#Leaded: 1978 Ceramic Parrot Hair Clip (Cadmium too!), from Florida

This little ceramic parrot hair clip tested positive for both high levels of lead and cadmium (high compared to current standards for allowable levels of toxicants in items intended for children.)

While the owner told me she got this in 1978 in Florida, I also want to say that I am 48 years old and when I was a little girl I had several clips and pins that looked just like this, circa. 1982/1983! [Who knows I think I might have gotten mine in Florida too? From the same artist?]

Below are the XRF readings for this clip:

Painted Ceramic Front of Hair Clip:

• Lead (Pb): 905 +/- 31 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 43 +/- 12 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 88 +/- 23 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 550 +/- 84 ppm
• Copper (Cu):  26 +/- 15 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 77 +/- 14 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 673 +/- 52 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 6799 +/- 454 ppm

Metal on Back of Hair Clip:

• Lead (Pb): ND
• Cadmium (Cd): 1,790 +/- 239 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 6,835 +/- 944 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 8,971 +/- 1,248 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 313,600 +/- 28,000 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 545,800 +/- 29,000 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 2,909 +/- 863 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 2,992 +/- 1,204
• Magnesium (Mn): 1,180 +/- 401 ppm

My concern for an item like this is that it is small enough for child to put in their mouth and if you have a child who has any tendencies to fidget at all it could be possible for them to ingest some of the surface paint of the item.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama