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 July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
This stainless steel lunch box from India goes in the category of “Things in my home that I never thought to test until now!”
This is a lunch box/ food storage container made of stainless steel. The lid seals on with little clips on the side and it has a tight (essentially waterproof) seal, without the use of silicone bands or similar. In that respect, it seemed like an excellent choice.
Recently my husband pointed out that the little moving parts making up the top of the clasp system are actually yellow brass. I hadn’t noticed that before.
When tested with an XRF instrument, that little component (it must be touched to open and close the box and remove the lid) was positive for 22,500 ppm Lead. This is the part you touch with your fingers to pop the lid open before you eat whatever is inside, so it is VERY UNLIKELY that the user would wash their hands after touching and before eating! #Gah!!!
I’m sorry I do not have a brand for this item. I am pretty sure it is from India/ was purchased at a store full of kitchenware and food storage items from India. I tested it in August 2017.
For context, the amount of Lead considered unsafe and illegal in a newly manufactured item intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead (or higher) in the paint, coating, or glaze, or any thing 100 ppm Lead or higher in the substrate. This lunchbox was not specifically made or sold as an item intended for use by children and so it falls within a regulatory loophole (as it is definitely an item a parent might use to hold a child’s school lunch — as we did for years).
Additionally, I have done some informal tests clearly demonstrating that Lead from Leaded brass can easily rub off onto the hands of a user — especially when the Lead level is in the 20,000 to 50,000 ppm range, which is typical of most Leaded brass. So while this sort of Lead exposure risk (Leaded brass components in kitchenware/ cookware) may not have been formally studied or quantified by any one research group, I think it is a reasonable precaution not to use an item like this (especially for the food use purposes it was once intended for) and to return it to the manufacturer for a refund if at all possible.
Thank you for reading and sharing these articles.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
#LeadSafeMama
This is very common lunch box for we Indians. Had never any idea how unsafe it is. So do you recommend using glass made lunch boxes? Can glass have lead like material as well? They are getting popular here in India.
Hi – Here is what I have for lunch box recommendations:
https://shopleadsafemama.com/2021/07/backtoschool-lead-free-lunch-boxes/
Tamara