Potential random sources of toxicant exposure for a child, an exploration: leather, carpet, crystal.

A random assortment of things…

During a phone consultation with one of my readers, we identified a handful of potential sources of toxicant exposures for their child. As with many of my phone consultations, the parents then sent me some of the questionable items for testing (things that were small and easy to send!) As it turned out, when tested with a high-precision XRF Instrument, this particular set of items, thankfully, contained none that were positive for Lead [although there were trace levels of Cadmium and Antimony in two of the items].

Specific concerns:

• Crystal: While I have found crazy-high levels of Lead in genuine Leaded crystal (not surprising), I was quite curious to know what “K9 crystal ” was made of — so this helps to answer that question – for folks who may ask me about that in the future.
• Leather: I have tested countless examples of leather that have been positive for high levels of Lead (and other toxicants), so for this particular sample of brown leather to be negative for the five main toxicants that I usually look for (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic and Antimony) – is a great outcome!
• Carpets: I have tested probably hundreds of samples of carpet and rugs over the years – and they are often positive for Lead (at varying levels) and /or some level of Antimony (the Antimony is present mostly in newer carpets.) The Antimony levels in this carpet were “relatively low” (relative to other items I have tested  – looking specifically for Antimony), but since Federal regulations don’t address Antimony in consumer goods at all at this stage, there is no declared “safe Level” of Antimony specified for items like carpets. [In contrast, with Lead – the amount that is considered “safe for children” by federal standards is anything below 90 ppm in the paint or coating, yet there is not a similar low threshold for safety for total Antimony content in consumer goods.]

Since – in the absence of any Federal regulation – trace Antimony found in carpets is fully legal, yet often shows up in fairly high levels in the blood and urine tests of the families I work with, I would be curious to see if a young child playing on this carpet daily tested positive for Antimony (in her urine or hair) – and (in the absence of federal guidelines) if that were the case, I would consider replacing the carpet with a natural fiber (Antimony-free) alternative [natural wool, dyed with vegetable dyes might be a good choice]. If the child tested negative for Antimony, I wouldn’t necessarily have a concern for the Antimony levels found in this carpet sample.

My main concern in finding Antimony in a carpet like this is for the health and well being of children who might play on the carpet daily. While I am not a doctor, I always encourage my readers to follow up with their doctors about appropriate testing if they suspect any potential toxicant exposure source. Here’s the link to my post about blood lead testing. Here’s the link to my post about hair and urine testing – both often perceived as “alternative” (and sometimes “controversial”) testing methodologies.

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Exact test results for the items pictured are listed below.
Each test was done for a minimum of 60 seconds and repeated multiple times to confirm the results.

#1.) K9 Crystal – image below

• Cadmium (Cd): 39 +/- 17 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 31,800 +/- 600 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 153 +/- 69 ppm
• Antimony (Sb): 215 +/- 39 ppm

Continue reading below the images.

#2.) Carpet Sample – pile side – image above

• Antimony (Sb): 92 +/- 34 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 11 +/- 4 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 239 +/- 46 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 3,287 +/- 185 ppm

#3.) Carpet Sample – back side

• Antimony (Sb): 84 +/- 47 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 801 +/- 76 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 115 +/- 65 ppm

Continue reading below the image.

#4.) Brown Leather Sample – outer surface – image above

• Chromium (Cr): 23,600 +/- 300 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 9 +/- 2 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 39 +/- 11 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 25 +/- 11 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 180 +/- 36 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): 1,508 +/- 774 ppm

#5.) Brown Leather Sample – back surface

• Chromium (Cr): 26,900 +/- 400 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 11 +/- 2 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 103 +/- 36 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): 1,885 +/- 787 ppm

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama