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).
This tree sample was sent in by Liz, a LeadSafeMama.com reader. She lives in New York and told me she purchased this tree at Fortunoff’s about 9 years ago (c. 2010) and does not remember the brand (but that it was “expensive” at the time). Sorry, I don’t have more information about the tree.
Since we don’t have brand information to share on this, in addition to the pictures of the sample, I would add that the needles are flat with a rectangular cut edge and very flexible (they almost feel like stiff paper). They are also two distinct shades of green. The center wire (coated in brown plastic) is flexible (so you can position the tree branches as you like).
When tested with an XRF instrument, the artificial Christmas tree sample branch (sent to me after the holiday season of 2019) had the following readings:
- Lead (Pb): NEGATIVE (non-detect within the limits of the testing capacity of the XRF instrument)
- Cadmium (Cd): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Chromium (Cr): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Selenium (Se): Negative / Non-Detect (Nd)
- Barium (Ba): 116 +/- 31 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 532 +/- 13 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 67 +/- 22 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 11,200 +/- 200 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 4,170 +/- 142 ppm
- Chlorine (Cl): 381,100 +/- 3,500 ppm
Tests were done for at least three minutes (180 seconds) and repeated to confirm the results. The testing window included both the brown “branch” and green “needles” in the view. Tests were done in “Consumer Goods Mode” with a freshly calibrated instrument. Other metals not detected are not listed.
If you are interested in sending me a sample of your artificial Christmas tree for testing, you can send me $25.00 (via PayPal) per sample and cut a small piece of one branch (2 or 3 inches in length is fine, I do not need more than that). If you have any information about the year purchased or the brand — or a photo of the tag or the box it came in (anything else identifying that would help other parents know if their tree is positive or negative for Lead) — please send that along as well. In general, it takes me 6 to 8 weeks to get test results back to you (sometimes longer, depending on the number of boxes I have waiting in the queue).
To see more Christmas items I have tested, click here.
To see more artificial Christmas tree samples I have tested, click here.
My mailing address is:
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
7933 SE 15th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
My email is: TamaraRubin@mac.com (this is also my PayPal email address).
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading and for sharing this work.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama 
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