Back To School

Vintage Thermos lunchbox: Positive for Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium — a LUNCHBOX! (Don’t let kids use this)

Vintage Thermos lunchbox: Positive for Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium — a LUNCHBOX! (Don’t let kids use this)

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     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…

Lead Safe Mama’s Back-To-School Shopping Guide – Items I actually use with my family.

Lead Safe Mama’s Back-To-School Shopping Guide – Items I actually use with my family.

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Originally written and published: August 7, 2019 Hello friends! Below is a simple version of what I am calling my “Back-To-School Shopping Guide”. These recommendations are based on what I what I feel are safer choices for children to use, and what I personally buy for my own family. I may not have tested each of the…

Vintage Maxwell House Thermos: 2,034 ppm Lead, 26 Cadmium, 249 Arsenic, 42 Antimony & that’s just in the CUP!

Vintage Maxwell House Thermos: 2,034 ppm Lead, 26 Cadmium, 249 Arsenic, 42 Antimony & that’s just in the CUP!

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When tested with an XRF instrument this Thermos brand Maxwell House coffee Thermos (vintage, yard sale find!) had the following readings: Continue reading below each of the images to see the XRF reading for that specific component. Integrated red plastic cup on top (image above): Lead (Pb): 2,034 +/- 34 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 26 +/-…

1970s Yamaha Recorder: 6,652 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) 4,737 ppm Cadmium (75 is unsafe) & 1,572 ppm Mercury.

1970s Yamaha Recorder: 6,652 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) 4,737 ppm Cadmium (75 is unsafe) & 1,572 ppm Mercury.

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When  tested with an XRF instrument this vintage recorder (musical instrument) had the following readings: This is the reading with the XRF analyzer window focused on the gold of the Yamaha logo: Lead (Pb): 6,662+/- 282 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 4,737 +/-192 ppm Mercury (Hg): 1,572 +/- 107 ppm This is the reading of the brown…

Unifix Math Counting Blocks Teaching Aid from Portland Public Schools: 1330 ppm Cadmium [a known carcinogen.]

Unifix Math Counting Blocks Teaching Aid from Portland Public Schools: 1330 ppm Cadmium [a known carcinogen.]

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A school teacher with Portland Public Schools (in Oregon) anonymously gave me these small plastic snap-together UNIFIX math / teaching aid blocks to test.  She initially had a concern that they might contain something toxic and unsafe for children primarily because of how they smell. Here’s an Amazon link to see this product in the…

Vintage Red Plaid Thermos Brand Lunchbox: 58,400 ppm Lead + 6 ppm Mercury (90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids)

Vintage Red Plaid Thermos Brand Lunchbox: 58,400 ppm Lead + 6 ppm Mercury (90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids)

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     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…

“NonToxic” Organic Beeswax Crayons USA Made: 2 colors positive for trace Cadmium (a known carcinogen.)

“NonToxic” Organic Beeswax Crayons USA Made: 2 colors positive for trace Cadmium (a known carcinogen.)

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Originally Published: January 30, 2019 Updated: March 10, 2020 Introduction: Tamara Rubin is a independent advocate for consumer goods safety and she is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009 and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. She uses…

Hello Kitty Thermos Brand Child’s Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Lead-Free in all accessible components.

Hello Kitty Thermos Brand Child’s Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Lead-Free in all accessible components.

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Hello Kitty Thermos Brand Child’s Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle: Lead-Free in all accessible components when tested with an XRF instrument. Here’s a link to a product similar to this on Amazon.* These are the test results of the product as is (assembled). Without disassembly there is no way for me to know if there…

Click to read the full XRF test results for Stockmar beeswax crayons (testing for Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, etc.)

Click to read the full XRF test results for Stockmar beeswax crayons (testing for Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, etc.)

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#AskTamara Question: Do Stockmar beeswax crayons have lead (Pb)? Answer: Below is a full summary of the specific XRF Test Results for a newly purchased set of  Stockmar Wachsmalblöcke Wax Block Beeswax Crayons  (purchased in August of 2018 off of Amazon.com) This is new-in-box product. If you are in a rush to see the results, please…

Question: Do Crayola Crayons have Lead? Answer: Yes they do, at levels considered safe for toys but unsafe for food.

Question: Do Crayola Crayons have Lead? Answer: Yes they do, at levels considered safe for toys but unsafe for food.

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Originally Published: August 28, 2018 Please note: This issue is not isolated to any specific year of crayons manufactured by Crayola nor is the issue (of heavy metal contamination) isolated to any specific type of Crayola crayons. Similar results have been found across all recent years of manufacture tested and across all types of Crayola’s crayon products. What did you find when you tested Crayola crayons for lead…

#AskTamara: Are my kids’ crayons toxic? Which brand of crayons is safe? Crayola? Filana? Stockmar? Honey Sticks?

#AskTamara: Are my kids’ crayons toxic? Which brand of crayons is safe? Crayola? Filana? Stockmar? Honey Sticks?

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  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,…

“Made in India” Stainless Lunch Box With Leaded Brass Accents: 22,500 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids)

“Made in India” Stainless Lunch Box With Leaded Brass Accents: 22,500 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids)

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   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,…

My Son’s New School’s “Back-To-School” shopping list!

My Son’s New School’s “Back-To-School” shopping list!

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Well… the most exciting news here is the first four words of the title of this blog post!  I finally found a school for my youngest son Charlie!  Charlie was lead poisoned in-utero (most likely as a result of my lead exposure in 2005 when my two middle sons were exposed) and has a “severe…