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). ...
Read More about This is a summary with links to all our articles on testing vintage toys! (Including FisherPrice, Legos, Hot Wheels & more!)
Search Results for: toys
c. 1989 Flexibear Flexiblocks plastic toy: 1,735 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is considered unsafe/illegal in modern toys.
Introduction (for those new to this website):
Tamara Rubin is an independent advocate for consumer goods safety. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009 and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget ...
Read More about c. 1989 Flexibear Flexiblocks plastic toy: 1,735 ppm Lead. 90 ppm & up is considered unsafe/illegal in modern toys.
2019 Harbor Freight Sledgehammer with Fiberglass Handle, 1055 ppm Lead — Reminder: tools are not toys!
When tested with an XRF instrument, the (Harbor Freight) Pittsburgh brand sledgehammer pictured here had the following readings:
Black painted metal of hammer:
Barium (Ba): 39,200 +/- 3,900 ppm
Bromine (Br): 242 +/- 36 ppm
Tin (Sn): 169 +/- 65 ppm
Zinc (Zn): 610 +/- 141 ...
Read More about 2019 Harbor Freight Sledgehammer with Fiberglass Handle, 1055 ppm Lead — Reminder: tools are not toys!
Pink Plastic Magic Wand Party Favor: 155 ppm Lead (90 & up is unsafe for kids). Please avoid these and similar toys!
I have long recommended avoiding toys like this. They fall in line with Mardi Gras beads (you can see test results for some of those here). Inexpensive plastic items with sparkly / iridescent paint more-often-than-not has a least some Lead (although there are a lot of exceptions with brand ...
Read More about Pink Plastic Magic Wand Party Favor: 155 ppm Lead (90 & up is unsafe for kids). Please avoid these and similar toys!
1986 Dor Mei Toys Spinosaurus: 5,341 ppm Lead. 90 ppm and up is considered illegal and unsafe for toys made today.
The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the substrate. As a result of the high levels of Lead found in this 1986 "Dor Mei" Toys brand ...
Read More about 1986 Dor Mei Toys Spinosaurus: 5,341 ppm Lead. 90 ppm and up is considered illegal and unsafe for toys made today.
Another reason to avoid vintage toys – 1985 Imperial Toys T-Rex: 7,872 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.
The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the substrate. As a result of the high levels of Lead found in this 1985 "Imperial Toys" brand ...
Read More about Another reason to avoid vintage toys – 1985 Imperial Toys T-Rex: 7,872 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.
Another reason to avoid vintage toys — toy triceratops: 6,298 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.
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 ...
Read More about Another reason to avoid vintage toys — toy triceratops: 6,298 ppm Lead. This would be illegal if made today.
This is one of my FAVORITE toys to get my kids — and it is only 25 cents!! [And you can get them all over the country!]
While I generally try to avoid plastic toys for my children, I make some exceptions for simple, durable things that are not battery-operated.
Having been dead-broke for the past several years has also colored what we are able to get for our children as gifts, plus - of course - I have ...
Read More about This is one of my FAVORITE toys to get my kids — and it is only 25 cents!! [And you can get them all over the country!]
1990 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Figurine: Lead Free, Cadmium Free, Arsenic Free!
Every single color of this little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine was tested and not one of them was positive for anything bad (from the standpoint of XRF detectable metals discoverable in consumer goods mode).
This figurine from 1990 was negative / non-detect for the following metals ...
Read More about 1990 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Figurine: Lead Free, Cadmium Free, Arsenic Free!
1988 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys (Made in Macao) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael Figurine: Lead Free
Every single color of this little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine was tested and not one of them was positive for anything bad (from the standpoint of XRF detectable metals discoverable in consumer goods mode).
This figurine from 1988 was negative / non-detect for the following metals ...
Read More about 1988 Mirage Studios Playmates Toys (Made in Macao) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael Figurine: Lead Free
My mother’s best friend’s youngest son’s wife is childhood friends with the owner of this company [But I loved their toys before I learned this!]
Alternate Title: How I *met* Kirsten at Kleynimals
I love this little story, so I wanted to share it with my readers. It's a very small world and birds of a feather flock together and all of that!
So here's the story....
In 2011 I won the Healthy Child Healthy World Mom On A Mission award. ...
Read More about My mother’s best friend’s youngest son’s wife is childhood friends with the owner of this company [But I loved their toys before I learned this!]
Larami Toys brachiosaurus toy dinosaur: 2,213 ppm Lead, 2,721 ppm Antimony. This toy would be illegal if made today.
Scroll down to see additional images, including picture of Dino next to Lego-guy for size!
The amount of Lead that is considered unsafe and illegal in a modern item manufactured for use by children today is anything 90 ppm or higher in the paint or coating or anything 100 ppm or higher in the ...
Read More about Larami Toys brachiosaurus toy dinosaur: 2,213 ppm Lead, 2,721 ppm Antimony. This toy would be illegal if made today.
#AskTamara: “Are the 3M Lead Check swabs sufficient to test the surfaces of toys? Is it better than nothing?”
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). ...
Read More about #AskTamara: “Are the 3M Lead Check swabs sufficient to test the surfaces of toys? Is it better than nothing?”
Discovery Kids 2017 DCL “MerchSource” Magnetic Tile Toys: 18 +/- 2 ppm Arsenic (in the metal hollow rivets.)
Originally published: March 25, 2019
Updated: March 18, 2020
Discovery Toys MagnaTile® knockoffs
When tested with an XRF instrument, the metal hollow rivets on these MerchSource MagnaTile® knockoffs (by Discovery Toys / DiscoveryKids) are positive for Arsenic. This is consistent with all magnetic ...
Read More about Discovery Kids 2017 DCL “MerchSource” Magnetic Tile Toys: 18 +/- 2 ppm Arsenic (in the metal hollow rivets.)