#BackToSchool

“100% Natural” 2019 Eco-Wedge Crayons. Purple tested positive for trace levels of Arsenic. Other colors tested clean.

June 14, 2020May 14, 2022

100% Natural Eco-Wedge Crayons from 2019 For the testing done on these crayons, each test was done for a minimum of 180 seconds (3 minutes) and repeated multiple times to confirm the results. One full set of results for each color crayon in this set is noted below. While high-precision XRF testing of crayons is…

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

August 24, 2019May 17, 2024

3 Comments

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.

August 7, 2019October 2, 2020

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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!

July 20, 2019April 27, 2020

6 Comments

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.

April 6, 2019August 24, 2019

12 Comments

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…

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

January 30, 2019October 2, 2020

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.

December 12, 2018August 24, 2019

13 Comments

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.)

September 2, 2018October 2, 2020

15 Comments

#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.

August 28, 2018November 16, 2022

15 Comments

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?

August 10, 2018April 23, 2024

32 Comments

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)

April 28, 2018July 24, 2024

2 Comments

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,…