You are invited to send in an item for testing…

Published: January 9, 2024

This is a post I have written to share with people who are being invited to send an item in for testing. If you would like to be considered to be invited to send an item in for testing, please start by reading this post (linked) and following the instructions there. Below is “Step 2” — once you have been invited/ confirmed to send in an item (or two, or three).

Once you have been invited to send in an item (via a personal email from Tamara), please read the below and follow the next steps included:

• The next batch of testing we are doing for items sent in is June/July of 2024. (Testing may begin as early as May.)
• If you have an item you need tested urgently, please contact a lab in your area to see if they offer this type of service. Our testing is subsidized (low-cost) comprehensive (all metals detected are reported) XRF testing of consumer goods.
• Those who confirm their slot first, by making their payment now/ in advance, will have their items tested first (payment order determines order of items tested).
• Please make your payment of $35 per item you would like tested (unless instructed otherwise via the e-mail sent to you with this link) via one of the following electronic payment methods:
  • Venmo: @TamaraERubin (4 confirm digits: 3182)
  • Zelle: 503-702-2708
  • PayPal: TamaraRubin@mac.com or “@LeadSafeMama”
• Note: The Maximum number of items I can accept from one person at this time is three (unless I specifically invite you to send more than three items).
• If you are sending a piece from a set of china, a small flat dish (bread or dessert plate) with all of the colors of the design / pattern is best. A saucer is second best. I can also test tea cups and mugs, but they are sometimes more difficult to test depending on the shape (and whether-or-not there are multiple colors of glaze in the interior of the vessel).
• After you have made this payment, please email me – Tamara (via the email address I emailed you from), confirming you have made the payment. I will give you a NUMBER for which week (in order of when we start the testing) your item will be tested (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, — etc.)
• Send in your package to the following address:
  • Lead Safe Mama, LLC
  • 7933 SE 15th Avenue
  • Portland, Oregon 97202
• Before mailing your package, please make sure to do the following things:
  • Pack your items well so they do not break (we often receive smashed glass and pottery in the mail).
  • Include a PAPER note (handwritten or printed) in the box with the following information
    • Your assigned testing order number
    • The date you paid
    • The amount you paid
    • The payment method you used for your payment
    • Your NAME 
    • Your shipping address
    • Your email address
    • Your phone number
    • Any non-obvious information about the item that you would like to include — such as the year purchased, and any other information about the history of the item that might be relevant and of interest to Lead Safe Mama readers (for example, the pattern and brand name of the china if it is not marked on the piece, or the country of origin if it is not marked on the piece, etc.)
  • If you would like your item(s) sent back to you, please include that in your note. Many people only want their items sent back if they are negative for toxicants — others want them back regardless of the test results. 
  • After you have packed up your item to send to us and determined the postage… IF you want it sent back to you, please pay the return postage via the above payment methods. If you are not yet sure if you want the items sent back, you do not have to pay the return postage at this time. You may also choose to include a return shipping label (pre-paid) if that is easier for you.
• Once the box is packed up and ready to send, please mark your assigned NUMBER (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) on the outside of the box with marker. 
• Once you have sent the package, please send another email letting us know that it has been sent.
• Please be patient, we will not be able to begin testing until at least the first week of June, so please do not expect your test results before that time. If you have a number later in the sequence, your piece(s) will be tested later.
• We will publish the test results for your item here on this website and will email you the links to the articles for each of your items as soon as they are published. At that time, you can let us know if you would like your items sent back.

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Thank you!

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).