January 14, 2026 Testimony Statement Against Washington State SB 5975, Lead In Cookware

Written Testimony Submitted to Washington State Against SB 5975 — January 14, 2026

This is my testimony as submitted yesterday. Carissa and I also each testified via Zoom and I will share those videos shortly. Thank you for reading (and watching!). You can watch the full hearing on this link (testimony regarding SB 5975 is later in the video – after the first hour).

Hello and thank you. Good morning.

My name is Tamara Rubin. I am the owner of Lead Safe Mama, LLC   / LeadSafeMama.com — we are a unique community collaborative organization for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety. I am also a mother of acutely Lead poisoned children who have permanent brain damage, learning disabilities and other life-long impacts from Lead exposure. 

Lead Safe Mama, LLC tests and report on toxicant levels in products  (including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic contamination) using independent third party laboratory testing and XRF Testing. We have over 2 million community members around the world — including thousands in Washington State — all educated on the science behind the issue and in support of the need for Lead-free food contact products.

Leach testing done at the time of manufacture (when a product is new) is insufficient to protect human health if products test positive (using testing methodologies that evaluate total content levels of heavy metals, like XRF technology) for any amount Lead as measured in parts per million.

All relevant federal agencies agree that there is no safe level of Lead exposure for human beings — and especially for children. If you allow Lead in cookware and utensils in the parts per million level (and especially at levels above 10 parts per million) you create the opportunity for cookware to leach Lead in the future as both the coatings and substrates wear with use over time, potentially exposing generations within the same family to significant and concerning of levels of Lead exposure with each family that uses those Lead-contaminated products.

Said another way — if cookware passes leach testing standards at the time of manufacture, with regular use and wear over the lifetime of a cookware product (which can be quite significant as most cookware is used daily) IF that cookware does contain measurable amounts of Lead in the coating or substrate (measurable “total content” lead as measured with XRF technology in the parts per million level) that cookware may leach lead at some unknown point in the future. The only way to avoid this concern is to REMOVE Lead from coatings and substrates of all components of cookware to the degree possible.

We have tested literally thousands of pots and pans and kitchen utensils since we began testing products using XRF technology in 2009 — while many have tested positive for concerning levels of Lead (including products by Le Creuset, KitchenAid, Caraway Home, the Always Pan and others) , countless products (from major brands and manufacturers  — at all price points) have also tested “non-detect” for Lead.  Lead-free plans are manufactured and sold by Ikea, Walmart, Target, Cuisinart, Amazon Basics, Calphalon, Farberware and even smaller USA made brands like 360 Cookware and Stargazer. Given this range of manufacturers and products clearly demonstrates that Lead free cookware products are possible (and can even be inexpensive to manufacture) , there’s no excuse for allowing manufacturers to continue to use Lead-contaminated substrates and coatings for their products — again, potentially poisoning future generations. 

While the legislation should eventually be expanded to include limiting the Lead-content contamination levels to non-metal cookware products, ensuring that metal cookware products are Lead-free (or at least test below 10 ppm) is a key first step. Washington State has been a leader in many environmental issues and it would be quite sad to see this track record ruined, and with something as important as food-contact lead contamination caused by substandard cookware.

It is important to remember that food is toxic with Lead levels in the single-to-double digit parts per BILLION levels. One part per million is 1,000 parts per billion. Cookware that tests positive for Lead in the Parts Per Million range can easily leach Lead into food in the Parts Per Billion range – potentially generating unsafe levels of Lead contamination in food in homes across the state of Washington and beyond.

Additionally XRF testing is inexpensive and quick, there is no reason not to use this testing methodology as a standard to determine total Lead content in cookware.

Thank you. 

I was unable to testify in real time as I needed to leave the meeting at 9:30 to meet with my Lead-poisoned, disabled child’s teacher. I apologize for not being able to testify in person.