Vintage Tin, McCormick's Bee Brand Absolutely Pure Cream Tartar: 10,300 ppm Lead on the painted exterior

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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 four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
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When tested with an XRF instrument, this vintage tin of McCormick’s Bee Brand Absolutely Pure Cream Tartar had the following readings (on the painted exterior design and markings of the tin when tested for a minimum of 60-seconds).

Lead (Pb): 10,300 +/- 400 ppm
Barium (Ba): 8,962 +/- 354 ppm
Chromium (Cr): 3,463 +/- 264 ppm
Copper (Cu): 700 +/- 267 ppm
Iron (Fe): 598,700 +/- 2,500 ppm
Vanadium (V): 16,000 +/- 600 ppm
Titanium (Ti): 65,800 +/- 1,200 ppm
Cobalt (Co): 12,600 +/- 1,300 ppm
Manganese (Mn): 5,660 +/- 693 ppm

Most of the vintage tins I have tested have been positive for at least some amount of Lead (and often other toxicants as well). To see more vintage tins I have tested, click here.

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

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama