Tomorrow Morning my Website is Going to Pass 1,100,000 Unique Views!

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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…

XRF Test Results For Green Glazed Stoneware Bowl From Target’s Hearth & Hand With Magnolia by Chip & Joanna Gaines

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Green Glazed Stoneware Bowl From Target’s Hearth & Hand With Magnolia Line by Chip & Joanna Gaines. I had recently tested some small Pioneer Woman ceramic bowls, and found them to be positive for Lead (Pb). As a result, I started looking out for other kitchen products with celebrity names attached to test for potential toxicants —…

Cravings By Chrissy Teigen Wood & Green Silicone Spoon From Target: Lead-Free!

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I recently tested some pieces from Pioneer Woman and found lead in them. As a result of that testing I did a little digging into what company makes the products for Pioneer Woman and that led me to GibsonUSA.com. In digging around Gibson USA’s website I learned that they also manufacture products for Chrissy Teigen’s…

Giant Blue Glass Marble: 60 ppm Cadmium, 366 ppm Arsenic

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This is a newer (c. 2015) large translucent blue glass marble with an iridescent rainbow finish. Given the nature of the way most colored glass is commonly produced, many marbles (and especially those with iridescent finishes) do have at least some level of detectable toxicants when tested with an XRF instrument. Some actually have quite…

Things From Oprah’s Favorite Things 2018 List I Would Never Buy Without Testing For Lead First

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LeadSafeMama’s Take on Oprah’s Favorite Things, 2018. Curious, I took a look at Oprah’s Favorite Things list today (Saturday, 11/10/18) on Amazon. Oh MY — some interesting things! As I scrolled through the things and watched the videos she has embedded in the list, I realized there were some things on that list I would…

My response to the school Vice Principal this evening. (Warning: I’m MAD! This is my kids [& their friends] we’re talking about.)

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Introduction:  My husband has concerns that I am a bull in a china shop when it comes to this issue. He thinks I should be treating the administrators of our children’s schools with respect because they are fellow human beings with the capacity to do good. I on the other hand am FURIOUS that after…

2018 Lead Levels in Portland Public Schools, Sellwood Middle School Are NOT protective of children’s health.

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I am posting this so that I can link this information to other posts I have written on the subject. Below you will find the lead-in-water test results for 2018 for Sellwood Middle School. Please click each of the images below to see the image full size. The RED circles I have made highlight the…

Letter to the Portland Public School District This Morning Re: Lead in PPS Schools’ Water

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Note: I wrote this post in response to my child coming home distraught – in tears, actually – over the cavalier attitudes/misplaced and absolute confidence of nearly all of the adults who whom he has interacted with at school regarding this issue. While my tone may seem inappropriate and my anger may seem misplaced to some, for me…

#AskTamara: Do my Pioneer Woman dishes have Lead (Pb)?

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#AskTamara: Question: Do my Pioneer Woman dishes have Lead (Pb)? Do they have Cadmium (Cd), too? Answer: Well, do you want the short answer? … then “Yes”… BUT (and this is a BIG, LOUD “BUT”)…. ….PLEASE read the whole post below to see the exact level of Lead and Cadmium (found in the bowl pictured)…

Recommended Small Appliances: New Vitamixes

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Please read and share this post! Thank you. To share this post on Facebook, Click Here.- – HELLO! People keep asking me about appliances… – I have tested several versions of this newer model of Vitamix — and ALL of the accessible components (including the cord and knobs) were *lead-free* when tested with an XRF…

1966 Hardcover Book, “It’s Wonderful To Be In Love”: 387 ppm Lead

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1966 Book, “It’s Wonderful To Be In Love” by Rosalind Welcher. When tested with an XRF instrument this book had the following readings: Front Cover: Lead (Pb): 387 +/- 21 ppm Arsenic (As): 39 +/- 15 ppm Barium (Ba): 317 +/- 150 Chromium (Cr): 372 +/- 72 ppm Bromine (Br): 6 +/- 3 ppm Zinc…

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…

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,…