Study: Remediating Soil Lead with Fish Bones, January 2012

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“Fish bones are made of the phosphate mineral apatite, which readily combines with lead to form pyromorphite, a stable crystalline mineral that can’t be absorbed by the human digestive system.1,2 Now researchers are using fish bones and other phosphate-rich amendments to remediate lead in urban soils. “We have seen reduction in bioaccessibility in some lab…

#Leaded: Vintage MatchBox Car Vinyl Case

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Vintage vinyl MatchBox car case. Made in Canada. Tested positive for as much as 310 ppm lead. In 2017 the amount of lead that is considered toxic in a modern/newly manufactured item intended for children is 90 ppm lead (or higher) in the coating or 100 ppm (or higher in) the substrate. – Would you…

The Home Depot Hammer Rubberized Handle: 6,156 ppm Lead + 163 ppm Cadmium [90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids.]

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When tested with an XRF instrument the rubberized handle on this The Home Depot brand hammer had the following toxicant readings: Lead (Pb): 6,156 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 163 ppm The amount of lead that is considered toxic in a child’s toy is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint or coating and anything…

1945: How to use molten lead to make sure your tool handles stay in place!!!!

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My husband found this gem back in 2012! …how to use molten lead to make sure your tool handles stay in place!!!! 1945 Popular Mechanics: “Useful Ideas To Save You Money” Image 2 – page 14 – “Tool Handle Leaded in Place” You can support my independent consumer goods testing & advocacy work by joining…

Newish Home Depot Six-Inch Adjustable Wrench 2,763 ppm Lead in the rubberized handle [90 ppm is unsafe for kids.]

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Home Depot six-inch adjustable wrench: 2.763 ppm lead (in the rubberized handle). Matchbox car included for size! The amount of lead that is considered toxic in an item intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm lead or higher.  Tools are not regulated for lead (and not considered items intended for use by children)…

Newer (c. 2014) Orange Painted Michael Graves Hand Citrus Juicer: 429 ppm Lead

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Newish! (tested in July of 2014) orange painted “Michael Graves” metal hand juicer. Positive for Lead at 429 ppm when tested with an XRF instrument. Most of the juicers like this that I have tested have been positive for high levels of lead. Click HERE to see a few more examples. For context: the amount…

#LeadFree: HotWheels c. 1988 Toy Ambulance

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#LeadFree #HotWheels #Mattel Made in Malaysia c. 1988. – This toy belongs to my family. ALL of our toy cars were acquired after our house-fire in 2002… so year stamped on the bottom of the toy MAY be the “original production year” and not the “year of manufacture.” This toy was tested using an XRF…

1966 Peter Pan ’45 of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: 3,777 ppm Lead

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1966 Peter Pan brand Christmas record: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Paper sleeve: Lead-free Vinyl record: 3,777 ppm Lead For context, the amount of Lead considered toxic in a newly manufactured item made for and intended to be used by children is 90 ppm Lead in the coating and 100 ppm Lead in the substrate….

NEW-ish (c. 2017) handheld citrus juicer: 1,744 ppm Lead. 90 ppm is unsafe for kids. I recommend avoiding these.

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New! Green painted metal hand citrus juicer (purchased c. early-2017, tested in June of 2017). When tested with an XRF instrument this citrus juicer had the following readings: Lead (Pb) at 1,744 +/- 163 ppm Arsenic (As): Non-Detect / Negative Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect / Negative Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect / Negative Most of the juicers like this that…

Vintage stand hand citrus juicer: 2,254 ppm Lead on the bare metal food contact surface. 90 ppm is unsafe for children.

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Vintage countertop stand hand juicer. No mark or maker noted. The corroding deteriorating gray metal part that touches the orange while it is being juiced was positive for lead at 2,254 ppm.  The white enamel part was positive for lead at 168 ppm. The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint or…

White painted Pampered Chef hand juicer / citrus press (c. 2007): 552 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids).

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Pampered Chef hand juicer  / citrus juicer (c. 2007) with chipping peeling paint: positive for lead at 552 ppm when tested with an XRF instrument. This piece was negative for Arsenic. Most juicers like this that I have tested have been positive for high levels of Lead. Click HERE to see a few more examples….

Orange painted metal handheld citrus juicer, c. 2013: 2,104 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm is unsafe for children’s items.

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  Orange painted handheld citrus juicer: This “newish” (c. 2013) hand juicer (tested in 2014) which has chipping peeling paint (including around the holes where the juice comes out!) tested positive for lead at 2,104 ppm. [Two thousand one hundred and four parts per million!!!!] Most of the juicers like this that I have tested…

#AskTamara: Interesting note, melting point of lead…

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In response to an inquiry concerning the potential impact of high-temperatures (e.g. those that might be encountered over the lifetime of a typical frying pan) on leaded decorative coatings, brand markings, etc. found on the outside (or bottom) of some cookware, I asked the Internet two questions, the answers to which I found interesting when…

Made in Mexico Hand Citrus Juicer: 415 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm Lead is unsafe in items intended for kids.)

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When tested with an XRF instrument this “Made in Mexico” hand held citrus press/  juicer tested positive for Lead at 415 ppm. Consolation prize: it was negative (ND) for Arsenic! For context: the amount of Lead that is considered toxic in the paint or coating of a modern item manufactured and intended for use by…

Pfaltzgraff Pistoulet Pattern, c. 2002: 336 ppm Lead [90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe in items made for use by kids.]

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This Pfaltzgraff, Made in China dish (c. 2002), “The Secrets of Pistoulet” pattern dish (by Jana Kolpen) tested positive for lead at 336 parts per million (ppm) when tested with an XRF instrument. The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint or coating of a modern item manufactured and intended for use…

#LeadSafe: Pfaltzgraff Dish, Made In USA

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This Pfaltzgraff, Made in the USA dish (age unknown, pattern name unknown, tested in 2014) tested positive for lead at 60 parts per million (ppm) when tested with an XRF instrument.  This level of lead is considered safe by all standards, American and European. The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint…

Child’s toy China Tea Set, Victoria’s Garden: 20,600 ppm Lead

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  Victoria’s Garden toy China Tea Set: 20,600 ppm Lead (Lemon included to show size!) 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…

Little Vintage (1980s?) Plastic Avon Bear Pin: 2,300 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids.

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        Post published: December 24, 2017 Vintage Plastic Avon Bear Pin. 2,300+ ppm Lead (Pb). The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint or coating of a modern item manufactured and intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher. I have tested quite a few…

Vintage toy Ford “Front Drive” car, painted with red Lead paint: 723 ppm Lead (90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids)

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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 Commission)…

Are there Lead-free modern clear glass dishes? Some Lead-free dish choices.

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  This is an ad-free article. To make a contribution and help us keep our most widely-read articles ad-free, click here. Thank you. Published: December 23, 20217 Updated: March 1, 2024 Question: Tamara are there any modern clear glass dishes that are also Lead-free? Answer: Yes! While vintage glassware is often positive for Lead, and…

This vintage (c. 1970) “Malibu Francie” Barbie tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead and Cadmium

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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 by…

#LeadFree: 1958 New Year Baby Kewpie Celluloid Doll “Irwin” #Cadmium

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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, LLC…

#LeadFree: Vintage Plastic Disney Snow White Mug

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This vintage plastic cup from Disney – with a picture of Snow White on it – is negative for lead both in the plastic and in the paint for the design.  The plain (unpainted) part of the cup tested was also negative for lead.  The cup was negative for mercury, arsenic and cadmium too! Here’s…