#AskTamara: Do modern Halloween masks have Lead? Does my Halloween gorilla mask have any toxic chemicals?

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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). Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

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#AskTamara

Question: Do modern Halloween masks have Lead? Does my Halloween gorilla mask have any toxic chemicals?

Answer: While I have not tested many Halloween masks for lead using an XRF (and I can only speak to the presence of toxic chemicals that are detectible using XRF technology) I have long held the position that the industry that makes Halloween masks like this (which are specifically made for use by adults and not for use by children) is not well regulated.

To learn more about XRF testing, click here.

As a result of that consideration, combined with the known types of materials in these masks (mostly synthetics like plastics and rubbers) it is reasonable to be suspicious of this type of mask in the absence of testing.

That said, this particular mask from my collection passed the “Lead/Arsenic/Cadmium/Mercury” test!  So if any of my Portland friends would like to borrow it for Halloween, just let me know — because I expect I will be holding on to it for a while!

To see more Halloween-themed things I have tested, click here!

As I test more Halloween masks, I will publish the results!

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

Thank you for reading and sharing!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

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Here are the test results for the gorilla mask pictured below.
ND = Non-Detect (an effective negative within the testing limitations of the XRF instrument)

Black “Hair”:

• Lead (Pb): ND
• Arsenic (As): ND
• Cadmium (Cd): ND
• Mercury (Hg): ND
• Bromine (Br): 76 +/- 8 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 38 +/- 21 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 76 +/- 39 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 315 +/- 74 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 4,893 +/- 1,403 ppm

Black Rubber of Face:

• Lead (Pb): ND
• Arsenic (As): ND
• Cadmium (Cd): ND
• Mercury (Hg): ND
• Bromine (Br): 9 +/- 4 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 86b +/- 24 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 244 +/- 69 ppm

Red Painted Tongue

• Lead (Pb): ND
• Arsenic (As): ND
• Cadmium (Cd): ND
• Mercury (Hg): ND
• Bromine (Br): 10 +/- 4 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 84 +/- 24 ppm

White Painted Teeth

• Lead (Pb): ND
• Arsenic (As): ND
• Cadmium (Cd): ND
• Mercury (Hg): ND
• Barium (Ba): 94 +/- 44 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 8 +/- 4 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 63 +/- 22 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 120,100 +/- 3,000 ppm