Vintage Books

#LeadFree: (Surprise!) 1968 Paperback Copy of “Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions”

#LeadFree: (Surprise!) 1968 Paperback Copy of “Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions”

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   For those new to the Lead Safe Mama 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 four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama,…

#Leaded: 1965 Great Detective Stories Hardcover Book

#Leaded: 1965 Great Detective Stories Hardcover Book

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Most vintage books have at least some amount of lead. The amount of lead that is considered toxic in a modern item manufactured and intended to be used by children is 90 ppm or higher in the coating (or paint) and 100 ppm (or higher) in the substrate. This 1965 printing of “Great Detective Stories”…

#LeadSafe: Vintage 1970s Archie Comics

#LeadSafe: Vintage 1970s Archie Comics

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Vintage 1970s Archie Comics. – 16 ppm lead when tested with an XRF instrument. Safe by all standards. New books are generally lead-free! 90 ppm lead and higher is considered unsafe for any newly manufactured items intended for use by children. – To see more vintage books I have tested click here. As always, if…

1953 Walt Disney Little Golden Book, Hiawatha: 535 ppm Lead (90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe for kids.)

1953 Walt Disney Little Golden Book, Hiawatha: 535 ppm Lead (90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe for kids.)

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1953 Walt Disney Little Golden Book: “Hiawatha” This book tested positive for 535 ppm Lead when tested with an XRF instrument. Items intended for children are considered unsafe (and illegal if newly manufactured) when they test positive for lead at 90 ppm lead (or higher) in the coating or 100 ppm lead (or higher) in…

1958 Little Golden Book – 208 ppm Lead; 90 ppm is unsafe for kids. Stick with 1980s (and newer) books.

1958 Little Golden Book – 208 ppm Lead; 90 ppm is unsafe for kids. Stick with 1980s (and newer) books.

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When tested with an XRF instrument this 1958 Little Golden Book (1958! Same age as my husband!), tested positive for 208 ppm Lead (Pb). Newly manufactured Items intended for use children today (in 2019) are considered unsafe (and illegal if newly manufactured) when they test positive for lead at 90 ppm lead (or higher) in…

Vintage Winnie The Pooh Book, 1954 Cloth Cover: 3,999 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) + 326 ppm Arsenic!

Vintage Winnie The Pooh Book, 1954 Cloth Cover: 3,999 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) + 326 ppm Arsenic!

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Yes, vintage books can have lead! This 1954 Reprint of the 1926 children’s book “Winnie The Pooh” tested positive for both Lead and Arsenic in the cover art. When tested with an XRF instrument the book pictured had the following levels: Lead (Pb): 3,999 +/- 94 parts per million (ppm) Arsenic (As): 326 +/- 59…

#LeadSafe: 1969 Hardy Boys Book

#LeadSafe: 1969 Hardy Boys Book

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1969 Hardy Boys Book. The Secret Of Wildcat Swamp. Hardcover. Book Cover: 27 +/- 8 ppm lead. Interior pages: ND (non-detect) for lead. Tested with an XRF instrument. Personally I avoid letting my children use vintage books, because they almost always test positive for lead (plus we live near Powell’s, one of the largest book…

#Leaded: 1946 Hardy Boys Book

#Leaded: 1946 Hardy Boys Book

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1946 Hardy Boys Book. The Secret Panel. Hardcover. Cover Image (brown paint): 1334 +/- 48 ppm lead & 144 +/- 34 ppm arsenic. Interior pages: 32 +/- 10 ppm lead. Tested with an XRF instrument. Personally I avoid letting my children use vintage books, because they almost always test positive for lead (plus we live…

#Leaded: 1957 Hardy Boys

#Leaded: 1957 Hardy Boys

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1957 Hardy Boys Book. The Ghost At Skeleton Rock. Hardcover. Cover Image (under jacket): 835 +/- 35 ppm lead. Interior pages: 74 +/- 12 ppm lead. Tested with an XRF instrument. Personally I avoid letting my children use vintage books, because they almost always test positive for lead (plus we live near Powell’s, one of…

Vintage 1951 Book – Sex Without Fear: 226 ppm Lead + 24 ppm Arsenic.

Vintage 1951 Book – Sex Without Fear: 226 ppm Lead + 24 ppm Arsenic.

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1951 printing “Sex Without Fear” (OMG! LOL! This was my great-uncle’s – he was a doctor & this is a prescription book!) Cover: 226 ppm lead & 24 ppm arsenic. Pages: 24 ppm lead.   New books are generally lead-free! 90 ppm lead and higher is considered unsafe for any items intended for use by children….