For those new to this 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 sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).
When tested with an XRF instrument, this vintage “Made in Japan” Santa mug was positive for Lead at the following levels:
- Outside mug Lead (Pb) level: 4,497 +/- 180 ppm
- Inside mug Lead (Pb) level: 5,077 +/- 177 ppm
Non-Detect (ND/ Negative) for:
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Arsenic (As)
- Mercury (Hg)
By modern standards, the amount of Lead considered toxic in an item intended to be used by children is 90 ppm Lead (or higher) in the glaze or coating, and 100 ppm Lead (or higher) in the substrate (in the case of mugs, this means the ceramic).
If you would like to see more posts like this, please consider making a contribution in support of Lead Safe Mama’s independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy. Any amount is welcome and you can chip-in here.
Thank you for reading and for sharing this work!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for publishing this. I will put a note in the cup as a warning. I use it as Christmas decor now, but I am certain I drank out of it as a child. Luckily, only infrequently and at Christmas time.