Published: July 12, 2022 – Tuesday
While this vintage Fisher Price stacking rings toy is not marked with the date it resembles the one I had as a child – and I was born in 1969. This toy was also purchased at an estate sale where most of the toys were from the early-to-mid 1970s so it seems like guessing “1970s” for the date of this toy is about right.
It’s quite alarming to see the levels of Lead and Arsenic in this toy (and also to note that it tested positive for Cadmium) – especially given how chewed on this example is (which is how most of these end up being chewed, given the target age intended for use of this product.) For context, 90 ppm Lead (& up) is considered unsafe and illegal in the paint, glaze or coating of a newly manufactured item intended for use by children & 100 ppm Lead and up is considered illegal in the substrate (which is the limit that would apply in this case given it is an unpainted plastic toy.) Please do note that Fisher Price has made public statements indicating they are aware of the toxicant concerns in their vintage products, stating these vintage products should *only* be used for decor (if at all). You can read that public statement here.
When my eldest son was born in 1996 we got a new one of these (we were gifted one very similar to this one actually: https://amzn.to/3uItzeM)and it was much larger than the example here from the 1970s (the rings were each larger and the overall size of the toy was also larger.) I am assuming the size change was made for safety reasons (in addition to any chemical changes for the makeup of the plastics.) The brand new versions of these will be safe for children (any post-2012 new plastic toy made by a major, known brand should be safe.) Here’s the Lead Safe Mama Amazon affiliate link* for the new version of this toy (bonus: this one is made of plant-based plastics!): https://amzn.to/3nYP07n
Continue reading below to see the full XRF test results for this toy. Also, here’s some additional reading that may be of interest:
- The “Vintage Toy” category of articles on this website.
- The “Vintage Plastic” category of articles on this website
- The “Vintage Yellow Plastic” category of articles on this website
- The “Fisher Price” category of articles on this website
- The “Vintage Fisher Price” category of articles on this website
Reading #1) Purple Plastic
60-second test
- Zinc (Zn): 1,112 +/- 27 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 150 +/- 26 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) Blue Plastic
60-second test
- Copper (Cu): 53 +/- 16 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 1,211 +/- 29 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 105 +/- 25 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #3) Green Plastic
30-second test
- Barium (Ba): 4,576 +/- 222 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 582 +/- 165 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 243 +/- 24 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 5,461 +/- 590 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,008 +/- 93 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 6,804 +/- 471 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #4) Yellow Plastic Ring
60-second test
Yellow center cone tested similarly
- Lead (Pb): 4,289 +/- 68 ppm
- Arsenic (As): 517 +/- 40 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 1,738 +/- 95 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 17 +/- 6 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 672 +/- 216 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 86 +/- 23 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #5) Orange Plastic Ring
60-second test
- Lead (Pb): 5 +/- 3 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 259 +/- 154 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 25 +/- 14 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 89 +/- 27 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #6) Pink/Red Plastic Ring
60-second test
- Arsenic (As): 5 +/- 3 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 2,821 +/- 52 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 82 +/- 25 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #7) White Plastic Base
30-second test
- Lead (Pb): 90 +/- 9 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 18 +/- 10 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 1,964 +/- 146 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 3,091 +/- 370 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
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.
Hi, Tamara! This toy (or one very similar and just as vintage looking), was used during my son’s physical therapy session the other day. I’m very careful not to let him put toys that are not ours in his mouth, but he was definitely touching all over it. In this specific instance, should I be worried? Please advise ♥️