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Published: August 21, 2023 — Monday
A reader sent us this waffle iron for testing.

• All the plug-in electric waffle irons I have tested over the years — and there have been more than 100 examples, from many different brands — have tested positive for Lead on the food surface.
• The reason for this is that the waffle grid (the food surface of the unit) is made of cast aluminum — a manufacturing process that results in an aluminum substrate, which is typically contaminated with Lead, by the way it is produced.
• The Lead-contaminated cast aluminum surface in waffle irons is typically covered with a Lead-free (FDA-compliant) coating (usually a coating with a titanium dioxide-based “ceramic” colorant — especially if the coating is gray, white, beige, or other light colors).
• These coatings typically present a problem as the coating wears down and/or is chipped, scratched, or otherwise compromised — both because the titanium dioxide-based coating (which in itself can cause health impacts if ingested) might wear into your food, and also because the wearing of the coating exposes the Lead-contaminated substrate below the coating, making it possible for the Lead contaminated surface to come into direct contact with food being prepared in the appliance.
• In addition to the Lead in the cast aluminum substrates, the older non-stick coatings used on VINTAGE (meaning 20-years-old, or older) electric waffle irons can also contain Lead themselves. In addition to the coatings, and the substrates, the electrical cords of vintage appliances usually contain high amounts of Lead — typically in the 3,000 to 10,000 ppm range (with the Lead used both to make the rubber wiring coating more pliable and sometimes also used as an industry-claimed “increased flame-retardancy treatment”).

Full XRF Test Results for the Waffle Iron are Below
Please Scroll Down

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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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Full XRF Test Results for the Oster-Brand Waffle Iron Pictured

Test Area  #1) Food Surface (Gray Coated Area)
60-Second Test
Repeated Multiple Times to Confirm the Results

• Cadmium (Cd): 10 +/- 6 ppm
• Lead (Pb): 524 +/- 32 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 51,800 +/- 2,000 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 8,993 +/- 575 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 785 +/- 231 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 5,537 +/- 274 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 343 +/- 67 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 14,800 +/- 400 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 5,719 +/- 172 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 156 +/- 12 ppm
• Antimony (Sb): 40 +/- 14 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 216 +/- 61 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 51 +/- 15 ppm
• Balance (Aluminum): 911,000 ppm
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.

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Test Area  #2) Electrical Cord
60-Second Test
Repeated Multiple Times to Confirm the Results

• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Lead (Pb): non-detect
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect
• Chlorine (Cl): 360,000 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 6,151 +/- 194 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 50 +/- 26 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 131 +/- 19 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 12 +/- 4 ppm
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 120 +/- 47 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 12 +/- 7 ppm
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.

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Test Area #3) Black Plastic Handle
60-Second Test
Repeated Multiple Times to Confirm the Results

• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Lead (Pb): non-detect
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 2,533 +/- 73 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 162 +/- 15 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 105 +/- 11 ppm
• Bromine (Br): 563 +/- 12 ppm
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 539 +/- 172 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 32 +/- 9 ppm
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.

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Test Area  #4) Stainless of Body
60-Second Test
Repeated Multiple Times to Confirm the Results
430/40 Stainless Steel

• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Lead (Pb): non-detect
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect
• Vanadium (V): 1,681 +/- 260 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 155,600 +/- 1,100 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 4,886 +/- 741 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 835,100 +/- 1,700 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 1,647 +/- 279 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 896 +/- 158 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Tin (Sn): 61 +/- 27 ppm
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Bismuth (Bi): non-detect
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.

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Test Area  #5) Painted Logo on Stainless
60-Second Test
Repeated Multiple Times to Confirm the Results

• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Lead (Pb): non-detect
• Titanium (Ti): non-detect
• Vanadium (V): 1,689 +/- 256 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 154,800 +/- 1,000 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 5,428 +/- 742 ppm
• Chlorine (Cl): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 835,900 +/- 1,700 ppm
• Nickel (Ni): 1,500 +/- 275 ppm
• Copper (Cu): 699 +/- 147 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Bismuth (Bi): non-detect
• No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.

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How much Lead is “too much” Lead?

• Modern items (newly-manufactured items made today) intended for use by children legally must not have Lead levels in the substrate higher than 100 ppm.
• Cookware (including waffle irons) is not considered within the class of “items intended for use by children,” and is therefore not regulated in the same way.
• As a result, even though children can be expected to regularly use items like waffle irons (perhaps even with greater frequency than the adults in the household might use them!), the (quite high) levels of Lead (over 500 ppm, in this case) typically found are currently completely legal.

Beyond the classification loophole, the industry’s argumentation to the FDA is that the coatings used are “separating” the Lead-contaminated base metal surface from the food prepared in the appliance. The FDA’s regulations do not take into account the fact that — despite the frequent absurd advertising claims — all of the coatings typically wear (with normal use, as intended). The industry also officially considers these items to be something that will be replaced in 5 to 10 years; so they are not regulated based on concerns that might come up with long-term use (and the predictable deterioration with such use).

As a solution to this issue, I recommend using an old-fashioned stove-top (non-electric) waffle iron — made of plain uncoated/unpainted cast iron. With proper care (and a little practice), a properly seasoned high quality cast iron waffle iron will perform like a champ — achieving its own very serviceable, nontoxic, naturally “non-stick” quality. (Ask your grandmother!) I have a few modern examples of these listed on my shopping website (http://www.ShopLeadSafeMama.com) on the “breakfast gear” page.

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