When tested with an XRF instrument the hand painted child’s bracelet pictured here had the following readings:
- Lead (Pb): 19,400 +/- 400 ppm
- Arsenic (As): 489 +/- 132 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 24,500 +/- 500 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 3,332 +/- 246 ppm
Tests are science-based and results are replicable. Testing was done with a Niton XL3T XRF instrument testing in “Consumer Goods” mode. This is the same type of instrument used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to screen consumer goods for Lead and other toxicants (in order to determine if they are safe for use by children.)
In the paint or coating of an item anything 90 ppm Lead (or higher) is considered unsafe for children and illegal by modern standards (illegal for newly manufactured items only, vintage and antique items are not regulated in the same way.) This bracelet is definitely not safe for a child do use and at this level (and given the nature of bracelets and the fact that the wearer often fidgets with them with bare hands) I would not consider it safe for any human to wear.
If I owned something like this I would not choose to keep it in my life. The risk is just too great for a child to be draw to it and want to play with it at some point in the future. If you have something like this and it has sentimental value I would consider framing it in a shadow box (behind glass) and including a story or poem that expresses the importance of the piece. On the back of the shadow box I would include a very obvious that it is toxic and has unsafe levels of Lead and Arsenic.
This bracelet tested negative (Non-detect) for Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony and Selenium.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
To read my post about safer choices for jewelry for children, click here.
Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.
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