U.S. Currency

Tiny dark-blue enamel decorated spoon: 388,800 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids] & 1,117 ppm Cadmium (causes cancer.)

Tiny dark-blue enamel decorated spoon: 388,800 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids] & 1,117 ppm Cadmium (causes cancer.)

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

When tested with a high-precision XRF instrument, this spoon had the following readings: Blue enamel of the handle: Lead (Pb): 388,800 +/- 48,000 ppm Barium (Ba): 16,200 +/- 3,300 ppm Selenium (Se): 721 +/- 337 ppm Bromine (Br): 217 +/- 90 ppm Tin (Sn): 10,300 +/- 2,000 ppm Copper (Cu): 28,400 +/- 4,100 ppm Vanadium…

2018 U.S. “Copper” Penny: 579,100 ppm Zinc & 419,200 ppm Copper. No Lead, No Cadmium, No Mercury, No Arsenic.

2018 U.S. “Copper” Penny: 579,100 ppm Zinc & 419,200 ppm Copper. No Lead, No Cadmium, No Mercury, No Arsenic.

3 Comments
| | | | | | |

Below is the full set of  XRF test results for the 2018 U.S. copper penny pictured here: Details: Metals not detected are not listed Tests are done in “Consumer Goods” mode Testing instrument is a Niton XL3T XRF instrument by ThermoFisher Scientific. Both sides of the penny were tested multiple times to confirm the results….

#AskTamara: This one is for the kids! Q. “Hey Mom! What’s a penny made of?”… XRF test results for a 1976 U.S.A. penny

#AskTamara: This one is for the kids! Q. “Hey Mom! What’s a penny made of?”… XRF test results for a 1976 U.S.A. penny

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)…