Metal

Tiny little Stagecoach “charm”? “figurine”?: 289,500 ppm Lead + 17,300 ppm Cadmium + 9,175 ppm Antimony.

December 14, 2021December 19, 2021

XRF Test Results for the little stagecoach pictured (a friend found this buried in the dirt!) 60-second reading Lead (Pb): 289,500 +/- 800 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 17,300 +/- 200 ppm Mercury (Hg): non-detect Bromine (Br): non-detect Chromium (Cr): non-detect Iron (Fe): 302 +/- 146 ppm Nickel (Ni): 166,900 +/- 700 ppm Copper (Cu): 280,400 +/-…

Small Blue Enamelware Camping Cup / Espresso Cup: 48 ppm Lead, 63 ppm Arsenic, 137 ppm Antimony – three neurotoxins.

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019

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The pictures of this cup demonstrate how it is a perfect example of what regularly eventually happens to enamel cups with normal use. In this instance the chipping of the enamel is happening both on the outside and the inside of the cup (similar to the red one posted earlier). This cup (and it’s red…

Small Red Enamelware Camping Cup / Espresso Cup: 8,851 ppm Cadmium [≥40 ppm is illegal in Washington State]

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019

The pictures of this cup demonstrate how it is a perfect example of what regularly eventually happens to enamel cups with normal use. In this instance the chipping of the very-high-Cadmium-containing enamel is happening both on the outside and the inside of the cup. This cup clearly demonstrates why, in my opinion, enamelware should really…

Polished Metalware Tray: 757 ppm Lead (All trays like this that I have tested have been positive for Lead.)

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019

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When tested with an XRF instrument this metalware tray had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 757 +/- 45 ppm Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect (Nd) Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd) Barium (Ba): Non-Detect (Nd) Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect (Nd) Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Nd) Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd) I have tested dozens of these metalware trays and they are always positive for…

Vintage (1950s?) tin Spinning top toy With Rockets & Spacemen: 19,300 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe)

January 25, 2019July 13, 2023

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Introduction (for those new to this website): Tamara Rubin is a federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children, her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005. Since 2009 Tamara has been using XRF testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)…

Yellow Painted Hand Juicer / Citrus Press: 658 ppm Lead (No mark or maker).

January 14, 2019August 19, 2023

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When tested with an XRF instrument this yellow hand juicer / citrus juicer / lemon squeezer had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 658 +/- 45 ppm Barium (Ba): 7,731 +/- 336 ppm Tin (Sn): 213 +/- 25 ppm Gold (Au): 259 +/- 101 ppm Zinc (Zn): 4,401 +/- 212 ppm Copper (Cu): 2,544 +/- 161…

Bare metal Patron Tequila hand juicer: 853 ppm Lead. 90 ppm is unsafe for kids. Please don’t use this type of citrus press.

January 5, 2019April 22, 2020

Bare metal Patron Tequila citrus press / hand juicer. When tested with an XRF instrument this Patron Tequila hand juicer / citrus juicer / lemon squeezer (or I guess it would be a lime squeezer? because… tequila!?) had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 853 +/- 46 ppm Chromium (Cr): 454 +/- 117 ppm Tin (Sn):…

Does your baby’s cup have toxic heavy metals in it? This enamelware “baby cup” tested positive for 16,200 ppm Cadmium!

December 16, 2018March 8, 2024

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Please note: This is NOT a post just about one red enamelware baby cup, it’s an overview of safe and unsafe baby cups I have found and how to make sure you choose a safe cup for YOUR baby! Please take the time to read the whole post (scrolling past all the images) and to…

2018 Dollar Store Santa Claus Design Metal Tray/ Plate: Lead-Free!

November 19, 2018December 13, 2023

2018 Dollar Tree Santa Claus Design Metal Tray By Greenbrier International, Inc. Made in China. For exact XRF test results, scroll down. To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE. I was actually not at all surprised that this was 100% Lead-free. Most new tins (and items made of the same material as cookie…

2018 Dollar Store Snowman Design Metal Tray/ Plate: Lead-Free!

November 19, 2018January 5, 2024

2018 Dollar Tree Snowman Design Metal Tray By Greenbrier International, Inc. Made in China For exact XRF test results, scroll down. To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE. To make a contribution and help us keep our most widely-read articles ad-free, click here. Thank you. I was actually not at all surprised that…

2018 Dollar Store Red & White Snow Flake Metal Tray/ Plate: Lead-Free!

November 19, 2018January 5, 2024

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2018 Dollar Tree Snowflake Design Red & White Metal Tray By Greenbrier International, Inc. Made in China For exact XRF test results, scroll down. To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE. I was actually not at all surprised that this was 100% Lead-free. Most new tins (and items made of the same material…

Newer (c. 2014) Orange Painted Michael Graves Hand Citrus Juicer: 429 ppm Lead

December 28, 2017December 11, 2018

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Newish! (tested in July of 2014) orange painted “Michael Graves” metal hand juicer. Positive for Lead at 429 ppm when tested with an XRF instrument. Most of the juicers like this that I have tested have been positive for high levels of lead. Click HERE to see a few more examples. For context: the amount…

White painted Pampered Chef hand juicer / citrus press (c. 2007): 552 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids).

December 28, 2017April 22, 2020

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Pampered Chef hand juicer / citrus juicer (c. 2007) with chipping peeling paint: positive for lead at 552 ppm when tested with an XRF instrument. This piece was negative for Arsenic. Most juicers like this that I have tested have been positive for high levels of Lead. Click HERE to see a few more examples….

Orange painted metal handheld citrus juicer, c. 2013: 2,104 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm is unsafe for children’s items.

December 28, 2017April 23, 2020

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Orange painted handheld citrus juicer: This “newish” (c. 2013) hand juicer (tested in 2014) which has chipping peeling paint (including around the holes where the juice comes out!) tested positive for lead at 2,104 ppm. [Two thousand one hundred and four parts per million!!!!] Most of the juicers like this that I have tested…

Made in Mexico Hand Citrus Juicer: 415 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm Lead is unsafe in items intended for kids.)

December 25, 2017February 9, 2019

When tested with an XRF instrument this “Made in Mexico” hand held citrus press/ juicer tested positive for Lead at 415 ppm. Consolation prize: it was negative (ND) for Arsenic! For context: the amount of Lead that is considered toxic in the paint or coating of a modern item manufactured and intended for use by…

Blue and White Enameled Metal Tray

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017

Blue & White Enameled Tray: 128 ppm Lead (Pb), 21 ppm Cadmium. Within safe range by all standards. Please consider contributing in support of my consumer goods testing & childhood lead poisoning prevention advocacy work here or here. Thank you!