Artificial (c. 2008) Christmas tree from Costco: 5,896 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids)

 

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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). 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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When tested with an XRF instrument, this artificial Christmas tree (purchased at Costco, c. 2007/2008 and photographed here, up and decorated for the 2017 Christmas holidays) was positive for Lead with the following levels:

• Reading 1: 533 ppm Lead
• Reading 2: 1,296 ppm Lead
• Reading 3: 1,411 ppm Lead
• Reading 4: 5,896 ppm Lead

While I haven’t tested very many artificial trees, this was the highest Lead that I have ever found on an artificial Christmas tree. Scroll down to continue reading more about the testing I did and my concern about Lead in artificial Christmas trees.

To see more Christmas items I have tested, click HERE.

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QUESTION: Tamara, why are there so many different levels listed above? What was different about each reading?

ANSWER: These tests were done in the order shown above. I was really surprised by the levels. After each test, I tried a little harder to get more of the material of the tree in for each reading (in the approximately 1 cm round scope of the XRF instrument). The final reading is most likely representative of the levels throughout the tree, but I think this is also a good example to share about how readings can vary and how it is important to test multiple times to confirm levels.

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QUESTION: Why is this Lead level on an artificial Christmas tree a problem?

ANSWER: I have quite a few concerns with high Lead levels found in artificial Christmas trees. Below is a summary of all my considerations (let me know if you have questions about any of these):

1. The level at which newly purchased (2018) items intended for use by children are considered to have “too much” Lead (and be legally and officially unsafe for children) is any Lead level that is 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or any Lead levels that are 100 ppm or higher in the substrate (the underlying material of the object).
2. Decorative items like artificial Christmas trees are NOT regulated for Lead in the same way as items intended for use by children. By the very nature of their designation as a “Decorative Item,” they are exempt from the CPSC regulation for children’s items.
3. Often, in older (not made in the last four or five years) Christmas items, Lead was not only a component in the manufacturing of the item (an element of the substrate) but was — as I understand it — also historically applied to the surface of items like this (especially if they incorporate electrical components like integrated lights) as an element of the fire retardant coating the item.
4. When Lead is in a coating (especially in a powdered or sprayed-on form) it can easily rub off on the fingers of folks touching items like this.
5. I don’t care if the manufacturer says that these items are not intended for use by children… I believe they should be fundamentally considered an item intended for use by children. Children decorate them. Children hide under them. Children touch them. Children’s gifts go under them. Throughout the holiday season, children interact with their Christmas tree regularly.
6. Because the items are generally displayed indoors, the Lead has the potential to wear off into the home environment and be dispersed throughout the home (especially as these items age and wear with time — as all plastic items do).
7. It just takes a microscopic amount of Lead (a truly invisible amount) in house dust to poison a human (especially to poison children who are more likely to play on the floor, which they inevitably do around the Christmas tree before and after the holiday).
8. Lead exposure causes lifelong health impairments (even very low, trace-level Lead exposure can cause long-term impacts in both adults and children). Click HERE to see several of my pieces about the symptoms and impacts of Lead exposure. Click HERE to read my favorite article about the impact of LOW-LEVEL Lead exposure.
9. Artificial Christmas trees are designed to last forever and are generally reused every year — so they can keep poisoning you and your family for years (and even decades) into the future.
10. I would consider Leaded Artificial Christmas trees in my “Very Dangerous” category (things you should NEVER have in your home).
11. Christmas trees are not necessarily marked as to whether or not they may have Lead, and they may or may not test positive with a LeadCheck swab* — so most consumers will not be able to test their trees themselves at home.
12. NEW 2018 Artificial Christmas trees are generally marked as to whether or not they might have Lead. Some vendors (including IKEA) have also made a point to market and sell Lead-free options.

If you would like me to test a piece of your older artificial Christmas tree to help you determine if it may have Lead or not, you can send me a clipping (ideally a two-inch piece of a branch?) and I can test it for a $25.00 contribution in support of my advocacy work. Email me at TamaraRubin@mac.com if you are interested in doing this. (I have never offered this before, so I have no idea if this is something folks might be interested in… if enough people express an interest I will create a separate article about how to.)

#SimpleSolution: If I celebrated Christmas I would skip the artificial tree altogether and buy a potted living plant (any kind of plant — it doesn’t need to be an evergreen!) to use as my Christmas tree and I would plant it in the yard each year after the holiday. This is the best contribution you can make to the planet when celebrating this holiday.

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For some Lead-free (or Lead-safe) Christmas choices, click HERE. (More choices to be published in this category this coming weekend! Stay tuned!)

I tested this tree for a family in early 2018 and they told me at the time that they purchased the tree “about 10 years ago” at Costco.

As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for sharing this work!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

*Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.