XRF Test Results for Natural Rubber “Tire-Free” Playground Mulch (Tinted) RainbowMulch.com.
Reading #1) Turquoise Colored Crumbles
- Copper (Cu): 149 +/- 32 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 11,800 +/- 300 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 4 +/- 2 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 210 +/- 19 ppm
- Indium (In): 13 +/- 7 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,807 +/- 165 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) Blue Colored Crumbles
- Cadmium (Cd): 9 +/- 4 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 541 +/- 38 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 17,300 +/- 300 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 441 +/- 17 ppm
- Indium (In): 11 +/- 6 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,281 +/- 106 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #3) Green Colored Crumbles
- Copper (Cu): 191 +/- 39 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 17,700 +/- 500 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 403 +/- 25 ppm
- Indium (In): 19 +/- 9 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,382 +/- 168 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
For those new to this website
Background updated September 2022:
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. 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. Her work was also responsible for two CPSC product recalls in the summer of 2022, the Jumping Jumperoo recall (June 2022) and the Lead painted NUK baby bottle recall (July 2022) and was featured in an NPR story about Lead in consumer goods in August of 2022. 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 are 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.
Never Miss an Important Article Again!
Join our Email List
Love that you are testing so many things!!!
Thank you Tamara! What a bummer it has cadmium in the pretty blue, argh! Glad we had you test before buying. It’s not cheap.
Are you planning to test any other (more accessible) brands? This company quoted me $10k for the backyard play structure area I’m working on, while the stuff from Home Depot (“Vigorous” brand that I already ordered before learning of the possible toxins) was $2k. They claim to be 3rd party pan tested and safe, but who knows what the actual test results were.
Hi Rebecca – The way this works is that folks send me in things for testing. Here’s the post with details on how to participate:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/08/tamara-can-i-send-you-one-of-my-dishes-to-test-for-lead/
Tamara
Thank you Tamara! I will email you.