Highlight Published: Sunday – June 26, 2022
Originally appeared in this article – link.
Multiple Lead Safe Mama readers have shared with us that Primal Life Organics has shared the COA for the clay base of their bentonite-clay based tooth powder with them when they requested to see test results for the ingredients of their Dirty Mouth Toothpowder.
As an example of this communication: one Lead Safe Mama reader shared the following communication with me (image below) – in which a company representative for Primal Life Organics sent her a COA (Certificate of Analysis) for the bentonite clay base that the company uses for their “Dirty Mouth Toothpowder” clay-based product. Here is the email from her exchange – dated June 17, 2022 (The images of the COA are below the email.)
At the bottom of the e-mail above (just above the signature) there are links to two pages of a COA for the clay. I clicked those links and downloaded the information – which is the two photographs below. This two-page document (which appears to have originated from the supplier of Primal Life Organic’s bentonite clay – Lone Star Botanicals out of Texas) is, suspiciously, not dated — legitimate COAs are ALWAYS dated, and normally have more identifying information (although the lot number noted may be helpful): [each image below is a clickable image if you need to see it larger to read it – although they came through to me as fairly low resolution images.]
Important Points:
- The Certificate of Analysis (COA) report from Lone Star Botanicals shown in the images above lists the Lead level for the clay (used in Primal Life Organics Dirty Mouth Toothpowder) at “9.681 ppm”.
- 9.681 (nine point six eight one) parts per million is equivalent to 9,681 (nine thousand six hundred and eighty one) parts per billion.
- No margin of error is noted for the test results reported on this COA. [The margin of error is typically noted on a legitimate COA.]
- Using XRF technology (the exact same technology that determined the levels of Lead and other metals reported in this COA from Lone Star Botanicals) Lead Safe Mama, LLC found the Lead levels for this bentonite clay-based toothpowder product to be in the range of 7,000 +/- 3,000 ppb.
- Said another way – based on the Lead Safe Mama, LLC testing – the range of Lead in this toothpowder may vary between from 4,000 to 10,000 ppb (when taking into account the margin of error, because 7 plus 3 is equal to 10 and 7 minus 3 is equal to 4 – which is how you interpret the +/- of a margin of error.)
- This means that the level of Lead noted in the Lone Star Botanicals COA shared by Primal Life Organics is consistent with Lead Safe Mama LLC’s independent testing of the product (details on the original post, here).
- The levels found by Lead Safe Mama, LLC were, in fact, slightly lower (taking into account the margin of error) than the levels noted in the Lone Star Botanicals COA for the clay, but this is to be expected as the toothpowder has multiple ingredients (in addition to the bentonite clay) and those other ingredients may be Lead-free, which would result in a lower level of Lead in the compounded final product.
- Please note that the statements in the Primal Life Organics email above (specifically about the Lead in the clay not being bioavailable) are false – as demonstrated by this peer reviewed scientific study from 2020 – link.
April says
Hi Tamara,
Just an FYI, you reversed the numbers in the first part of point #2 – { 9.861 (nine point eight six one) parts }
Thank you so much for helping us (write – “me”) to understand this as it is DEFINITELY out of my wheelhouse of understanding! Science and math nerd I am not! Haha, but I do understand that the decimal moves (or in this case the comma) to the right not the left when converting millions to billions. I hope I conveyed that correctly
Keep that information coming please, it’s making me more aware of what I am putting in and on my body!
Tamara says
Thanks! Fixed – (late-at-night working typos! Need to stop editing late at night!)
Stephanie says
Dear Tamara, this is a bit over my head. Can you please relay whether or not Lone Stars Botanicals Bentonite Clay tested safe for their lead levels?
Tamara says
It is not safe.
Marya Shahriary says
So it was intentional poisoning. Sure sounds like a crime.
Jese says
Wooooooooowww. That is shocking and disgusting. This ‘not bioavailable’ nonsense just has to stop! Thank you Tamara!
Jenilee says
I’m confused. What does this mean practically? I’ve been taking bentonite clay since the summer, about a tsp every morning with lemon water It’s helped my skin and digestion but I’ve noticed an increase in joint aches in the last month. Who the heck do I believe? Is this safe or not?
Tamara says
You should never ingest Bentonite clay. Please stop immediately. The Lead levels are high enough to cause lead poisoning. You should ask your doctor for blood lead level test tomorrow (and consider getting a urine or hair test as well, depending on what they advise.) Tell your doctor you have unknowingly been ingesting a lead-contaminated product. Joint pain (and full blown arthritis) are common impacts of Lead poisoning. When you get your test results ask for the number. Adult women in America today have an average BLL (Blood Lead Level) of 0.43 micrograms per deciliter (micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood.) If your level is a 1.0 or anything above that (knowing 1.0 is more than 2x the level for an average adult woman today) – you should consider yourself Lead poisoned and take actions accordingly.
Tamara says
also read this: https://tamararubin.com/2019/12/what-are-the-symptoms-of-lead-poisoning-in-adults-in-children/
and
https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/what-is-the-impact-of-lead-poisoning-in-adults-including-college-age-students/
Tamara says
Please read the following articles:
1.
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
2.
https://tamararubin.com/2019/07/today-is-my-youngest-sons-11th-birthday-happy-birthday-charlie-parker-eliezer-rubin-the-story-of-how-lead-impacted-his-birth/
3.
https://tamararubin.com/2019/07/click-the-link-to-learn-more-wait-what-is-this-click-bait-what-are-you-selling/
P says
Thank you so much for sharing this information!!! I so wish I had seen this post before I had used this toothpowder for my 4 year old and my 2 year old for almost an entire year… I’m freaking out right now!