Vintage Tin, UCA Salve: 9,692 ppm Lead + 231 ppm Mercury — Don't let your kids play with vintage tins

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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 six 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 “UCA Salve — The Dependable Household Ointment” had the following readings (on the painted logo surface, when tested for a minimum of 120-seconds).

Lead (Pb): 9,692 +/- 245 ppm
Mercury (Hg): 231 +/- 104 ppm
Barium (Ba): 1,997 +/- 200 ppm
Chromium (Cr): 3,519 +/- 151 ppm
Tin (Sn): 51,400 +/- 300 ppm
Zinc (Zn): 486 +/- 105 ppm
Copper (Cu): 706 +/- 181 ppm
Iron (Fe): 755,900 +/- 1,600 ppm
Vanadium (V): 4,273 +/- 373 ppm
Titanium (Ti): 145,900 +/- 1,000 ppm
Indium (In): 118 +/- 50 ppm
Platinum (Pt): 541 +/- 239 ppm
Cobalt (Co): 20,200 +/- 1,200 ppm
Manganese (Mn): 2,897 +/- 482 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.

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Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama