QVC Temp-tations Espresso Cup Christmas Ornaments (Xmas 2020): 2,924 ppm Lead + 981 ppm Cadmium — QVC tells customers to use them for cocoa with the grandkids!

 

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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 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

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XRF test results for the Red & White Espresso Cup with Penguin Design —
product purchased in December of 2020 (invoice above)

Quick summary:

• The Lead is in the decorative elements on the outside of the penguin design cup pictured. The level of Lead is far above the regulatory limit for any item “intended for use by children” (anything over 90 ppm Lead in the paint, glaze, or coating of an object is considered illegal if it is an item explicitly made for/sold for use by children).
• Espresso cups are NOT considered items intended for use by children — but the grandma who bought the set that I tested, bought the cups for her grandchildren because the QVC video about them expressly said that they would be great for having “hot chocolate with the grandkids!” This is a common misperception about espresso cups because they look like they are tiny cups intended for use by children. I have written about that extensively here in this article — link.
• The red glaze is also very high in Cadmium. The Cadmium limit in the State of Washington (for dishware used by children) is 40 ppm (currently, there is still there is no federal limit for total-Cadmium-content in dishware in the U.S. You can read more about that here — link).

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Reading #1) Center of the penguin’s face
60-second reading 

• Lead (Pb): 2,924 +/- 41 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 981 +/- 17 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): 2,284 +/- 155 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 1,958 +/- 155 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,924 +/- 75 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 2,747 +/- 68 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 275 +/- 18 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 10,800 +/- 100 ppm
• Selenium (Se): 272 +/- 13 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 47,400 +/- 900 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 17,600 +/- 200 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 258 +/- 7 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 800 +/- 24 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 133 +/- 28 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 25 +/- 9 ppm

Reading #2) Red of the handle
60-second reading 

• Lead (Pb): 49 +/- 10 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 925 +/- 15 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 2,140 +/- 73 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 53 +/- 29 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 327 +/- 18 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 5,235 +/- 68 ppm
• Selenium (Se): 469 +/- 12 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 16,700 +/- 200 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 11 +/- 4 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 647 +/- 21 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 143 +/- 20 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 51 +/- 6 ppm

Reading #3) Interior white surface
30-second reading 

• Lead (Pb): 87 +/- 8 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 34 +/- 3 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 1,923 +/- 98 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 26 +/- 14 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 91 +/- 11 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 10 +/- 4 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 391 +/- 19 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 92 +/- 7 ppm

Thank you for reading and sharing this work. I truly appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them personally as soon as I have a moment!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

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