For those new to the Lead Safe Mama 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 four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
- Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for 5 product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
- Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
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February 19, 2024 — Monday
In February 2023 (one year ago, this week) Lead Safe Mama, LLC reported (via the above post on social media) that the ThermoFlask insulated stainless steel water bottle products tested positive for Lead.
Using XRF technology, the Lead reading we got on the example tested, and reported on that day (shown in the image above), was 410,000 ppm Lead — this indicates that a 60/40 Lead solder (40% Lead, or possibly a 40/60 Lead solder, which is as much as 60% Lead) is likely used to create the vacuum insulation for these bottles. To read more about what a Leaded “sealing dot” is (the component on this bottle that tested positive for Lead), click here.
For context — per the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 — any item that tests positive for Lead at 100 ppm or higher in the substrate (base material) of any component of that item is considered ILLEGAL if said item is marketed and sold as an item intended for use by children. At 410,000 ppm Lead, this bottle is considerably higher than 100 ppm Lead in the substrate… HOWEVER, it is not “an item intended for use by children,” so it is not illegal in any way. While it is not illegal, that does not mean it is safe — please note the caption in our original post (image above)!
Lead Safe Mama, LLC has (independently, scientifically) tested dozens of bottles from the ThermoFlask brand in recent years and all of the insulated stainless steel products we have tested from ThermoFlask have tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead in the sealing dot. Said another way, we have not tested any examples of insulated stainless steel products from this brand that have been negative for Lead.
If you would like to purchase a water bottle from a reputable brand — one that Lead Safe Mama, LLC has confirmed to currently, consistently manufacture Lead-free products (via repeated testing of multiple examples from that brand over multiple years, using scientific methodologies and not home test kits!*), please take a look at the offerings from these brands:
*Home test kits cannot be effectively used when testing most consumer goods for Lead. This article (linked here) details more water bottle brands that Lead Safe Mama, LLC has tested and found to be positive for Lead (as well as those that have tested negative for Lead)!
Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon link, we may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.
Thank you as always for your hard work!! I have two of these which I was curious about and will be throwing out.
We’d have an easier time returning these or getting a recall if they did violate a law. I’m wondering about a couple of things:
* This bottle looks just like one that I purchased that is marketed as being a kids bottle:
https://mythermoflask.com/products/thermoflask-kids-bottles-with-straw-lid-two-pack-16-oz
* Shouldn’t these have a California Prop 65 warning? I don’t see a warning on the the ThermoFlask or Costco websites.
Yes! They should! I was not aware that they made a kids’ product.
T
If the lead is on the bottom of the bottle where you don’t drink from how is it harmful to you?
The kids I nanny use these and the bottoms are very scratched and dented from frequent use. Is the lead exposed when the bottom is scratched?
Yes – depending on the construction with this brand – but normally yes.