‘Handmade’ does not always equal ‘safe’. Barrettes, bought at a 2018 Los Angeles craft fair: 36,600 ppm Lead. 90 is unsafe.

These were purchased by a friend of mine in Santa Monica in the last year. (Actually my friend’s mother purchased them for her toddler granddaughter to use). They were purchased at a downtown Los Angeles handmade crafts fair, and made and sold expressly intended for use by children.

Most of these tested positive for high levels of Lead. Not only are they positive for high levels of Lead, but the Lead-painted elements (the metal clips under the hand felted flowers) are clearly chipping. These metal hair clips that snap back and forth to close are also the type of item that you will also frequently see being used as a “fidget” by young children (to the point where you also often see these items being put in a child’s mouth / chewed on.)

Below are the exact XRF test results for each of these items (by color). Please continue reading below each of the images to see the different test results for each of the different color barrettes.

Blue (see image above – note chipping paint):

• Chromium (Cr): 1,013 +/- 120 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 69 +/- 26 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 469 +/-171 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 984,400 +/- 1,800 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 3,340 +/- 306 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 5,430 +/- 648 ppm

Red (see image above – it was hard to focus this close-up, but note the chipping paint):

• Lead (Pb): 17,000 +./- 500 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 3,691 +/- 182 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 912 +/- 284 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 965,800 +/- 1,800 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 317 +/- 125 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 2,275 +/- 253 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 5,145 +/- 616 ppm

Yellow (see image above – note chipping paint):

• Lead (Pb): 36,600 +./- 700 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 1,480 +/- 248 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 7,757 +/- 269 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 148 +/- 73 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 540 +/- 269 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 929,400 +/- 2,000 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 2,876 +/- 253 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 7,065 +/- 422 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 6,150 +/- 1,592
• Manganese (Mn): 5,387 +/- 726 ppm

Pink (see image above – with chipping paint):

• Chromium (Cr): 763 +/- 86 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 308 +/- 90 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 387 +/- 145 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 583,600 +/- 26,000 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 250 +/- 106 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 4,854 +/- 358 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 3,686 +/- 472 ppm

Unfortunately, this is not by any means an isolated problem; I continually find examples of this sort of stuff (lots of folks have sent me really cute hand-painted items they purchased at craft shows for their kids that they ask me to test — and I am sorry to say that I often find high levels of Lead and/or Cadmium in the paints used).

Takeaway: I don’t have a recommended specific brand for this type of product, but – in the absence of proof of testing from a small craft vendor – given the potential significant Lead exposure to a child, please only buy hair accessories (barrettes, headbands, etc.) for your children from a known reputable vendor, brand or store (this includes stores like Gap, Old Navy, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, etc. – where these sorts of things are often sold) It is simply not safe to purchase handmade items with paint  (particularly painted metal components) from a craft show if they are intended for or will be used by children — there is simply too much potential for high levels of Lead to be found in those items.

As always please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts! Additional photos of these items are below if you continue scrolling.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama