Tin Archives - Lead Safe Mama

Oh the irony! Vintage metal Band-Aid tin, painted in Lead Paint! 2,193 +/- 147 ppm Lead! [90 ppm is unsafe for kids.]

March 10, 2019November 29, 2019

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage Band-Aid box had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 2,193 +/- 147 ppm Chromium (Cr): 1,022 +/- 126 ppm Zinc (Zn): 2,897 +/- 267 ppm Copper (Cu): 433 +/- 172 ppm Iron (Fe): 851,800 +/- 1,800 ppm Titanium (Ti): 128,600 +/- 1,200 ppm Cobalt (Co): 8,264 +/- 1,305…

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

January 25, 2019July 13, 2023

1 Comment

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)…

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

2 Comments

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…

Wonder Woman Pencil Tin, Purchased New at Target in 2018

November 4, 2018November 4, 2018

2 Comments

I bought this for my son Charlie at the beginning of the school year. He’s a Wonder Woman fan, loves the color pink and is always drawing with colored pencils (so is in constant need of things like pencil boxes!) Because this is a new item manufactured for use by children (and sold by a…

XRF Test Results For Vintage WWII Era Coffee, Tea & Biscuit Tins.

October 26, 2018December 6, 2018

3 Comments

When testing the World War II era food storage tins (using XRF technology) I found that they were painted with high lead paint. Please take a close look at the photo (below) and see how much of the paint has worn off of these canisters over the years. To learn more about XRF testing, click…

#LeadFree: Decorative Christmas Tin (no Mark or Maker)

August 17, 2018December 14, 2023

The Christmas tin picture here was negative for Lead when tested with an XRF instrument. Note: The XRF instrument tests down to single-digit ppm accuracy. Items intended for use by children are considered toxic and unsafe for children at 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint or coating, and at 100 ppm paint…

Antique “An-Du-Septic” Dustless Crayon Artista Water Colors Tin: 73,800 ppm Lead

November 27, 2017December 10, 2018

Many vintage tins are positive for Lead and other toxicants (for example: Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic) and I would be very wary about using vintage tins for your holiday cookie exchanges (among other food-use purposes!) New Lead-free tins can be purchased at Dollar Tree stores (or similar) and are much safer for food use applications….