Plastic Jewelry

Vintage (1960s?) plastic cuff bracelet tests positive for high levels of Lead, using XRF technology

October 16, 2022January 15, 2024

October 16, 2022 — Sunday This cuff bracelet tested positive for a high level of Lead. It is possible this is a vintage piece from the 1960s or from the ’80s — since plastic jewelry was very popular in each of those eras (if it was pre-1960, I would expect the plastic to have a…

2012 Mardi Gras Beads: 15,800 ppm Lead (Pb) [90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids!] & 2,028 ppm Cadmium (causes cancer).

October 28, 2018February 21, 2020

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…

2014 Golden Mardi Gras Beads; 1,127 ppm Lead (Pb). 90 ppm & up is unsafe! Please don’t let children play with these.

October 28, 2018February 21, 2020

Gold Plastic Mardi Gras Beads from 2014. 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…

Do plastic Mardi Gras beads have an unsafe levels of Lead and Cadmium?

December 2, 2017October 28, 2018

Purple Plastic Mardi Gras Beads from New Orleans Mardi Gras 2012. When tested with an XRF instrument the plastic beads pictured had the following toxicant readings: Lead (Pb): 315 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 132 ppm Arsenic (As): Negative/ Non-Detect Mercury (Hg): Negative/ Non-Detect For more XRF test results of beads I have tested, click here. The…