c. 2008 "Santa Please Stop Here" Ornament: 158,700 ppm Cadmium (which causes cancer & is toxic at 40 ppm up!)

#LeadedChristmas, Cadmium & Antimony, too!
Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Please read more about Cadmium here.
—
“Santa Please Stop Here” door knob key. c. 2004-2009

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 Santa Key had the following readings (with a minimum of a 60-second test):

Lead (Pb): 1,236 +/-241 ppm
Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-Detect
Cadmium (Cd): 158,700 +/- 1,400 ppm
Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-Detect
Antimony (Sb): 2,243 +/- 747 ppm
Tin (Sn): 326 +/- 142 ppm
Zinc (Zn): 270,700 +/- 2,400 ppm
Copper (Cu): 561,300 +/- 2,900 ppm
Nickel (Ni): 4,159 +/- 427 ppm
Bismuth (Bi): 671 +/- 151 ppm

To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE.

These levels are not uncommon in Christmas ornaments because they are not considered a child’s toy and, as such, are not regulated for toxicants like Cadmium. This level of Cadmium is considered VERY toxic and DEFINITELY not safe for children to play with. My understanding of these keys is that they are very popular and it is not uncommon for a child to play with them!

In general, older metal ornaments (especially heavy ones) are a good thing to stay away from if you want to avoid toxicants like Lead, Arsenic, and Cadmium.

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

I have noticed, however, that newer ornaments from the Dollar stores, Target, and even from Michael’s may be Lead-free (but I cannot guarantee it and will not recommend any specific items right now since there is so very much to test before drawing any conclusions across the board).

Ornaments are specifically marketed and labeled as being “not toys,” and “not for use by children.” As a result, they are not breaking any sort of law or regulation by containing toxicants like Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony even though (in homes with young children) more often than not the children are handling them.

Personally, I favor hand-made decorations to celebrate the holidays, but there are Lead-free options to purchase out there if you look for them (and they may have a more rustic hand-made look than the glitz and glimmer of some of the more toxic options). New modern ornaments less likely to contain Lead might be:

Ornaments made of cloth and ribbon.
Ornaments comprised of natural materials like shells, seeds, or pinecones.
Ornaments made of wood.
Baked cookie ornaments (that are then lacquered).
Many new plastic ornaments (the ones that come in the tubes).
Hand-made ceramic ornaments.

Ornaments that are more likely to be Leaded:

Glass ornaments
Wire ornaments (including ones with rubber-coated wire)
Vintage ornaments
Brass ornaments
Crystal ornaments

If anyone is up for a new business idea, starting a Lead-free Christmas ornament company might be just what is needed now that consumer awareness is coming around to this concern.

Here’s a Lead-free Christmas decoration option on Amazon.*

For #SaferChoices for your family, click here.

If you would like to support our advocacy work (and this website) please consider contributing to the Lead Safe Mama, LLC GoFundMe or PayPal. Thank you!

As always, thank you for reading and for sharing these articles and test results.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama