For those new to the Lead Safe Mama 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 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 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
- Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for 5 product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
- Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
When tested with an XRF instrument, the green and white Threshold brand dish (from Target) pictured here had the following readings:
Test focused on center of dish with the word “joy”
(this glaze is inside, on the food-surface of the dish)
- Lead (Pb): 145 +/- 22 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 3,995 +/- 188 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 12,700 +/- 400 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 580 +/- 66 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 4,244 +/- 302 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 69 +/- 22 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 2,111 +/- 124 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 6,049 +/- 289 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 24,300 +/- 700 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 279 +/- 91 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 464 +/- 118 ppm
Test focused on white painted design on exterior:
- Lead (Pb): 167 +/- 24 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 7,735 +/- 336 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 274 +/- 25 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 3,369 +/- 169 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 114 +/- 48 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,256 +/- 272 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 39 +/- 17 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 23,300 +/- 900 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 10,100 +/- 500 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 4,357 +/- 142 ppm
Test focused on logo area on bottom:
- Lead (Pb): 255 +/- 29 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 9,928 +/- 447 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 3,401 +/- 269
- Zinc (Zn): 466 +/- 56 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,118 +/- 286 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 47 +/- 18 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 10,200 +/- 500 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 20,300 +/- 900 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 4,726 +/- 160 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 2,019 +/- 211
- Mn: 1,842 +/- 504 ppm
Tests focused on the plain green glazed exterior were similar in range to tests on the bottom of the dish. Lead (Pb) in the green glazed area (with no decorative elements) resulted in 151 +/- 26 ppm.
Metals not detected by the XRF in “Consumer Goods” mode are not listed. Tests were completed for a minimum of 60 seconds each to confirm the reading. Results are science-based, replicable, and conducted with a Niton XL3T XRF in “Consumer Goods” mode.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading and sharing these results!
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