Vintage Yellow Plastic Archives

More than 4 years later and still no recall or public statement from Tupperware! Sign the petition!

October 31, 2023May 15, 2024

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…

XRF test results for vintage (1970s?) Fisher Price “Movie Viewer” toy: 5,087 ppm Lead, 249 ppm Arsenic & 55 ppm Cadmium.

July 12, 2022July 18, 2022

2 Comments

Published: July 12, 2022 – Tuesday While this vintage Fisher Price “Movie Viewer” toy is not marked with the date it was purchased at an estate sale where most of the toys were from the early-to-mid 1970s – so it seems like guessing “1970s” for the date of this toy is about right (as with…

XRF test results for vintage (1970s?) Fisher Price stacker toy… with ALL the bite marks! 4,289 ppm Lead, 517 ppm Arsenic & 18 ppm Cadmium

July 12, 2022April 24, 2024

2 Comments

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, LLC…

Vintage plastic Tupperware blocks toy: non-detect for Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury (likely has BPA given the age.)

November 21, 2021

1 Comment

Note: I do not know if these test results apply to all years of manufacture of this toy. The toy is not marked with the years of manufacture and there is no clue (from the markings) as to the year of manufacture. HOWEVER: the colors are distinctly different than the colors of vintage Tupperware plastic I have…

Vintage dinner knife with red and yellow Bakelite handle — 760,500 ppm Lead in the join point

July 19, 2021December 26, 2023

1 Comment

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…

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

10 Comments

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….

Vintage 1972 Wooden Fisher Price puzzle. 3,925 ppm Cadmium on the knobs. Cadmium is a known carcinogen.

July 18, 2020July 20, 2022

2 Comments

Are vintage Fisher Price puzzles a concern? Yes. A child will often chew on the knobs on this type of puzzle and these knobs (yellow or red) are consistently high-Cadmium vintage plastic. Cadmium causes cancer. Even if the risk is small it is not a risk that I feel is worth it given the inexpensive…

1981 Colorforms Mickey & Minnie Mouse Doctor and Nurse pre-school playset: As high as 2,300 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe)

June 4, 2020January 23, 2024

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…

1981 Colorforms Tummy Ache the Junk Food Game, hamburger piece: 11 ppm Lead (safe by all current standards… but…)

June 4, 2020January 23, 2024

1 Comment

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…

1981 Colorforms Tummy Ache the Junk Food Game, board with spinner: 29 ppm Lead (safe by all current standards… but…)

May 22, 2020January 23, 2024

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…

Stop using your vintage Tupperware NOW. These measuring cups are positive for 2,103 ppm Lead + 250 ppm Arsenic.

December 28, 2019November 13, 2023

383 Comments

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…

Vintage (1980s?) Igloo Cooler: 2,860 ppm Lead INSIDE & 10,800 outside. 90 is unsafe. [Arsenic & Cadmium too!]

November 9, 2019December 3, 2021

11 Comments

When tested with an XRF instrument, this Igloo brand cooler (c. 1980s) had the following readings: The white plastic handles (image above): Lead (Pb): 576 +/- 17 ppm Arsenic (As): Non-Detect (Negative) Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Negative) Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect (Negative) Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Negative) Barium (Ba): 142 +/- 65 ppm Bromine (Br): 7 +/- 2…

Please avoid vintage Tupperware. This is a kid’s 6 oz. cup. It’s positive for 876 ppm Lead, 331 ppm Cadmium, + Arsenic.

May 23, 2019August 10, 2023

58 Comments

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…

Vintage (1978-1988) yellow Lego® guy w red hat: 5,096 ppm Cadmium [≥40 is unsafe] & 26 ppm Arsenic

May 19, 2019May 19, 2019

Click here to read my recent post that fully discusses the concern for Cadmium found in vintage (1970s-1980s) Legos®. Below is the full XRF reading set for the vintage yellow Lego® head with red hat pictured here [test results are replicable, and were done for a minimum of three minutes – 180 seconds, for the…

Vintage (1978-1988) Red & Yellow Lego® door: 10,300 ppm Cadmium [≥40 is unsafe] & 38 ppm Arsenic

May 19, 2019November 19, 2020

1 Comment

Click here to read my recent post that fully discusses the concern for Cadmium found in vintage (1970s-1980s) Legos®. Below is the full XRF reading set for the vintage red and yellow Lego® door pictured here [test results are replicable, and were done for a minimum of three minutes – 180 seconds, for the greatest…

Some vintage Legos® test positive for high level of a known carcinogen. Can I tell if my Legos® are safe?

May 19, 2019September 21, 2023

26 Comments

One of these small yellow Lego® bricks (pictured above) is vintage (the one on the left of the photo was purchased new, “between 1978 and 1988”) and tested positive for a very high level of Cadmium (a known carcinogen); the other is newer (belongs to my kiddos and was purchased sometime in the past 15 years)…

Remember licking this after mom frosted a cake? Vintage Tupperware Cake Decorator: 1,283 ppm Lead (90 is toxic)

May 5, 2019August 10, 2023

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…

#AskTamara: How can I tell if my vintage Tupperware plastic cups are toxic? By Color? By Shape? By Age?

March 17, 2019December 28, 2019

84 Comments

New post! First in a series of four that I will be doing to try to draw some distinctions between the Tupperware pieces WITH toxicants (Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic) and those without. If you have any information or links to help inform this conversation (for example information about years made for certain model numbers?)…

Press Release: Toxicants (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury & Arsenic) Found In Vintage Tupperware

March 16, 2019March 16, 2019

Press release is the second image, below the embedded Facebook post. Please share with any press contact you might have. Thank you. (Click the image of the press release to see the full-size PDF with clickable links.) For all of the posts related to this press release, click here. _____________________________________ Original Facebook Post: _______________________________________________________

Vintage Tupperware YELLOW bowl: 2,677 ppm Cadmium + 15 ppm Mercury (both are extremely poisonous to humans)

March 12, 2019August 10, 2023

5 Comments

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…

1984 Vintage Fisher Price Little People Yellow School Bus: 2,953 ppm Lead + 344 ppm Arsenic. Did you have this one?

December 25, 2018December 26, 2018

8 Comments

Vintage Fisher Price Little People Yellow School Bus Toy, c. 1984. Yellow & Red Plastic. To see more vintage Fisher Price items I have tested, click here. The XRF test results for this exact item (pictured above) are as follows: Yellow Plastic of School Bus: (tested for a minimum of 60 seconds) Lead (Pb): 2,953 +/- 59 ppm…

And the winner is…. Click here to see the full XRF test results for the vintage Fisher Price Garage!

December 7, 2018

5 Comments

The other day we had a little contest… who could guess the closest Lead reading (in ppm) for what the highest Lead level on this vintage Fisher Price toy garage / downtown set would be? THE ANSWER: The highest Lead level was 1,959 ppm (in the yellow plastic) and the winner (with a guess of…

Vintage Fisher Price Little People Downtown Garage Set, A Game!: Guess how much Lead ???

November 28, 2018November 28, 2018

18 Comments

Vintage Fisher Price Little People Dowtown Garage Set. Year of Manufacture Unknown (presumed c. 1970s). Click here to see this post on Facebook. Posted: November 28, 2018, 8:15 p.m. We’re playing a GAME! Here’s the game: Guess how much lead is in this vintage Fisher Price garage? Here’s a link* to the prize that will…

Vintage Fisher Price Little People Wooden Boy With Red Hat: 4 ppm Lead, 75 ppm Cadmium and 19 ppm Mercury.

October 13, 2018July 20, 2022

Vintage Fisher Price Little People Yellow Wooden Boy With Red Baseball cap. Body: Painted Wood. Head: Painted Plastic. Hat: Red Plastic. Year of Manufacture Unknown (presumed c. 1970s). To see more vintage Fisher Price items I have tested, click here. The XRF test results for this exact item (pictured above) are as follows: Red Plastic…