2018 Dollar Store “I Love Santa” Design Ceramic Coffee Mug: 1,154 ppm Cadmium
2018 Dollar Tree “I Love Santa” Design Ceramic Mug, Royal Norfolk
By Greenbrier International, Inc.
Made in China
For exact XRF test results, scroll down.
To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE.
As many red-colored items are, the red words on this mug were positive for a relatively high level of Cadmium. Cadmium is a known carcinogen.
From Wikipedia:
“The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified cadmium and cadmium compounds as carcinogenic to humans.” (LINK.)
I understand from reading a scientific study done in Denmark (LINK) that if something is more than 75 ppm Cadmium, it is considered illegal in Denmark. I am sure my Danish friends will correct me if I am wrong about that one! 😉 There are no similar regulations here in the United States.
To learn more about concerns for Cadmium toxicity, click HERE.
While this product does test positive for Cadmium, it is negative for Lead! (#SilverLining?)
People often express concern for products from the Dollar (type) stores (Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, Dollar General, 99cent Store) and usually, I explain to them that BECAUSE these types of stores were cited for several significant Lead-violations years ago, in my experience the products they sell have become much safer in recent years (if only from a Lead perspective).
That said, mugs always seem to be the exception. I never EXPECT ceramic mugs to be negative for toxicants, more often than not they have both Lead and Cadmium (depending on the color of the design). I was therefore not at all surprised that this was positive for Cadmium.
For help choosing a Lead-free mug, click HERE.
To see more items from the Dollar Tree and related stores that we have tested already, click HERE.
For this particular “I Love Santa” design mug, we tested both the red painted/ glazed part and the plain white of the mug. One set of full results for each of the tested areas is listed below (tested with an XRF instrument):
All tests were completed for at least 60 seconds.
Red Exterior Decoration (Words):
- Lead (Pb): Negative / Non-Detect
- Cadmium (Cd): 1,154 +/- 65 ppm
- Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-Detect
- Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-Detect
- Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-Detect
- Selenium (Se): 921 +/- 56 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): Negative / Non-Detect
- Barium (Ba): 1,373 +/- 120 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 6,310 +/- 279 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 443 +/- 76 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 986 +/- 226 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 923 +/- 93 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 6,169 +/- 354 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): Negative / Non-Detect
- Magnesium (Mn): Negative / Non-Detect
- Zirconium (Zr): 21,400 +/- 800 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 237 +/- 94 ppm
To see more mugs I have tested, click HERE.
To see more Christmas items I have tested, click HERE.
Plain White Ceramic:
- Lead (Pb): Negative / Non-Detect
- Cadmium (Cd): Negative / Non-Detect
- Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-Detect
- Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-Detect
- Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-Detect
- Selenium (Se): Negative / Non-Detect
- Chromium (Cr): Negative / Non-Detect
- Barium (Ba): 912 +/- 93 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 4,437 +/- 211 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 440 +/- 72 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1063 +/- 222 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 1678 +/- 114 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 3340 +/- 211 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): Negative / Non-Detect
- Magnesium (Mn): Negative / Non-Detect
- Zirconium (Zr): 16,700 +/- 600 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 253 +/- 84 ppm
As always, please let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you for reading and for sharing our articles. (When you share this work, Lead Safe Mama, LLC earns funding to help cover the costs of the independent consumer goods testing we do!)
If you want to donate and help with this kind of testing (where we buy stuff new at a store and test with an XRF instrument), you can “Chip-In” (via PayPal or with a credit card) by clicking HERE or you can contribute on GoFundME (LINKED here). As an example, this Dollar Tree trip cost about $60, including the stuff and the transportation, but not including the cost of testing and childcare.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
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).
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