XRF Test results for ALPS Mountaineering King Kong chair (blue

October 3, 2022- Monday

XRF test results for the chair pictured are below.
Here’s an Amazon Affiliate link for this chair: https://amzn.to/3yc7Z4a
[Note: these normally can be found for a better price at REI!]

I’m a BIG girl, and need a BIG CHAIR!

I currently weigh 250 lbs. Many years ago, my husband bought me my favorite XXL camp chair at REI…this is the chair I normally bring with me whenever we go to a beach, a picnic or concert in the park, or a festival (and car-camping, of course)!

Because it is an extra-large chair — and therefore super–stable, and super-comfortable — with extra pockets and well-thought-out cup holders, my kids always fight over who gets to sit in “my” chair (I’m always the last one who gets the opportunity to sit in my own chair, as it turns out!)

This year I was ready to put an end to the fighting, and so (among other birthday presents for the boys this summer), I decided to buy one or two more of these *favorite* chairs — so the kids could each have their own! [My goal in life (every day) is ALWAYS to do whatever we can, putting long-term solutions in place, to put an end to the constant petty squabbles (there’s so much fighting between my two younger kids every day…with their specific combination of different disabilities, we are constantly managing conflict between them, given one has a brain injury, and doesn’t understand social cues from the other, and the other has a mental illness diagnosis / severe ADHD — which in his rcase esults in a heightened sensitivity & reactivity, and a very short fuse when upset — and can’t seem to understand that he needs to be patient with his older brother because of his brain injury!]

So…when I set out to buy another one of my favorite chairs, of course (as we often joke about in our family) it was no longer available. They (“the great gray they“) seem to always stop making the things we (the Rubin family) love! (Perhaps the cost of production on the high-quality/well-made/durable items that we prefer to own makes it so that they are soon determined to not be profitable to make – so the companies that make these products always seem to go out of business, or just to stop making every product we really love!)

Since my favorite chair was no longer available, instead I ended up purchasing the chair pictured in this post. It turns out that my kiddos like it even better than the *favorite* chair I have had for so many years! I like the fact that it has two cupholders, and side pockets (for wallets or whatever) on each side, AND that it has a pocket across the back. And, as anticipated, it’s also super-sturdy, and comfortable to sit in. In fact, we find it more comfortable than my original REI chair – so the kids now fight over who gets to sit in this one! #Sigh… I just cannot win!

In looking at the test results below (which are just for the blue fabric / the main component of the chair — I will update with test results for other components when I have a moment), you will see that it does test positive for trace Antimony. Is that a problem? Can it be avoided?… Well…

At 103 +/- 34 ppm Antimony, this is an expected trace-level (of this particular contaminant in synthetic / plastics-based fabrics -fabrics that one might find for use in many camping applications).
Antimony at that level is typical / very common and cannot really be avoided in this type of product.
Antimony at this level is NOT indicative of added flame retardant solution, however (Antimony levels in a product that has flame retardant intentionally added to the product is normally found at levels in the range of 1,000 to 5,000 ppm).

As with all functional home goods that might test positive for Antimony (where there is not a natural fabric alternative readily available), just to be extra-safe I recommend maintaining a “barrier“ between your naked body and the object; with a fabric folding chair like this, your clothes, or a beach towel should be sufficient. With a sofa stuffed with polyfil (another common object that tests positive for Antimony, normally at a similar level), I normally recommend keeping a natural fabric throw (cotton quilt, or wool blanket, down-filled cotton throw, etc.) over the sofa. [Note: There is NO science at this point supporting the concern that a person might have any potential health impacts from Antimony exposure from sitting on a chair like this or sitting on a sofa with polyfil… however, Antimony was added to the list of known carcinogens just recently (in December of 2021), and I make these recommendations out of an abundance of caution – especially in the absence of any independent science that might establish that incidental exposure to the trace levels of Antimony found in many common objects in our home can be determined to be completely safe. #KnowBetterDoBetter, #FirstDoNoHarm. Here’s the link to the December 2021 report in which Antimony was added to the official list of known carcinogens – screenshot below. [Continue reading below this image to see the full test results for the blue fabric of the chair pictured]

Blue fabric of Alps Mountaineering King Kong chair (2022)
60-second reading

Lead (Pb): non-detect
Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
Tin (Sn): 62 +/- 21 ppm
Mercury (Hg): non-detect
Selenium (Se): non-detect
Barium (Ba): 4,789 +/- 225 ppm
Arsenic (As): non-detect
Chromium (Cr): non-detect
Antimony (Sb): 103 +/- 34 ppm
Copper (Cu): 83 +/- 27 ppm
Zinc (Zn): 261 +/- 22 ppm
Bromine (Br): 547 +/- 18 ppm
Iron (Fe): 1,212 +/- 87 ppm
No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

I will post additional readings for the rest of the components of this chair at a later time. Since the primary component of the chair is the blue fabric, in my opinion that is the most important test result set!

Amazon links are affiliate links and if you purchase something after clicking on one of our affiliate links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.

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.