XRF Testing

Made In Mexico Blue Glazed Ceramic Dish: 51,608 ppm Lead + 31,350 ppm Arsenic + more than 100,000 ppm Mercury.
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Made In Mexico Blue Glazed Ceramic Dish: 51,608 ppm Lead + 31,350 ppm Arsenic + more than 100,000 ppm Mercury.

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When tested with an XRF instrument this Mexican glazed ceramic bowl – with bird design on the inside had the following readings on the food-surface of the bowl: Lead (Pb):  51,608 ppm Mercury (Hg): >100,000 ppm (greater than 10% Mercury in the glaze) Arsenic (As): 31,350 ppm Takeaway: PLEASE avoid all Mexican pottery (especially for food use…

Ceramic Child’s mug with Teddy Bear: 15,000 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is illegal in modern items intended for use by kids.
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Ceramic Child’s mug with Teddy Bear: 15,000 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is illegal in modern items intended for use by kids.

Ceramic Baby Cup with Teddy Bear: 15,000 ppm lead. Tested with an XRF instrument. The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead and higher in the paint, glaze or coating and anything 100 ppm Lead or higher in the substrate. Items intended for…

Classic Ceramics California Pantry Mug
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Classic Ceramics California Pantry Mug

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Classic Ceramics, California Pantry, 1998. Ceramic Mug, Made in Indonesia: 6,913 ppm lead, 532 ppm Cadmium. #XRFTesting FYI: The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for children is anything over 90 ppm lead. Items intended for adults (including dishware) are generally unregulated for total lead content. Tamara Rating: F F = If you served…

Blue Corelle Stoneware Mug
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Blue Corelle Stoneware Mug

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Blue Corelle Ceramic Mug:  95 ppm Lead. Made in Thailand. #XRFTesting FYI: The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for children is anything over 90 ppm lead. Items intended for adults (including dishware) are generally unregulated for total lead content. This mug would be considered safe by most standards.  I would not…

“Classic Greek” Ceramic Coffee Cup!
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“Classic Greek” Ceramic Coffee Cup!

Coffee cup , ceramic: no lead, no cadmium, no mercury! Woohoo! #XRFTesting FYI: The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for children is anything over 90 ppm lead. Items intended for adults (including dishware) are generally unregulated for total lead content. For More Safer Choices For Your Family Click…

Ceramic Cow Creamer; Circa 2010
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Ceramic Cow Creamer; Circa 2010

Ceramic cream cow: 85 ppm lead (purchased at Modcloth). #XRFTesting This item is considered lead-safe by all standards. The current amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for children is anything over 90 ppm lead. Items intended for adults (including dishware) are generally unregulated for total lead content. For More Safer Choices For…

Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Glasses contain 87,500 ppm Lead — did you have this one?
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Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Glasses contain 87,500 ppm Lead — did you have this one?

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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,…

Green Glass Desk Lamp
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Green Glass Desk Lamp

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Library / desk lamp with green glass: 32,400 ppm lead (in the glass.) Tested with an XRF. Thoughts: Is this going to harm the owner?  Probably not. Can we manufacture lead-free glass for items like this?  Absolutely, yes. Is manufacturing items with high lead content harming the environment and potentially harming factory workers?  Absolutely, yes. Can we strive to have lead-free homes and a lead-free…

Anchor Clear Glass Loaf Pan
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Anchor Clear Glass Loaf Pan

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Anchor Ovenware Loaf Pan: no lead – no mercury – no cadmium – no arsenic! I have these in my home, but this one belongs to my friend Gayle. Most modern clear glass is lead-free. Click here for more examples of testing of clear glass that I have done. Tested with an XRF. Apple included to show…

Wilson Tennis Racket
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Wilson Tennis Racket

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Wilson Tennis Racket: 5,684 ppm lead on handle. Tested with an XRF.  Tennis rackets I have tested have gone either way, with some being positive for lead and some being negative.  This is particularly concerning because it is the grippy part of the handle that tested positive for lead. These grips wear and deteriorate and are held…

Blue “Cornflower” Design Corningware Baking pan: Lead-Free (but this does not apply to all years of production for this pattern!)
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Blue “Cornflower” Design Corningware Baking pan: Lead-Free (but this does not apply to all years of production for this pattern!)

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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…

Pampered Chef Baking Tray: 24 ppm Lead (safe by all standards!)
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Pampered Chef Baking Tray: 24 ppm Lead (safe by all standards!)

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Pampered Chef Baking Tray, c. 2013:  24 ppm Lead when tested with an XRF instrument. This is considered safe by all standards. The amount of lead that is regulated and considered unsafe in items manufactured and intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint or coating (or 100 ppm…

Q: I’m concerned that the original bathtub that came with my older home might have Lead. What should I do?
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Q: I’m concerned that the original bathtub that came with my older home might have Lead. What should I do?

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Originally Posted June 17, 2014 Updated April 2017 Question from Lucy (Via MisLEAD: America’s Secret Epidemic Facebook Page). QUESTION: Hi Tamara, We just bought a new house and it has the original bathtub (1956). What would be the best and most effective way to test for lead? I’d also like to test dishes, toys, water….

Ball Jar Straws!
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Ball Jar Straws!

Ball Jar Straws: Non-Detect for Lead, Non-Detect for Cadmium, Non-Detect for Arsenic, Non-Detect for Mercury!  Overall a great product.  If you want to see this on Amazon, click here. The exact straw I tested is the image at the bottom of this post. If you appreciate what I do (XRF testing of consumer goods and sharing…

#LeadFree / #LeadSafe Ice Cream Maker
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#LeadFree / #LeadSafe Ice Cream Maker

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This is the ice-cream maker we have. We love it!  It’s so much fun.  It was the last present my mother bought the boys before she passed away, so we have had it for a couple of years now and we use it all the time. It’s easy, quick and fun – we experiment with…

Axxess+ Brand House Key: 9,441 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm Lead (and up) is unsafe for items intended for use by children.
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Axxess+ Brand House Key: 9,441 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm Lead (and up) is unsafe for items intended for use by children.

Axxess+ Brand Key: 9,441 ppm lead. Do not let your children play with your house keys as they are almost always very high lead. You can buy lead-free aluminum and stainless keys as alternatives, but they are not always easy to find (ask your local locksmith!) Here’s a link to some of the aluminum ones on Amazon. See…

House key with worn pink decoration: 13,200 ppm Lead. 90 ppm is unsafe. Don’t let kids (especially babies) play with real keys!
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House key with worn pink decoration: 13,200 ppm Lead. 90 ppm is unsafe. Don’t let kids (especially babies) play with real keys!

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Decorated House Key (paint wearing off): 13,200 ppm lead.  The actual key I tested is in the photo at the bottom of this blog post.   Please note:  the lead is in the key itself, not in the decorative paint on the outside of the key. You can buy lead-free aluminum and stainless keys as alternatives, but they…

#XRFTesting: Mountain Valley Spring Water 5 Gallon Bottle
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#XRFTesting: Mountain Valley Spring Water 5 Gallon Bottle

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Mountain Valley Spring Water 5 Gallon Clear Glass Bottle (from their delivery service): Non-Detect (negative!) for Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As)! I personally do not want jars that are positive for lead at any level, when I can choose lead-free jars and bottles. Click these links to see other similar glass jars and glass bottles I have…

#XRFTesting: Blue Ball Jars!
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#XRFTesting: Blue Ball Jars!

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Newer Blue Glass Ball Jar: 64 ppm Lead. Non-detect for arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. Most of the colored glass jars I have tested have been positive for Lead to some degree. This level is considered safe by all standards. I personally would not want to can in jars that are positive for Lead at any level, when I…

Kombucha Jug, Brown Glass
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Kombucha Jug, Brown Glass

Brown Glass Kombucha Jug from “Health-Ade Kombucha”: 183 ppm lead. Please read this post for more information about lead found in this type of container. If you appreciate what I do, the simplest way you can help support my advocacy work at NO EXTRA COST to you is to click on the Amazon affiliate link ads to…