Honey Sticks beeswax crayons from New Zealand: two colors tested positive for trace Cadmium, a known carcinogen.

Published: January 2, 2019
Note: Test results have been consistent for this product across multiple years of testing.
November 17, 2022 Update: I am working on an article which includes my response to the November 2022 social media response from the company. I will include that link here as soon as it is published.

This post is reporting the XRF test results for the Honey Sticks Beeswax Crayons “Thins” pictured above.(Made in New Zealand).

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It’s important to note that when testing something like a crayon, there is a possibility of getting different XRF readings over the course of testing different areas of a single crayon. This is especially true in detecting and reporting trace contaminants (trace = very-low-level contaminants vs. higher-level concentrations of metals detected — that are obviously intentional ingredients), as trace contaminants may be present in one spot and not in another.

It is for this reason [because we’re taking about just trace levels AND in levels detected in crayons] that some of the tests of the red and pink crayons were positive for Cadmium and other metals detected, and other tests of the same crayon did not detect the same metals, or metals at the exact same quantities.

For both the red crayon and pink crayon, since they were the only crayons of this set positive for a metal that is considered a toxicant (Cadmium in this case), I have reported two sets of results below, with each reading being slightly different, due of the above factors. I did several readings on each color crayon however (not just the two reported below), and those two reading sets are examples of the range of readings that were detected.

For the test result set below, the crayons were tested in their form as bought (i.e. in the shape of crayons.) I will likely do a follow-up set of testing melting these same crayons down into flat discs (as I did with the Crayola crayons), to see if my test results vary from the ones posted here (i.e. are more consistent, due to the greater ease of testing the material in that form, as well as possible potential greater uniformity of the mixture). When I do that, I will post a link here.

Simple Solution: One of my readers suggested that if you are going to buy these because you feel they are a safer choice for your child (they ARE Lead-free after all!), but have any concern about the trace levels of Cadmium, maybe just toss the pink and red ones before you give them to your child.

Continue reading below the image to see the full set of test results.

The levels of Cadmium found in these crayons are considered safe by all standards (all relevant standards for consumer goods and toys, NOT by all standards for food products that may be consumed by young children), however given Cadmium is a known carcinogen and given children often ingest crayons – I firmly believe they should be regulated to the same standards as food products and there should be no allowable level of Cadmium (or other toxicants) in crayons intended for use by children.

To read more about Cadmium toxicity click here or here.

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Full XRF Test Results For The Box of Crayons Shown

When tested with an XRF instrument these Honey Sticks Beeswax Crayons “Thins” (Made in New Zealand, purchased in late-2018)  had the following readings (each test was done for a minimum of 60 seconds to ensure the accuracy of the results):

If a metal is not listed it was not detected (using XRF technology).

Color #1) White Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 351 +/- 112 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 2,212 +/- 45 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 154 +/- 32 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 22,100 +/- 500 ppm

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Color #2) Red Crayon:

Reading Set One:
60-second reading

• Cadmium (Cd): 16 +/- 7 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 2,694 +/- 115
• Iron (Fe): 239 +/- 109 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 98 +/- 39 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 1,548 +/- 119 ppm
• Indium (In): 23 +/- 10 ppm
• Palladium (Pd): 9 +/- 4 ppm

Reading Set Two:
60-second reading

• Barium (Ba): 878 +/- 182 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,577 +/- 39 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 128 +/- 31 ppm

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Color #3) Blue Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 603 +/- 166 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,526 +/- 45 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 118 +/- 39 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 13,800 +/- 600 ppm

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Color #4) Yellow/Brown Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 563 +/- 176 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,634 +/- 39 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 225 +/- 33 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 640 +/- 369 ppm

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Color #5) Pink Crayon:

Reading Set One:
60-second reading

• Cadmium (Cd): 17 +/- 7 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 2,732 +/- 111 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 32,100 +/- 1,100 ppm
• Indium (In): 23 +/- 9 ppm

Reading Set Two (confirming Cadmium levels):
2-minute reading

• Cadmium (Cd): 17 +/- 5 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 2,568 +/- 77 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 241 +/- 94 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 30,000 +/- 700 ppm
• Indium (In): 26 +/- 7 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 74 +/- 32 ppm

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Color #6) Black Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 607 +/- 181 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,219 +/- 35 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 77 +/- 18 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 135 +/- 32 ppm

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Color #7) Green Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 755 +/- 183 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 4 +/- 3 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,674 +/- 40 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 114 +/- 30 ppm

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Color #8) Orange Crayon:

• Barium (Ba): 954 +/- 161 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 4+/- 2 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 1,594 +/- 33 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 132 +/- 27 ppm

Given the reasoning discussed in my earlier posts on crayons, I would not choose these for my children because of the trace levels of Cadmium. To read those earlier crayon posts, click here.

As always, thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
Owner – Lead Safe Mama, LLC
#LeadSafeMama 

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