xtrema 1.25 quart Versa Pot ceramic cookware, “Handcrafted In China”: 16,400 ppm Lead (90 & up is unsafe for kids) & 766 ppm Cadmium (a carcinogen).

June 8, 2022 – Wednesday

To start, here’s a short video showing the actual XRF Testing done on the pot pictured (a pot which was purchased about two years ago – c. 2020 – by the owner): 

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Some additional links that may be of interest:

• For context about the concerns with this brand, please read this article and the 140+ comments at the bottom.
• There are 11 total articles about this brand here on this website, here’s the xtrema category of articles so that you can read them all.

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Highlights / Points of Concern

1. Until recently this brand sold their products with marketing language stating the products were “metals-free” and specifically noting that they were “Lead-free”. Neither of these claims were true.
2. This company claims their products are made of “pure ceramic” – this (“pure ceramic”) is nonsensical marketing hype. It appears that this claim was made to misdirect consumers into thinking that the pots are not glazed, and that the lack of glaze supported the (false) claim that these pots were “metals-free”. In fact these pots are glazed – with black glaze, and (in this example) also with red glaze on the lid, and the glazes contain many more metals than the light peach-colored substrate ceramic of these pots — which normally tests positive for four metals, even before the glaze! (details here).
3. This article (link) discusses the issue of cookware and dishes that contain Lead and Cadmium (and other metals) — an issue of concern regardless of whether the item passed leach-testing standards at the time of manufacture.
4. The manufacturer of these ceramic pots (which were sold under the names xtrema; ceramcor; and Mercola) never informed previous customers (who bought the products when the old language was on their site – stating the products were “metals-free”) that their marketing language was non-factual. They never issued a voluntary recall, or offered refunds upon learning that their products tested positive for at least 14 metals — including the metallic toxicants Lead, Cadmium, and Cobalt  [from the initial results of XRF testing conducted by Lead Safe Mama, LLC, published on June 9, 2017]

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Full test results for the (c. 2020) xtrema red and black pot pictured
Metals highlighted in RED are considered toxic to humans

Reading #1) Black interior food surface of the pot
72-second reading
13 metals found in the glaze

1. Lead (Pb): 19 +/- 8 ppm
2. Chromium (Cr): 11,000 +/- 500 ppm
3. Vanadium (V): 2,928 +/- 619 ppm
4. Manganese (Mn): 2,778 +/- 229 ppm
5. Iron (Fe): 11,200 +/- 300 ppm
6. Cobalt  (Co): 7,773 +/- 226 ppm
7. Nickel (Ni): 2,514 +/- 105 ppm
8. Zinc (Zn): 34 +/- 11 ppm
9. Titanium (Ti): 9,697 +/- 1,166 ppm
10. Indium (In): 9 +/- 5 ppm
11. Tin (Sn): 18 +/- 7 ppm
12. Barium (Ba): 1,024 +/- 36 
13. Bismuth (Bi): 117 +/- 10 ppm
14. No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #2) Red interior of the lid of the pot
60-second reading
12 metals found in the glaze

1. Lead (Pb): 38 +/- 22 ppm
2. Cadmium (Cd): 721 +/- 30 ppm
3. Iron (Fe): 1,694 +/- 181 ppm
4. Copper (Cu): 229 +/- 40 ppm
5. Zinc (Zn): 3,195 +/- 117 ppm
6. Selenium (Se): 403 +/- 26 ppm
7. Zirconium (Zr): 15,400 +/- 400 ppm
8. Niobium (Nb):  214 +/- 21 ppm
9. Tin (Sn): 24 +/- 12 ppm
10. Barium (Ba): 137 +/- 45 ppm 
11. Platinum (Pt): 169 +/- 50 ppm
12. Bismuth (Bi): 67 +/- 15 ppm
13. No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #3) Red exterior of the lid of the pot
63-second reading
12 metals found in the glaze

1. Lead (Pb): 42 +/- 20 ppm
2. Cadmium (Cd): 603 +/- 24 ppm
3. Iron (Fe): 2,071 +/- 183 ppm
4. Copper (Cu): 252 +/- 39 ppm
5. Zinc (Zn): 2,895 +/- 103 ppm
6. Selenium (Se): 390 +/- 24 ppm
7. Zirconium (Zr): 13,500 +/- 300 ppm
8. Niobium (Nb):  212 +/- 20 ppm
9. Tin (Sn): 18 +/- 11 ppm
10. Barium (Ba): 87 +/- 41 ppm 
11. Platinum (Pt): 152 +/- 45 ppm
12. Bismuth (Bi): 68 +/- 14 ppm
13. No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #4) Logo mark on bottom
62-second reading
15 metals found in the glaze

1. Lead (Pb): 15,700 +/- 300 ppm
2. Cadmium (Cd): 499 +/- 18 ppm
3. Chromium (Cr): 15,700 +/- 700 ppm
4. Vanadium (V): 6,343 +/- 772 ppm
5. Manganese (Mn): 1,028 +/- 242 ppm
6. Iron (Fe): 3,785 +/- 205 ppm
7. Cobalt (Co): 2,892 +/- 149 ppm
8. Nickel (Ni): 970 +/- 82 ppm
9. Copper (Cu): 1,943 +/- 85 ppm
10. Zinc (Zn): 1,467 +/- 61 ppm
11. Selenium (Se): 230 +/- 24 ppm
12. Zirconium (Zr): 342 +/- 14 ppm
13. Tin (Sn): 34 +/- 9 ppm
14. Barium (Ba): 1,345 +/- 56 ppm
15. Platinum (Pt): 222 +/- 66 ppm
16. No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #5) Logo mark on bottom, focus on red area
30-second reading
15 metals found in the glaze

1. Lead (Pb): 16,400 +/- 500 ppm
2. Cadmium (Cd): 766 +/- 38 ppm
3. Chromium (Cr): 9,049 +/- 804 ppm
4. Vanadium (V): 9,307 +/- 1,279 ppm
5. Manganese (Mn): 962 +/- 336 ppm
6. Iron (Fe): 3,257 +/- 292 ppm
7. Cobalt (Co): 2,323 +/- 202 ppm
8. Nickel (Ni): 835 +/- 118 ppm
9. Copper (Cu): 268 +/- 53 ppm
10. Zinc (Zn): 1,521 +/- 94 ppm
11. Selenium (Se): 395 +/- 41 ppm
12. Zirconium (Zr): 403 +/- 23 ppm
13. Tin (Sn): 23 +/- 14 ppm
14. Barium (Ba): 1,272 +/- 82 ppm 
15. Platinum (Pt): 253 +/- 103 ppm
16. No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. Tamara’s sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in August of 2005. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009 and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. Tamara uses 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 (and separate components) are each tested multiple times, to confirm the test results for each component tested and reported on. Please click through to this link to learn more about the testing methodology used for the test results discussed and reported on this website.