Introduction (for those new to this website):
Tamara Rubin is a federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children, her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005. Since 2009 Tamara has been using XRF testing (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. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023.
This post has the full XRF test results for the item pictured.
More info to be posted shortly.
Reading #1) Dune buggy — yellow metal painted body of car
60-second reading
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): 12 +/- 5 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 318 +/- 59 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 3,084 +/- 137 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 924,000 +/- 700 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 2,499 +/- 383 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 328 +/- 59 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 85 +/- 25 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 69,500 +/- 500 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 41 +/- 11 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): 33 +/- 16 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 30 +/- 15 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) Dune buggy — black plastic of seats
30-second reading
- Lead (Pb): 266 +/- 10 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 179 +/- 7 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): 56 +/- 7 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 166 +/- 5 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 172 +/- 33 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 191 +/- 103 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 3,817 +/- 63 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 26 +/- 10 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 254 +/- 10 ppm
- Arsenic (As): 31 +/- 8 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 3,012 +/- 172 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): 88 +/- 11 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 380 +/- 52 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Continue reading below the image.
Reading #3) Dune buggy — black plastic of tires
60-second reading
- Lead (Pb): 14,300 +/- 100 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 292 +/- 7 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): 102 +/- 6 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 185 +/- 72 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,987 +/- 71 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 224 +/- 23 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 20 +/- 12 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 46 +/- 8 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): 2,081 +/- 26 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 1,079 +/- 35 ppm
- Gold (Au): 20 +/- 11 ppm
- Chlorine (Cl): 360,000 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #4) Dune buggy — white plastic of wheels
not accessible with the XRF Instrument
Reading #5) Dune buggy — black metal of undercarriage
60-second reading
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Chromium (Cr): 197 +/- 43 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 2,867 +/- 122 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 996,300 +/- 500 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 454 +/- 67 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 74 +/- 25 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 87 +/- 12 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 29 +/- 17 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Continue reading below the image.
Reading #6) Dune buggy — bare metal roll bar
60-second test
Reading #6) Dune buggy — bare metal roll bar- Lead (Pb): 167 +/- 43 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 142 +/- 15 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): 128 +/- 11 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 264 +/- 74 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 2,190 +/- 127 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 537,500 +/- 800 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 1,927 +/- 313 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): 711 +/- 120 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 839 +/- 89 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 454,500 +/- 1,200 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,265 +/- 214 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 229 +/- 37 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 74 +/- 19 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): 64 +/- 28 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Thank you for one more interesting post!!! Tamara, what can you say about modern Tonka toys? Are they safe?
Modern Tonka toys are generally lead-free. Even with this the yellow painted metal was lead-free, so I found that really interesting – that they seem to have consistently used lead-free paint for their signature yellow.
Thank you, Tamara)))
Thank you for all you do!
My husband has metal Tonkas from when he was a kid – from the 90s – that we saved for our children. They have definitely seen better days from all the love he gave them. How do you feel about Tonkas from the 90s? Have you tested any by chance?
Thanks so much!
Would you say most old vintage toy cars are just best to stay away from? Or is a case by case basis?