XRF Test Results for Colorful Painted Wooden Blocks (Gnomes/ Elves) — c. Early-1990s (Testing for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Titanium, etc.)
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 July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
In the interest of publishing quite a few test results quickly, we will be updating this article with more information shortly. As of 2011, anything over 90 ppm Lead (in the paint, glaze, or coating of an item) is considered unsafe and illegal in items intended for use by children.
Reading #1) Red Paint
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Zinc (Zn): 305 +/- 13 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) Green Paint
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Iron (Fe): 41 +/- 20 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 177 +/- 14 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 305 +/- 13 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 2,435 +/- 308 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #3) Yellow Paint
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Titanium (Ti): 34,300 +/- 600 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #4) Blue Paint
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Iron (Fe): 39 +/- 22 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 881 +/- 27 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 573 +/- 20 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 15,200 +/- 400 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 168 +/- 86 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #5) Orange Paint
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Vanadium (V): 2,336 +/- 233 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 37 +/- 23 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 539 +/- 18 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,484 +/- 312 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 4,085 +/- 121 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #6) Beige Paint — Faces
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Iron (Fe): 38 +/- 21 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 17 +/- 10 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 385 +/- 15 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 11,000 +/- 400 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 139 +/- 88 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #7) White Paint — Beards
- Lead (Pb): non-detect
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Zinc (Zn): 457 +/- 16 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 6,045 +/- 339 ppm
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
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