When tested with an XRF instrument these seed balls had the following readings (if a metal is not listed it was not detected): Orange Balls: Barium (Ba): 1,470 +/- 94 ppm Chromium (Cr): 115 +/- 35 ppm Bromine (Br): 4 +/- 2 ppm Zinc (Zn): 48 +/- 9 ppm Copper (Cu): 32 +/- 11 ppm […]
This “Expert Gardener” “Light Duty” garden hose was tested new on the shelf in Walmart in 2017. Only the plastic part of the hose was tested and it was positive for lead (Pb) at 52 parts per million. 52 ppm lead is a relatively low level of lead, but I would still have concerns for […]
When tested with an XRF instrument this Corona BP 3640 Ergo-Action Bypass Hand Pruner was negative for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) on all components. Overall this seems like a good choice/ good brand. This one is mine, that I purchased in 2016 for trimming my roses, etc. We got the […]
When I tested this old dirty hose with an XRF, I was a bit surprised by the results! The hose itself was not leaded, and only one of the metal ends was positive for lead. That said, we have lived in this home for more than 11 years and I believe we may have purchased […]
These always test positive for lead in my experience (when tested with an XRF instrument.) They tend to be painted with lead paint or have lead paint residue from decades gone by (which has mostly likely worn off on the hands of the user!) To see more gardening things I have tested click here. For […]
Vintage hose nozzle: 28,900 ppm lead. #LeadedBrass – Tested with an XRF instrument. All yellow brass hose and gardening components I have tested have been very high lead like this one (and also can have contaminants like mercury and arsenic.) To see more of my posts related to gardening, click here. For a lead-free option, click […]
Hose nozzle: 39,500 ppm lead. New on the shelf at Walmart in August of 2017 Tested with an XRF instrument. All yellow brass hose and gardening components I have tested have been very high lead like this one (and many also have contaminants like mercury and arsenic.) To see more of my posts related to gardening, […]
Check this out! I have tested three examples of the Water Right hoses (the models with the stainless components) and confirmed that all components of these hoses are 100% lead-free.* I love this product so much I am personally using one in my home/ for my garden and I asked the company if they would […]
Hose sprayer, as high as 26,900 ppm lead. I don’t yet have a lead-safe alternative to recommend, but finding one made of stainless steel might be a good start, and here is my post on lead-free hoses (including a #MadeInOregon option!). I will update this post as soon as I find one that I am […]
Re-sharing an older post! I took this picture of our back yard and realized that every element in the photos had a “Lead story” – so I thought it might be fun to annotate it and share it with you all, in case it could help you come up with some new ideas for making your own home lead-safe! Click […]
