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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead-poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (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. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

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Published: July 19, 2023
Wednesday

Below are full XRF test results for the turquoise-glazed Sweese “Lead-Free” plate pictured above (additional photos below as well). These test results are consistent with other testing we have done on examples from this brand. While the manufacturers of this brand of ceramic dishware may not intentionally add Lead to their glazes or substrate (as an added ingredient), their products do consistently test positive for trace levels of Lead and (as shown in this example) may also test positive for trace levels of Cadmium. The levels of Lead and Cadmium found are “safe by all standards” (including modern/current standards relevant to items intended for use by children — which are the strictest standards for toxicant contamination of consumer goods) yet these products are not truly “Lead-Free” as advertised. Here’s another example of a Sweese-brand product that tested positive for trace levels of Lead.

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Reading #1) Turquoise Center of Food Surface on the Dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 37 +/- 11 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 28 +/- 6 ppm
• Tin (Sn): non-detect / negative
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
• Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
• Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
• Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect / negative
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
• Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
• Copper (Cu): 322 +/- 37 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 240 +/- 24 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect / negative
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect / negative
• Bromine (Br): non-detect / negative
• Zirconium (Zr): 17,300 +/- 400 ppm
• Niobium (Nb): 212 +/- 18 ppm
• Molybdenum (Mo): non-detect / negative
• Iron (Fe): 791 +/- 124 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 223 +/- 38 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): non-detect / negative
• Bismuth (Bi): 155 +/- 15 ppm
• Indium (In): non-detect / negative
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode. 

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Reading #2) Black Back Mark (logo-area) on the Dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 24 +/- 13 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 32 +/- 8 ppm
• Tin (Sn): non-detect / negative
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
• Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
• Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
• Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect / negative
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
• Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
• Copper (Cu): 371 +/- 47 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 148 +/- 24 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect / negative
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect / negative
• Bromine (Br): non-detect / negative
• Zirconium (Zr): 18,300 +/- 500 ppm
• Niobium (Nb): 213 +/- 21 ppm
• Molybdenum (Mo): non-detect / negative
• Iron (Fe): 789 +/- 148 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 246 +/- 47 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): non-detect / negative
• Bismuth (Bi): 160 +/- 18 ppm
• Indium (In): non-detect / negative
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode. 

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Reading #3) Broken Unglazed Edge of the Dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 40 +/- 10 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 9 +/- 4 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 15 +/- 7 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
• Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
• Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
• Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect / negative
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
• Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
• Copper (Cu): non-detect / negative
• Zinc (Zn): 32 +/- 12 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect / negative
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect / negative
• Bromine (Br): non-detect / negative
• Zirconium (Zr): 1,623 +/- 36 ppm
• Niobium (Nb): non-detect / negative
• Molybdenum (Mo): non-detect / negative
• Iron (Fe): 1,892 +/- 149 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect / negative
• Cobalt (Co): non-detect / negative
• Bismuth (Bi): 175 +/- 14 ppm
• Indium (In): non-detect / negative
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode. 

To see more products we have tested, please check out the link to this website’s “Menu.” 

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