Wilson Tennis Racket
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!)
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!)
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…
Anthropologie Glass Knob
Anthropologie Glass Cabinet Knob: 23,800 ppm lead (on the metal component.) Also positive for 118 ppm cadmium. Gosh! They have a whole section of their website that is just KNOBS! It would be super fun to test all of them! If you appreciate what I do (XRF testing of consumer goods and sharing the results…
Q: I’m concerned that the original bathtub that came with my older home might have Lead. What should I do?
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!
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…
How you can help – when shopping on Amazon, just as you normally do!
For those who have asked to help support my advocacy work by using shopping links on Amazon… In April if you click first on any of the sidebar ads on any page of my website (TamaraRubin.com) before you start shopping on Amazon, I will earn up to 12% for any purchases made in April – that are…
My friend Carissa wrote a book!
Carissa is my amazing friend – who has (nearly single-handedly) pulled me out of the funk I have been in over the past year (in the chaos following the surprise attack, decimation and near extinguishment of a huge chunk of my life’s work – the nonprofit I founded.) Carissa helped me set myself up as an Amazon Affiliate…
#LeadFree / #LeadSafe Ice Cream Maker
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…
My Favorite HEPA-Vac…
Genuine* HEPA-vacs are an important part of managing lead hazards. I personally love the products made by Dustless Technologies, for several reasons. Note: Dustless was one of the sponsors of my film; I invited them to sponsor my film because I was (and remain) a huge fan of their pioneering products – as comprising some of the best options…
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!
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
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!
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…
#LeadFree: Starbucks Straws!
These straws from Starbucks tested ND (non-detect) for lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. 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 the right on this page (or on the bottom if you are…
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…
Rolex Watch
Rolex Watch: No Lead, No Mercury, No Cadmium, No Arsenic. 🙂 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 the right on this page (or on the bottom if you are on your…
Green Glass Water Bottle – Mountain Valley: 86 ppm Lead + 11 ppm Cadmium (in the glass, not the water.)
When tested with an XRF instrument this Mountain Valley Spring Water green glass water bottle had the following readings: 86 ppm Lead (Pb) 11 ppm Cadmium (Cd) The bottle was Non-Detect (Negative) for Arsenic and Mercury. This level of Lead (and of Cadmium) is considered safe by all standards today. Finding trace levels of Lead…
Louis Vuitton Bag: 5019 ppm Lead [90 is unsafe for kids], 666 ppm Mercury (both found in the metal hardware of the bag)
The Louis Vuitton bag pictured here had the following readings when tested with an XRF instrument: (Buckle Test Results): 5,019 ppm Lead (Pb) 666 ppm Mercury (Hg) All other parts are non-detect for all of the baddies (Hg, Pb, As, & Cd.) For context (since total toxicant levels in purses are not regulated at all)…
Vintage Kitchen Tile
Vintage White Kitchen Tile: 181,000 ppm lead (Pb). 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 the right on this page (or on the bottom if you are on your phone!). If you…
San Pellegrino Water Bottle: 116 ppm Lead in the green glass, 90 is unsafe in items used by kids. Please click & read to learn more.
Originally published: April 4, 2017 Updated: January 15, 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,…
Vintage Yellow Metal Chair
Vintage metal chair. 129,300 ppm lead (Pb). 375 ppm mercury (Hg). 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 the right on this page (or on the bottom if you are on your phone!). If you click on any…
Thank you to all of you who have donated on GoFundMe!
April 2, 2017, Dear everyone—all one hundred and eight of you who have donated a total of $3,506 to this campaign in the past month! THANK YOU! Your support has been so important during this critical time for my advocacy work. This past month your help made it possible for me to pay…