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). Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).
This is the “SHORT” version of this article, just for people interested in having their stuff tested in 2021 (without sections 1 and 2). If you want to read the long version, click here.
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TESTING STUFF
*Catching Up + New Stuff*
Here’s what you need to know if you would like to send in a box of items for testing and reporting here on the website:
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I am doing this last round of testing (possibly the last-ever opportunity where I invite the public to send in a box of items) to raise money for the legal retainer for the attorney in my Federal Civil Rights case.
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I will not accept any more new boxes of things to test until I have 100% finished the work pending (that I have on hand) and have gotten everyone’s items shipped back to them.
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People can pay now to reserve a spot for testing that will be done between 8/31 and 12/31/2021 and I will email each of them as soon as I am ready to begin accepting boxes again (likely starting the week of August 25th).
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Items will be tested in the order that people reserve their spots for testing.
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I have raised the rates a bit. The new rates are still relatively affordable and still do not approach what a fee-for-service lab might charge (we’ve found $79 per test to be the going rate for testing with a fee-for-service lab with the same instrumentation — and, for example, when I test a dish I normally test at least three spots — so a fee-for-service business that does this might charge close to $240 to test multiple components of one item). This work continues to be a collaboration with you (Lead Safe Mama readers) and the funds you pay to support the work we do (as a business as a whole — including things like legal fees!) but it should not be considered a fee-for-service type of thing.
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IF you need an official lab report for an item this is not the opportunity for you. This is colloborative advocacy. Results are shared in an article format on the Lead Safe Mama website. We are not a lab, not affiliated with a lab, and will not provide a formal written report (other than the published material on this site) with the test results of your item.
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The new rates are $35 per item for simple items – like a flat dish (with fewer than four components or colors needing testing) with rates TBD for complex items with 4 or more colors or components depending on the item.
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To participate in this opportunity you can choose to send in a box of 4 items for $140 + return postage OR a box of 5 items for $175 + return postage. I am not accepting any boxes with more than 5 items at this time.
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When you pay you will be assigned one of the numbers below and your name will be added to the list next to your number (like Sarah M. or Jane S. – not your full name) and your items will be tested in the order based on your number.
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Once you pay to be added to the list you can share pictures of the items you are considering sending in for testing in the thread here (on this post in the Facebook group) and I will respond if I would like you to send in that item and — if not — I will share with you the link to a similar item on the site so you can see the test results and we can discuss if it makes sense for you to send in that item or a different one.
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Keeping track of names on the list with this article will help me stay organized (so my helpers can also help me track everything too!) AND it will let people know how we are doing in terms of progress towards raising the $5,000 needed for my legal retainer.
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NOTE: please do not purchase items new that need to be returned by a certain date unless I give you express permission to do that. I cannot always guarantee that things will be shipped back by a certain date (but I think this new system will make everything go faster now that I have full-time access to an appropriate instrument for all types of testing!)
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NOTE #2: IF you want a sample from your artificial Christmas tree tested as part of your items you must send that in no later than October 1, 2021 – along with information related to the brand / date of purchase / store purchased, etc. (per the details for Christmas tree testing published on the website).
SO……………………… Please comment on the Facebook post (or send an e-mail) if you are interested in participating in this opportunity/ supporting this work in this way and then:
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Make your payment via
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Venmo (@TamaraERubin),
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Zelle (503-702-2708) or
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PayPal (TamaraRubin@mac.com)
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Let me know you made your payment via an email to TamaraRubin@mac.com. The subject line should include “Reserving a spot on the testing schedule” [The subject line note is very important – so I can easily search for these emails] and you should include a preliminary list of the items you think you would like me to test (along with at least one photo of each of those items if possible).
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I will respond with an email confirming your number on the list (the list image with this article) and I will update the graphic here with your name and the total raised so far / amount left to raise.
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IF you don’t yet know what you are going to send in but want to reserve a spot – just let me know this in your email – and then use the comment thread on this article to share images of items you might want to have tested (to see if they already have been tested or would be a good candidate for testing.)
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Check out the link here for a list of items that you may want to have tested with XRF technology: https://tamararubin.com/2017/11/goods/
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Once you know what you are sending PLEASE send a follow up email when it has been shipped so I know to look for the box and so I can plan to have childcare to test your items when they arrive.
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Please (if you can easily) include a return shipping label in the box. If you are not able to do this I will email you with the cost of return shipping and you can send me those $ separately.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To get through this testing efficiently and quickly, the article with your test results may not have a lot of detail beyond just the actual test results. All components are tested multiple times to confirm the results and one full set of test results is shared in the article for each component tested. [Results shared are science-based, accurate and replicable.] If you have questions about the test results that are not answered elsewhere on the website — let me know and I will update the posting addressing your specific questions as soon as possible. Here is the article discussing the testing methodologies I use in my work. For the purpose of the testing of items you send in I always use XRF testing – but sometimes also follow up with testing using reactive agent home test kits on a video: https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-to-test-for-lead/
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ONE MORE NOTE: After 2021 the plan is that I am no longer going to be accepting ANY submissions from readers for testing – with rare exceptions (although that plan could change – if my business is able to expand and if I am able to set up a brick-and-mortar location and hire staff to do the testing… which has always been a dream goal of mine). Instead – starting in 2022 – I am going to focus more on directly purchasing both new and vintage items for testing (but with the choices for the items tested still directed by Lead Safe Mama readers – and, when appropriate, the costs of procuring those items also shared among readers interested in test results for a specific item.)
Thank you!
Here’s the link with all the ways to pay or contribute in support of the work including the GoFundMe link and a PayPal button: https://tamararubin.com/2021/07/ways-to-support-the-work-of-lead-safe-mama-llc/
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