“Vintage” 2002 Mega Bloks Lego-style toys: 5,038 ppm Lead + 288 ppm Arsenic (90 ppm Lead & up is unsafe for kids)

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For those new to this 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 sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

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2002 Mega Bloks

I had heard that “vintage” (1990s or older) Mega Bloks had tested positive for Lead — however, this is the first time any of these crossed my path and I had the opportunity to test some for myself. I was not at all surprised that they did test positive for Lead — at very high levels — but I WAS surprised that these are from… 2002.

I have tested a lot of “vintage” plastic from the 90’s, and it has frequently tested positive for Lead — but to find plastic from as late as 2002 with such extremely high levels of Lead (and Arsenic) is quite disturbing.

Continue reading below the image.

The owner of these blocks told me that the blocks in this bucket were likely from multiple sets (very common, of course), hence the information below about the two different types of logos. Accordingly, it is possible that some of these are from later than 2002 — or earlier than 2002. I have not yet determined which logo is the 2002 logo (the circular logo or the straight logo), and where the other logo originates from. The final “nail in the coffin” for the 2002 product is that the bucket — which is marked “2002” — is itself also positive for very high levels of Lead, plus Arsenic (in the big yellow handle).

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Here are two studies about the concern for Lead in plastic toys:

1. From 2015
2. From 2018

Colors in the set pictured here that tested positive for toxicants included: Red, Yellow, Green, and Gray blocks.

When tested with a high-precision XRF instrument, the components of this box of Mega Bloks had the following readings:

#1.) Yellow block with circular logo — image below

• Lead (Pb): 4,625 +/- 116 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 225 +/- 65 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 1,192 +/- 73 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 160 +/- 18 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,085 +/- 705 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#2.) Yellow block with straight logo

• Lead (Pb): 5,038 +/- 115 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 288 +/- 63 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 1,498 +/- 85 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 158 +/- 17 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 44 +/- 29 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#3.) Green block with circular logo — image below

• Lead (Pb): 4,445 +/- 108 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 254 +/- 61 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 1,036 +/- 76 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 151 +/- 17 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 49 +/- 23 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 370 +/- 220 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): 2,000 +/- 925 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#4.) Teal block with straight logo

• Zinc (Zn): 269 +/- 24 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 217 +/- 30 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 60 +/- 35 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 507 +/- 268 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 5,691 +/- 274 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): 1,298 +/- 736 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#5.) Blue block with circular logo

• Zinc (Zn): 210 +/- 13 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 184 +/- 15 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 3,456 +/- 204 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#6.) Blue block with straight logo — image above

• Zinc (Zn): 214 +/- 24 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 574 +/- 37 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 8,653 +/- 318 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#7.) Black block with circular logo — image above

• Zinc (Zn): 161 +/- 19 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 71 +/- 35
• Titanium (Ti): 161 +/- 70 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#8.) Black block with straight logo — image above

• Zinc (Zn): 151 +/- 12 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 203 +/- 72 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#9.) White block with circular logo

• Zinc (Zn): 161 +/- 24 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 12,400 +/- 400 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#10.) White block with straight logo — image above

• Zinc (Zn): 171 +/- 26 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 34,300 +/- 800 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, and Antimony

#11.) Red block with circular logo — image above

• Lead (Pb): 1,465 +/- 33 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 132 +/- 23 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 151 +/- 94 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 513 +/- 43 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 182 +/- 12 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 42 +/- 19 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 288 +/- 150 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#12.) Gray block with straight logo

• Antimony (Sb): 51 +/- 28 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 208 +/- 22 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 6,804 +/- 290 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, and Mercury.

#13.) The yellow plastic handle of the bucket

• Lead (Pb): 1,504 +/- 33 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 144 +/- 23 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 154 +/- 87 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 522 +/- 50 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 467 +/- 100 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

#14.) Red plastic bucket

• Iron (Fe): 76 +/- 47 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 1,463 +/- 209 ppm
• Non-Detect for: Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, and Antimony

As always, thank you for reading and for sharing these articles. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama