Cognitive Dissonance: Several Lead-contaminated products have received “#1” ratings from EWG

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While the products listed below may not be “EWG Verified” products, many are just below that in their rating scale with a “#1” score. Consumers take EWG’s above statements to heart and (predictably, given human nature) are likely to associate / extrapolate the sentiment of the “EWG Verified” language to *other* highly-rated EWG products (which unfortunately includes several Lead-contaminated products).

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Note: some of the links on this page may be Amazon affiliate links. We are sharing these links to merely demonstrate that these products are available for sale on Amazon. If you continue to shop while on Amazon, and purchase something (anything) after clicking on one of our affiliate links, we may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you. [But please do not purchase any of the Lead-contaminated products linked or listed below!]

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December 24, 2022 – Saturday

I have written this article to simply share about several top-rated products on EWG’s site (most products listed below have a “#1” score) that have tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead in one or more ingredient but are still highly rated in EWG’s Skin Deep database. I am sharing this information without any knowledge of why in heaven’s name EWG would (in effect) recommend Lead-contaminated products; I cannot answer that question. I assume there could be many factors at play – here is some of the possible reasoning:

1. Perhaps they may not be doing testing themselves on these products, so do not have first-hand knowledge of the Lead-contamination.
2. Perhaps they are only evaluating the list of ingredients of the products (and since the product does not list “Lead” as an ingredient, they are not evaluating it for Lead)
   • In all of the Lead-contaminated products that I have found to be recommended by EWG over the years, the range of XRF-detected Lead levels have been consistent with the Lead being considered a contaminant in one or more of a product’s constituent ingredients and/or manufacturing processes, as opposed to the higher level typically indicative of Lead that has been an intentionally-added as an ingredient.
3. Perhaps they are simply not even considering Lead-contamination sources to be a relevant factor in the products they score (however disturbing this theoretical consideration may be, it does seem likely given the types of Lead-contaminated products they are awarding high scores to in their Skin Deep database).
4. Perhaps they are not appropriately screening products for ingredients that are known to typically/consistently have Lead-contamination (e.g. Bentonite Clay; Himalayan Salt); this also seems very likely**.

Of course other concern that cannot be ruled out is that there may be some financial consideration or incentive – whether arising from de facto corruption, or simple relationship bias (i.e. “conflict of interest”) – causing EWG to identify nearly two dozen Lead-contaminated products as “safe” [or to fail to identify them as unsafe], but from outside the organization there is no way to know. Separately, whatever their justification is for this error of judgement, the fact that they give high scores to these Lead-contaminated products (some of which they have given high scores for years), is a fundamental indictment of their screening processes, casting some degree of doubt on the other products which have also been award high EWG Skin Deep scores.

**The irony however (behind point #4 above specifically) is that there is actually an article on EWG’s site in which they have highlighted the concern for Heavy Metal contamination of clay-based products (see linked screenshots below), so it is rather dumbfounding that they are clearly organizationally aware of this concern, yet are still bestowing high marks on these (typically-contaminated) clay-based products.

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Screenshots (above and below) from an article (linked)
on EWG’s site highlighting the concern for heavy metals in clays:

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Link to a template letter for you to write to EWG demanding change.

I think it is very important to state that some of these Lead-contaminated (Bentonite Clay-based) products are promoted for “off-label” uses by the brands – for example companies that sell “100% Bentonite Clay” products as a face mask may also share (in marketing materials or social media posts) that the product is “safe for ingestion” (normally as part of  “detox” protocol”). It is important to highlight this as those sorts of off-label recommendations are dangerous (ingestion of bentonite clay has been shown to cause Lead-poisoning) and misleading. In our opinion (those of us in the Lead Safe Mama community), companies that sell Lead-contaminated products and then engage in greenwashing by encouraging off-label uses for their products (or who repackage those exact same products for different / hazardous uses [as Redmond has done with their Lead-contaminated baby powder]) should be excluded from these “high-ratings” product lists —  simply based on ethical considerations.

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No Safe Level of Lead Exposure

I want to also call out that EWG knows (and very publicly voices the knowledge [has been arguing in legislative forums — moreover repeatedly asking the Lead Safe Mama community to join them in vocal support of the initiatives they support]) that there is no safe level of Lead exposure. This is long-known fact – conclusively established by science – established because Lead accumulates in the body over time. EWG is aware of this, yet they are still recommending (via their Skin Deep database’s scoring system — a de-facto “recommendation”, even though they don’t use the word “recommendation”, explicitly) these clay-based (and thus, inherently Lead-contaminated) products in spite of that organizational knowledge (see linked article below as just one example).

This is just one article that comes up on EWG’s site
when you search for “no safe level of Lead”

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Why I have written this article 

I have written this today not only to demand change (to demand that EWG lives up to its reputation and does better) but also to demonstrate to the public that we cannot always rely on sources like EWG (self-proclaimed guardians of health or safety and/or arbiters of truth.)

In fact all of the certification and ratings systems that I have investigated to date have had significant flaws and shortcomings (not only when it comes to Lead specifically, but related to policing the presence of other toxicants as well). This is (in part) why we have not (as of yet) created a “Lead Safe Mama Seal of Approval” for products (even though this is a common request from Lead Safe Mama readers!) Our standards for compliance are too high for most companies to meet and we are not willing to make the ethical compromises that so many other certification and ranking systems (for natural, organic and safer products) seem to be making.

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Takeaway & Recommended Action

As consumers (consumers of ANY product we choose to use daily for ourselves and our family) we should investigate the ingredients, check in on the available science, and understand the inherent structural biases that can undermine the imprimatur (perhaps unconscious or unintentional bias? perhaps out of ignorance – although not always) of the organization or entity recommending (or giving a high score to) a product.

We need to ask ourselves WHY EWG has a long history of giving top ratings to Lead-contaminated products. We need to demand MORE from ostensible watchdog organizations – such as EWG – that purport to protect our health through science-based recommendations. If you want to try to make a difference today, please write to EWG and ask them to remove Lead-contaminated products from their list of high-rated products. Here’s a letter template for you to use – link.

It’s language like what we are seeing in the screenshot (from EWG’s Instagram) below (pink annotations added by me) and at the top of the page (with buzz phrases like “Fully Transparent” and “A mark you can trust”) that really makes us have some questions, especially in light of the issues with the specific products listed below.

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Our simple requests to EWG (in the linked letter):

1. Remove the Bentonite clay-based Lead-contaminated products from your database of products (it’s easy actually!) 
2. Make a public statement about your error in scoring these products as you have and noting that you have removed them from your database.
3. Do better in the future.

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And below – are the offending products

Without further hypothecation as to WHY EWG persists in giving high scores to known Lead-contaminated products (in December, 2022), here they are (listed and pictured below). Except where noted otherwise, each of the images below is a screenshot from EWG’s website (in the Skin Deep Database section of their site) showing the listing of each Lead-contaminated product as it is shown today: Saturday, December 24, 2022.

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This December (2022) we have SEVEN products we are highlighting (although there are 14 additional variations of these products – and other similar products – listed on the EWG site).

Lead-contaminated Product #1
• Brand: Primal Life Organics
• Product: Dirty Mouth Primal Tooth Powder (all flavors)
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

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Lead-contaminated Product #2
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Earth Powder Toothpowder – Black Licorice
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014]
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns:

Redmond is an unethical brand — they sell Lead-contaminated products marketed for use by children or for use with children (currently available for purchase: Lead-contaminated baby powder – link*), and have a history of hiding or diminishing the legally-required Prop 65 advisory labeling for their products; they steadfastly use marketing language and public statements designed to misrepresent and diminish California’s consumer-driven legislative mandate behind the need to add Prop 65 labeling for products such as these (which contain confirmed carcinogenic neurotoxicants!).

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Lead-contaminated Product #3
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Redmond Bentonite Clay “Powerful Facial Mask”
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014] – The company has been known to suggest and promote off-label use of this product, indicating it is safe for use as a “detox agent” when it is ingested as a supplement. This is the exact same product (100% same ingredients) as their contaminated baby powder product – link.
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns: Same as noted with Product #2 (above)

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Lead-contaminated Product #4
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Redmond Earth Powder Peppermint
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014] – The company has repeatedly / historically indicated that their tooth powders and pastes are safe for ingestion – here’s a listing for this product with a “safe to swallow”notation on Amazon –  (even when used by pregnant women & children), while the Prop 65 labeling requirement for this product requires a warning that it should not be used by pregnant women and children (cancer and reproductive harm.) Historically the Prop 65 warning label for many of Redmond’s dental products has been on the outer cardboard packaging of the product (which is discarded before use) and not on the product container itself.
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns: Same as noted with Product #2 (above)

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Below is a screenshot of the Amazon listing for this product with the “Safe to Swallow” language

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Greenwashed statement from the brand (on Amazon) about the Prop 65 labeling requirement for their product;

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Lead-contaminated Product #5
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Earth Paste Spearmint
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014] – The company has repeatedly / historically indicated that their tooth powders and pastes are safe for ingestion  –  (even when used by pregnant women & children), while the Prop 65 labeling requirement for this product requires a warning that it should not be used by pregnant women and children (cancer and reproductive harm.) Historically the Prop 65 warning label for many of Redmond’s dental products has been on the outer cardboard packaging of the product (which is discarded before use) and not on the product container itself.
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns: Same as noted with Product #2 (above)

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Lead-contaminated Product #6
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Earth Paste Cinnamon
• EWG rating for this product: “#1”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014] – The company has repeatedly / historically indicated that their tooth powders and pastes are safe for ingestion  –  (even when used by pregnant women & children), while the Prop 65 labeling requirement for this product requires a warning that it should not be used by pregnant women and children (cancer and reproductive harm.) Historically the Prop 65 warning label for many of Redmond’s dental products has been on the outer cardboard packaging of the product (which is discarded before use) and not on the product container itself.
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns: Same as noted with Product #2 (above)

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Lead-contaminated Product #7
• Brand: Redmond 
• Product: Earth Paste Lemon Twist
• EWG rating for this product: “#2”
• Specific concern: Base Bentonite Clay from this brand tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead by Lead Safe Mama, LLC in 2022 and in previous years [all the way back to 2014] – The company has repeatedly / historically indicated that their tooth powders and pastes are safe for ingestion  –  (even when used by pregnant women & children), while the Prop 65 labeling requirement for this product requires a warning that it should not be used by pregnant women and children (cancer and reproductive harm.) Historically the Prop 65 warning label for many of Redmond’s dental products has been on the outer cardboard packaging of the product (which is discarded before use) and not on the product container itself.
• Link to Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s articles about Lead-contamination in this product.

Additional concerns: Same as noted with Product #2 (above) with the additional consideration: This product (in the lemon flavor) was originally marketed for use by children (but had a Prop 65 warning label that it should not be used by children.) The original product name was “silly lemon” and the graphic was more appealing to children. they still have a graphic on this flavor that might be misconstrued by a parent to indicate this is a product that is safe for children (a smiling lemon) which is of interest in that none of their other flavors have a similar (greenwashed) graphic.  The first three images below are from the Amazon listing for this product. One image includes a child using the product and another of the images shows the packaging for all of their flavors (clearly illustrating that the a cartoon graphic is only on the packaging for the lemon flavor paste).

 

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Here are three more products that we have not yet tested, yet that we expect will test similarly:

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Perhaps of interest (screenshot below is of the Skin Deep rating system):

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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. This year [2022], her work was also responsible for three CPSC product recalls — the Jumping Jumperoo recall (June, 2022); the Lead painted NUK baby bottle recall (July, 2022); and the Leaded Green Sprouts Insulated Stainless Steel Baby Bottles (November, 2022) — and she was recently featured in an NPR story about Lead in consumer goods (August, 2022); The Guardian (December, 2022); and an upcoming article in Consumer Reports (December, 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.