plastic

XRF test results for a Boon Nursh silicone and plastic baby bottle (in light pink)

October 23, 2022July 27, 2023

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)…

How old are your child’s toys? Mega Bloks Large Yellow Building Block (c. 1990-2007?): 5,402 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids) + 88 ppm Mercury

December 27, 2020December 28, 2020

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Introduction to Tamara Rubin (for those new to this website!) Tamara Rubin lives in Portland, Oregon and is a child health advocate, author, documentary filmmaker, and mother of four sons. Her young men are now 24, 18, 15, and 12. She has won multiple national awards for her Lead-poisoning prevention advocacy work (including two from U.S….

Are your sewing tools Leaded? Optima fabric measuring guide with yellow & black markings: 3010 ppm Lead

July 12, 2020July 10, 2023

3 Comments

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)…

c. 1989 Flexibear Flexiblocks plastic toy: 1,735 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is considered unsafe/illegal in modern toys.

February 24, 2020March 22, 2020

Introduction (for those new to this website): Tamara Rubin is an independent advocate for consumer goods safety. 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. Tamara uses XRF testing (a scientific…

Vintage (1990s?) TYCO plastic building blocks (Duplo-style): Lead-free, Cadmium-free, Arsenic-free!

February 23, 2020February 23, 2020

Green TYCO building block – 30 seconds Copper (Cu): 150 +/- 15 ppm Nickel (Ni): 13 +/- 8 ppm Iron (Fe): 55 +/- 20 ppm Titanium (Ti): 2,167 +/- 295 ppm Continue reading below the image. Red TYCO building block – 30 seconds Barium (Ba): 189 +/- 108 ppm Bromine (Br): 19 +/- 3 ppm Iron…

Vintage (?) “Made In China” Parasaurolophus Plastic Dinosaur: 1,333 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids) + 88 ppm Cadmium

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020

When tested with an XRF instrument the large gray dinosaur pictured here (year of manufacture unknown) had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 1,333 +/- 71 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 88 +/- 13 ppm Barium (Ba): 717 +/- 84 ppm Antimony (Sb): 625 +/- 34 ppm Bromine (Br): 62 +/- 10 ppm Tin (Sn): 127 +/- 23…

Vintage Tupperware ORANGE bowl: 3,380 ppm Cadmium + 935 ppm Mercury (both are extremely poisonous to humans)

December 28, 2019August 10, 2023

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For those new to this 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 sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used…

Pink Plastic Magic Wand Party Favor: 155 ppm Lead (90 & up is unsafe for kids). Please avoid these and similar toys!

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019

4 Comments

I have long recommended avoiding toys like this. They fall in line with Mardi Gras beads (you can see test results for some of those here). Inexpensive plastic items with sparkly / iridescent paint more-often-than-not has a least some Lead (although there are a lot of exceptions with brand new toys.) This particular magic…

1986 Dor Mei Toys Spinosaurus: 5,341 ppm Lead. 90 ppm and up is considered illegal and unsafe for toys made today.

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019

The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the substrate. As a result of the high levels of Lead found in this 1986 “Dor Mei”…

Another reason to avoid vintage toys – 1985 Imperial Toys T-Rex: 7,872 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.

August 30, 2019December 26, 2021

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The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the substrate. As a result of the high levels of Lead found in this 1985 “Imperial Toys”…

Another reason to avoid vintage toys — toy triceratops: 6,298 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.

August 30, 2019July 13, 2023

3 Comments

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)…

Vintage (year unknown) plastic Rubbermaid mug: Lead-free! If you know what year this was made, please let me know.

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

16 Comments

When tested with an XRF instrument the yellow plastic Rubbermaid brand mug pictured here was negative for all of the main toxicants I look for in my work: Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury and Antimony. If you know what year this was made (or if you purchased a similar mug and know what year you purchased…

Vintage Tupperware Cup. Year Made Unknown. Unlike other colors it is negative for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium & Arsenic.

June 18, 2019June 18, 2019

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To see more Tupperware items I have tested, click here. When using an XRF instrument to test the cup pictured here (which is made of solid red plastic with no painted markings or decorations) it had the following readings: Barium (Ba): 162 +/- 90 ppm Zinc (Zn): 66 +/- 8 ppm Copper (Cu): 23 +/-…

1990 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Figurine: Lead Free, Cadmium Free, Arsenic Free!

May 28, 2019

Every single color of this little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine was tested and not one of them was positive for anything bad (from the standpoint of XRF detectable metals discoverable in consumer goods mode). This figurine from 1990 was negative / non-detect for the following metals when tested with an XRF instrument: Cadmium Lead…

1988 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys (Made in Macao) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael Figurine: Lead Free

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019

1 Comment

Every single color of this little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine was tested and not one of them was positive for anything bad (from the standpoint of XRF detectable metals discoverable in consumer goods mode). This figurine from 1988 was negative / non-detect for the following metals when tested with an XRF instrument: Cadmium Lead…

Multi-colored plastic toy frying pan: Non-detect (negative) for Lead, Cadmium, Antimony & Mercury.

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019

When tested with an XRF instrument (for repeated 60-second / 1-minute tests) this plastic toy frying pan had the following set of readings (below): Green Plastic Knob Copper (Cu): 12 +/- 7 ppm Iron (Fe): 99 +/- 17 ppm Titanium (Ti): 883 +/- 203 ppm Orange Plastic Handle Zinc (Zn): 38 +/- 7 ppm Copper…

Contigo Kids Tumbler with Straw | Spill-Proof 14 oz in Nautical Blue: Negative (Non-Detect) for Lead, Cadmium & Arsenic.

May 27, 2019

5 Comments

My Amazon Affiliate link for this product: https://amzn.to/2MfCAbk When tested with an XRF instrument this “Contigo Kids Tumbler with Straw | Spill-Proof Tumbler with Straw for Kids, 14oz, in Nautical Blue” had the following readings: Continue reading below the image. 1) Main Clear Blue Plastic Component of Cup (with yellow and blue fish design): Tin…

Consumers can’t tell: one of these Tupperware bowls has 3,136 ppm Cadmium + 773 Mercury (both are poisons), one does not.

April 21, 2019April 21, 2019

5 Comments

As a consumer you have no way to know which vintage Tupperware piece has toxic heavy metals (including Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, Antimony and Lead – some of which are well documented known carcinogens) and which does not. It is time for Tupperware to step in and make a public statement about this (and possibly…

Larami Toys brachiosaurus toy dinosaur: 2,213 ppm Lead, 2,721 ppm Antimony. This toy would be illegal if made today.

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

1 Comment

Scroll down to see additional images, including picture of Dino next to Lego-guy for size! The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the substrate….

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…

Discovery Kids 2017 DCL “MerchSource” Magnetic Tile Toys: 18 +/- 2 ppm Arsenic (in the metal hollow rivets.)

March 25, 2019December 28, 2021

2 Comments

Originally published: March 25, 2019 Updated: March 18, 2020 Discovery Toys MagnaTile® knockoffs When tested with an XRF instrument, the metal hollow rivets on these MerchSource MagnaTile® knockoffs (by Discovery Toys / DiscoveryKids) are positive for Arsenic. This is consistent with all magnetic tile toys of this nature that I have tested (all of the…

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

March 24, 2019August 24, 2019

4 Comments

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…

Orange Tupperware Vintage Measuring Cups: 61 ppm Cadmium. Cadmium is a known carcinogen for humans.

March 23, 2019March 23, 2019

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To see more Tupperware items I have tested, click here. When using an XRF instrument to test these plastic measuring cups (which are made of solid orange plastic with no painted markings or decorations) they had the following readings: Cadmium (Cd): 61 +/- 7 ppm Barium (Ba): 138 +/- 71 ppm Zinc (Zn): 394 +/-…

White Tupperware Vintage Measuring Cups: Non-detect for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic. [But these have BPA!]

March 23, 2019February 17, 2020

4 Comments

To see more Tupperware items I have tested, click here. When using an XRF instrument to test these plastic measuring cups (which are made of solid white plastic with no painted markings or decorations) they had the following readings: Zinc (Zn): 21 +/- 7 ppm Titanium (Ti): 537 +/- 250 ppm All test results reported…