Off-Brand Faux Leather Black Button Up Baby Shoes: 3,883 ppm Lead + 51 ppm Arsenic! [90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids]

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These shoes are unbranded with no information about the make or marker. When tested with an XRF instrument the small buttons (picture below) on these shoes had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 3,883 +/- 77 ppm Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect/Negative Arsenic (As): Non-Detect/Negative Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect/Negative Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect/Negative Barium (Ba): 274 +/- 133 ppm Nickel (Ni): 15 +/- 9 ppm…

Wonder Woman Pencil Tin, Purchased New at Target in 2018

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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…

Duchess Bone China Saucer, Made In England – Rose Pattern: 70,900 ppm Lead

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Please click the link below for help finding safer choices for your holiday table. Duchess Bone China Saucer, Made In England – Rose Pattern: 49,000 ppm Lead When tested with an XRF instrument, this dish had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 70,900 +/- 2,300 ppm Mercury (Hg): Negative/Non-Detect Arsenic (As): Negative/Non-Detect Cadmium (Cd): Negative/Non-Detect Barium (Ba): 269…

Vintage Queen Anne “Country Gardens” Pattern Bone China Teacup: 81,300 ppm Lead [90 ppm is unsafe for kids.]

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Please click the link for help finding safer choices for your holiday table. Vintage Queen Anne “Country Gardens” Pattern Bone China Teacup. Made in England. When tested with an XRF instrument, this teacup had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 81,300 +/- 2,800 ppm Mercury (Hg): Negative/Non-Detect Arsenic (As): Negative/Non-Detect Cadmium (Cd): Negative/Non-Detect Barium (Ba): Negative/Non-Detect Chromium (Cr): Negative/Non-Detect…

Vale Saucer Made in Longton England: 54,600 ppm Lead. 90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe in items used by kids.

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Please click the link for help finding safer choices for your holiday table. Vale Saucer Made in Longton, England. Floral Pattern (pattern name not marked on piece). When tested with an XRF instrument, this saucer had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 54,600 +/- 1,600 ppm Mercury (Hg): Negative/Non-Detect Arsenic (As): Negative/Non-Detect Cadmium (Cd): Negative/Non-Detect Barium (Ba): Negative/Non-Detect…

My Grandmother’s WWII Era Brass Chanukah Menorah: 30,900 ppm Lead [90 ppm and up is unsafe for items children play with.]

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This is a vintage brass Chanukah menorah that belonged to my grandparents. They were married in 1940 and I believe this menorah is from around that time as I had two that were exactly the same and I am pretty sure that my great grandmother gave one to each of her children when they were…

Glazed Ceramic Chanukiah / Chanukah Menorah: 10,000 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is unsafe for children’s items.

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I bought this Chanukah menorah for my family at my local natural foods store c. 2009. It is made by Rite Lite of Brooklyn, New York. It is “Made in China” for the Jacob Rosenthal Judaica Collection. When tested with an XRF instrument the menorah pictured was positive for approximately 10,000 ppm Lead. To learn more…

The Lead-free “Travel Chanukiah” my husband and sons made for me.

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Did you know that most Chanukah menorah’s have high levels of Lead? [Link] The picture here is of the Lead-free Chanukah* “Travel Chanukiah*” (Chanukah menorah) that my husband and sons made for me when we were shooting my film. Since we left to start shooting early in December (of 2011) we were on the road…

#AskTamara: How can I test my water for Lead? How do I test the water in my home? How do I test the water in my kids’ school?

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Published: November 3, 2018 Updated: June 6, 2023 Question: How can I test my water for Lead? Answer: There are multiple ways… There are a few different ways you can get your water tested for Lead (Pb). [Please read the caveats below the list after you read the list!] Ways to test the water in…

Does the 2018 Starbucks reusable holiday cup test positive for any “nasties”?

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If you have been following my work for a while you know that I have found several Starbucks branded cups and mugs to be positive for high levels of Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) in the past. To see more Starbucks cups & mugs I have tested, Click Here. Therefore I was not surprised today,…

Vintage Johnson Brothers Fish Plate (Design No. 3), Made in England: 70,800 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids)

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  Please click the link for help finding safer choices for your holiday table. Vintage “Fish” dinner plate by Johnson Brothers, “Made in England” “Design No. 3” “A genuine hand engraving” “All decoration under the glaze. Detergent & acid resisting colour.” For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website: Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning…

#NLR: Charlie’s Christmas Tree Lighting Contest Submission Letter

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Last month Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown held an essay contest for Oregon 4th graders. For the contest children had to answer the question “Why do you love spending time in the Oregon outdoors?” The winner of the contest would get a trip to Washington, D.C. to the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony this year – which is featuring a tree…

Anchor Glass One-Cup Measuring Cup: 32,500 ppm Lead (in exterior markings). [90 ppm is unsafe in kids’ items.]

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Anchor Glass One-Cup Measuring Cup, c. 2006 When tested with an XRF instrument the red painted markings on the exterior of this glass Anchor Hocking brand one-cup measuring cup (purchased new around 2006) had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 32,500 ppm Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect/ND [Negative] To see more Anchor-brand products that I have tested, Click Here….

Rosary Bead Charm – Positive for Lead at 5,190 ppm. 90 ppm & up is unsafe for children.

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The metal charm on the rosary bead strand pictured here was positive for Lead (Pb) at 5,190 ppm when tested with an XRF instrument. The amount of Lead that is considered toxic in an item made for use by children specifically is anything 100 ppm Lead or higher in the substrate or anything 90 ppm…

Vintage Blue Pyrex Glass Mugs: 71,800 ppm Lead + 697 ppm Arsenic [90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids.]

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Vintage Pyrex Mugs: The blue paint on these mugs tested positive for the following elements at the following levels (with a one-minute test, using an XRF instrument): Lead (Pb): 71,800 +/- 2,200 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 697 +/- 43 ppm Arsenic (As): ND Mercury (Hg): ND Platinum (Pt): 1,333 +/- 207 ppm Gold (Au): 709 +/-…

2012 Mardi Gras Beads: 15,800 ppm Lead (Pb) [90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids!] & 2,028 ppm Cadmium (causes cancer).

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Blue Metallic Plastic Mardi Gras Beads. When filming for my documentary in New Orleans in February of 2012 we collected quite a few sets of Mardi Gras beads, including this set. When tested with an XRF instrument the blue plastic beads pictured had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 15,800 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 2,028 ppm [This…

2014 Golden Mardi Gras Beads; 1,127 ppm Lead (Pb). 90 ppm & up is unsafe! Please don’t let children play with these.

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Gold Plastic Mardi Gras Beads from 2014. In 2014 I did an outreach event at the Charleston Children’s Museum and did XRF testing of consumer goods for folks who came to the museum that day. A nanny came up to my table pushing a toddler in her stroller and I noticed the toddler had these…

Smithsonian Magazine: The Toxic Truth Behind Mardi Gras Beads, an article from 2017.

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My “favorite” quote from the article: To see several sets of Mardi Gras beads that I have tested, Click Here. Smithsonian Magazine Article Published: March 8, 2017 By: David Redmon “Every year, 25 million pounds of plastic beads made by Chinese factory workers get dumped on the streets of New Orleans. Shiny, colorful bead necklaces,…

XRF Test Results For Portmeirion “The Botanic Garden” Plate, c. 1972

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As expected (based on the testing of this brand that I have done to date) the food surface of this plate was positive for high levels of lead when tested with an XRF instrument. To learn more about XRF testing, click here. Here’s the XRF test results for this exact piece: Lead (Pb): 41,100 +/-…

Vintage (1995-1997) Corningware Rosemarie Tulip Pattern Oven Casserole: 8,164 ppm Lead + 165 ppm Cadmium

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As expected, the exterior decorative pink painted tulip pattern on this vintage Rose Marie Tulip Pattern Corning casserole was positive for high levels of lead when tested with an XRF instrument. To learn more about XRF testing, click here. Here’s the XRF test results for the exterior design on this exact piece: Lead (Pb): 8,164…

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

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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…