Blue Metallic Plastic Mardi Gras Beads. When filming for my documentary in New Orleans in February of 2012 we collected quite a few sets of Mardi Gras beads, including this set. When tested with an XRF instrument the blue plastic beads pictured had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 15,800 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 2,028 ppm [This […]
Gold Plastic Mardi Gras Beads. In 2014 I did an outreach event at the Charleston Children’s Museum and did XRF testing of consumer goods for folks who came to the museum that day. A nanny came up to my table pushing a toddler in her stroller and I noticed the toddler had these beads around […]
The Q & A from the Boy Scouts’ site is below the image with the details of the recall. Fyi, it is not uncommon for enamelware items to have unsafe levels of lead. Click here to see more examples of enamelware items that are positive for lead. Click here to share this post on Facebook. As […]
1990s Glass Seed Bead Wolf Necklace. Seed beads like this commonly test positive for lead and cadmium and sometimes even mercury and arsenic. I personally avoid pieces like this in my home, but I must admit they are very beautiful! While it is very difficult to separate out the different beads on a piece like […]
This little ceramic parrot hair clip tested positive for both high levels of lead and cadmium (high compared to current standards for allowable levels of toxicants in items intended for children.) While the owner told me she got this in 1978 in Florida, I also want to say that I am 48 years old and […]
Which of these vintage faux pearls have lead? How much lead do they have? Every now and then I like to create post that you can share with your friends when introducing them to the subject of lead in consumer goods. When it’s a bit of a guessing game it tends to make it a […]
Click here to see some of the other “pearls” I have tested. This is the fourth set of faux pearls I have posted here on my site. Since there is also no mark or maker on these pearls (as with most vintage faux pearls) I will do my best to describe some of the qualities […]
Since there is no mark or maker on these pearls I will do my best to describe some of the qualities that cannot be seen in a photo. These look and feel like real pearls to an untrained eye. They are an off-white/cream color and heavily weighted. They are also strung as a graduated strand, […]
This necklace was brought to me in 2013 to be tested. It was being worn by a little girl. It was positive for 8,000 ppm lead in the crystals, 16,000 ppm lead in the clasp and 185,000 ppm lead in the small round metallic beads. The amount of lead that is considered toxic in an […]
Vintage Plastic Avon Bear Pin. 2,300+ ppm lead (Pb). The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint or coating of a modern item manufactured and intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm lead or higher. I have tested quite a few vintage and newer Avon items that have been very […]
