Ds telling you this.
Yet what a lot of this adds up to is a pro-corporate agenda. Not even “science-minded” people are immune to this propaganda. You have folks like Neil Degrasse Tyson claiming that glycophosphate in ice cream is fine because it is way below the LD50, which completely ignores the actual concerns about glycophosphate.
Now we are learning that a lot of issues thought to be genetic are largely influenced by early childhood development. This includes oral development and the need for glasses. We are now learning the impacts of things like lead, PFAs, microplastics, phthalates etc in people.
With older generations, there are excuses like “I’m still alive”, and sadly many people of younger generations are like “hahha we’re all going to die soon lets have fun”.