Talk Show “Set Mugs” Series (Used By Hosts & Guests) The Talk: 1,829 ppm Cadmium (75 ppm Cd is illegal in Denmark)

When tested with an XRF instrument, this mug had the following readings:

White on outside of mug:

• Lead (Pb): Negative / Non-detect
• Cadmium (Cd): Negative / Non-detect
• Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 1,867 +/- 204 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 24,800 +/- 1,000 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 564 +/- 107 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,018 +/- 289 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 1,065 +/- 111 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 2,241 +/- 204 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 42,500 +/- 2,000 ppm
• Platinium (Pt): 478 +/- 192 ppm

Red text on outside of mug:

• Lead (Pb): Negative / Non-detect
• Cadmium (Cd): Negative / Non-detect
• Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 1,787 +/- 190 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 23,000 +/- 1,000 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 469 +/- 100 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 987 +/- 286 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 3,022 +/- 219 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 11,400 +/- 700 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 37,800 +/- 1,800 ppm
• Platinium (Pt): 537 +/- 188 ppm

Red glazed inside (food surface) of mug:

• Lead (Pb): Negative / Non-detect
• Cadmium (Cd): 1,829 +/- 139 ppm
• Arsenic (As): Negative / Non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): Negative / Non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): Negative / Non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 1,710 +/- 202 ppm
• Selenium (Se): 655 +/- 74 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 769 +/- 75 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 9,642 +/- 503 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 471 +/- 106 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,214 +/- 332 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 868 +/- 91 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 1,854 +/- 170 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 36,800 +/- 1,800 ppm

Any additional metals not listed were not detected. As with all posts on this blog, all tests were done with a Niton XL3T XRF instrument in “Consumer Goods” mode, for at least 60 seconds [unless otherwise noted]. Results are science based and replicable.

Is Cadmium a problem?

Note: just because the mug tests POSITIVE for CADMIUM (a known carcinogen / known to cause cancer) that does not mean it is definitely leaching Cadmium. In fact, newer mugs are likely tested for leaching of toxicants (at the time of manufacture).

My big concern is what happens with a mug over it’s entire life span; not whether or not it is leaching just at the time of manufacture, but is it leaching after years of extensive daily heavy use – with acidic and hot beverages (normal, anticipated use for a coffee mug). Leach-testing is only performed – and those results relevant – at the time of manufacture. Mugs have been shown to leach over time with more use as they age (despite the fact that they may not have leached any toxicants when tested at the time of initial manufacture!)

Accordingly, I would personally avoid this mug, would not drink out of it if you offered me coffee in it once — and definitely would not have one in my own home. Hopefully, now that this information is available, “The Talk” might choose to make safer choices for the mugs for their hosts and guests.

To reiterate why I am doing these posts:

While “Toxicants In On-Set Talk-Show Mugs” is obviously an absurdly arcane and limited “consumer product concern”… I thought it might be a fun “conversation-starter”; I wanted to get the attention of talk show hosts on the real issue: the  continued widespread use of neurotoxic heavy metals (like Lead and Cadmium) in mass-marketed manufactured consumer goods — so that I could hopefully draw their attention to the fact that, for instance, I have found many newly-manufactured BABY BOTTLES with Lead in them in the past 2+ years, yet – incredibly – no regulatory agency is doing anything about those findings — nor have any recalls been initiated as a result of those findings! 

I know the “news cycle” has a short attention span, and there’s undeniably a LOT of crazy and troubling stuff to report on these days, but come on — if LEAD-PAINTED logos and other markings on freakin’ BABY BOTTLES in 2019 isn’t worthy of a few minutes of serious journalistic attention, just what the heck is?!

To see all of my posts about Leaded baby bottles, click here.

To see more talk show set mugs I have tested (and to read my original post about why I decided to test talk show set mugs), click here.

To see more mugs I have tested, click here.

For my #SaferChoices for mugs and guidelines on picking out a non-toxic coffee mug, click here.

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

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

Each of the “Set Mugs” in this series was purchased directly from the gift store for the show in question (and based on my research is the official mug for the current 2019 season.)