Typical American house key #2 – silver finish: 10,700 ppm Lead. 90 ppm Lead (& up) is illegal in items intended for use by kids.

The house key pictured tested positive for 10,700 ppm Lead.

How much Lead is too much Lead?

The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for children is anything over 90 ppm lead in the paint or coating and anything 100 ppm Lead (and up) in the substrate. Items intended for adults (including dishware and keys) are generally unregulated for total Lead content (as detectable with an XRF instrument) as they are not designed or sold as intended for children.

Why do keys have Lead anyway?

Keys specifically are made with Lead to increase the lubricity and support their function, however it is possible to make lead-free keys and lead-free are available for purchase at many hardware stores (they are just a bit more brittle than most keys and need to be used a little more gently than you might otherwise use as key – as they could break off in the lock. #ExperienceSpeaking.)

Advice / takeaway:

Don’t let children (especially babies – or any other child who puts things in their mouth) play with real house keys. But them a child-safe toy set instead.

Why “Kleynimals” is a good alternative choice for kids!

Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama