Published: Wednesday – October 19, 2022
XRF test results for the porcelain tea set (from Cracker Barrel) pictured are below.
I was pleasantly surprised with the test results for this item! I have tested so many miniature tea sets that are outrageously high for Lead (here’s a link to one example) — and it was great to see that this modern, new, inexpensive option (that most people in the South in the United States can easily purchase in their communities – at their local Cracker Barrel) is safe, from a Lead perspective.
The amount of Lead that is considered safe in a modern item that has been specifically manufactured to be used by children is anything below 90 ppm Lead in the paint, glaze, or coating of the item. Thus, this item definitely meets the strictest regulatory standards for Lead in children’s items (both European and United States’ standards).
What about the Cadmium?
- While the Cadmium level is just a tad high, the presence of Cadmium is not as strictly regulated as the presence of Lead in items made for use by children.
- Specifically there is no United States Federal standard (currently) limiting total XRF detectable Cadmium content in children’s items across the board – only a Federal standard specific to total content limits for the presence of Cadmium in children’s Jewelry (with limits that are far too high and not protective of children’s health).
- Instead one can look to other (non-U.S. / non-Federal) regulatory standards to understand the context and the potential risk of the Cadmium levels found:
- the limit in Washington State for total Cadmium content in items intended for use by children is 40 ppm
- the limit in the country of Denmark is 75 ppm.
- I am not concerned about the Cadmium level of this particular toy (a range of between 95 and 111 ppm), because the level is relatively fairly low (relative to what it could have potentially been, looking at similar product examples) and the Cadmium-containing element (on the cups and teapot at least) is not on a food-contact surface (if children were to use this with tea – to actually drink tiny sips from!). Separately with the anticipated use patterns of an item like this, it is also unlikely that the decals will wear with normal use as intended as the tiny colorful butterfly decals appear to have been applied under the clear coat of glaze on the toy [and the clear coat is the part that has tested Lead-free and Cadmium-free in this case].
- You can read more about the general concern for Cadmium in consumer goods here on this link (Cadmium is a known carcinogen.)
Some additional links with information for folks new to this site or wanting to do a deeper dive on this subject:
- The “Miniature Tea Set” category here on the website – there are only two posts in this category today but this will be updated shortly.
- This link discusses the testing methodology used for the levels reported here on this website.
- The “Vintage Toy” category of posts and articles here on this site.
- To see more miniatures that we have tested and reported on, click here.
- To see some more modern toys with test results here on the website, click here.
Full XRF Test Results for the Miniature Tea Set Pictured.
Reading #1) On the butterfly decal on the teapot
60-second reading
- Lead (Pb): 67 +/- 15 ppm (safe by all standards)
- Cadmium (Cd): 103 +/- 8 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 15 +/- 8 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Selenium (Se): non-detect
- Barium (Ba): non-detect
- Chromium (Cr): 1,191 +/- 316 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): non-detect
- Copper (Cu): 70 +/- 27 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 78 +/- 17 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 1,047 +/- 209 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 1,989 +/- 48 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 393 +/- 20 ppm
- Indium (In): 11 +/- 7 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 4,874 +/- 253 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 78 +/- 35 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 152 +/- 78 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 167 +/- 15 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode
Reading #2) On the plain white of one dish
60-second reading
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Tin (Sn): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Selenium (Se): non-detect
- Barium (Ba): non-detect
- Chromium (Cr): non-detect
- Antimony (Sb): non-detect
- Iron (Fe): 5,278 +/- 250 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 126 +/- 10 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
For those new to this website
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.
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