I think I have a love for testing things for lead and other heavy metals. When the opportunity arises I just can’t not. When I first tested several years ago I was shocked at how much lead was in my home and the products I used.
Since then I have revamped my standards and products I buy (see my Amazon Storefront for vetted non-toxic items). I trust certain companies after testing several times and emailing with them. Each time I buy a new product I research and reach out to the companies. The drawback to this is sometimes the buying process is slow. The benefit to this is that I do not impulse buy ever. Here is the complete list of the 120 items or so that I tested.
Disclaimer: These statements are my opinions. I am not a doctor, contractor, scientist or certified in lead containment. These views below are based on my research and testing. I am not responsible for any outcomes you have based on this article and this is not considered medical advice. Please always consult with the proper professionals when seeking guidance.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
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Testing for Lead
Each test was performed by using a XRF with a 30 second reading. I have follow up posts that will give recommendations on brands that I recommend after doing this and several other rounds of testing.
All values I give are in parts per million (ppm). If I give a range of levels like 32-41 that means it was tested twice and those were the readings. Safe levels of lead are zero in my opinion. Toys have to be under 90ppm lead. Keep that in mind when looking at levels. Cadmium is a very under-discussed but toxic metal.
Most all of these items were new when tested. I tested a few items from my house and I will note which items those were (i.e. not new).
Also to note, this does not tell us if it leaches from a product. Only that it is in the product. I’m would like to start doing leach testing research to see how concerned we should be about cadmium in certain consumer goods for example. See the end of my post for more information on how concerned you should be.
What is Lead and Cadmium?
Lead is neurotoxin that causes brain damage. It is especially dangerous for young kids but also affects adults. There is no safe level of lead in my opinion. The level considered safe in toys is 90ppm.
Cadmium is toxic metal that is linked to dermatitis, heart disease and cancer to name a few. 40ppm is the threshold for cadmium in consumer products.
Lead Test Results
I had some SHOCKERS in here. I also was happy about a lot of the results.
If you find this list helpful and want to support future testing please consider using my Amazon affiliate links to shop through. You can click on any item but you do not need to purchase that item. Whatever you add to your cart after you click on an items in my Amazon shop will send a very small dollar amount to me. It does not cost you anything more but will allow me to continue funding future testing. Doing this test and reporting all this information took about 10 times longer than I had thought, it was a huge effort. Thank you for your support!
See below for my full list. I took pictures AFTER testing and it starting raining on me so the pictures are marginal at best. I had hoped to take pictures during testing but it wasn’t possible with how busy it was during testing.
Kitchen:
Cookware: See my post of what cookware I recommend here!
- Visions Cookware – free of lead, cadmium and any other metals. Old Vision cookware is NOT free of all heavy metals. Only buy new, don’t use the old.
- DeMinerals Pan – inside the pan 131ppm lead +/- 76, 20ppm cadmium +/- 6 in handle. We were shocked by this result. LEAD inside the pan. No lead in the handle though. Possibly the lead is in the coating that is on the inside of the pan or possibility the pan is made of a different material than the handle.
- Le Creuset Red – no lead inside or outside, cadmium 13,700 – 18,900ppm +/- 1,400-1,500 on the outside and 27- 49ppm +/-13 on the inside. To note, the XRF can not pull cadmium numbers from the outside of the pan to the inside with material like this – so this is representative of what is actually on the inside or outside. That being said, it can for materials like wood and other more porous items but it not cast iron pull through metals like cast iron or stainless steel. I have multiple LC pieces that are lead and cadmium free on the inside. See my cookware post to find out more about which LC are suppose to be heavy metal-free!
- Le Creuset Marseilles blue – outside 76ppm lead, 27ppm cadmium, no other metals, inside no lead or cadmium
- Le Creuset Dune – outside no lead, 25ppm cadmium, inside no lead or cadmium.
- Le Creuset Caribbean – outside 81ppm lead, 24ppm cadmium, inside no lead, 26ppm cadmium
- Finex cast iron – inside the pan 99.3% iron, no lead, no cadmium. Stainless handle no lead, cadmium or any other metals. Brass knob 33,900ppm lead, no cadmium. This was a big surprise for me. I contacted them a year before buying about their brass. I asked if it was lead free because often times brass has lead. They said yes after asking their manufacturer. Everything was lead free. This brass knob kept me from buying for a year. I saw them at a local store and decided to go for it. I love their pan. I am disappointed. I’ve emailed them the results, let them know my disappointment, and asked them to replace with a lead free knob. They responded and short term provided stainless steel replacement knobs (they no longer off this). They did CA prop 65 leach testing on these brass handles and it passed – meaning it is not leaching.
- Calphalon Stainless Steel pot – no lead, cadmium, or any other metals on the pot or handle
De Buyers Mineral – lead inside the pan
Finex – high levels of lead on the brass handle (later they CA prop 65 lead tested for leaching and they passed).
Insulated Water Bottles:
- Klean Kanteen insulated stainless water bottle – 304 Stainless Steel, no lead or cadmium
- Yeti Insulated Stainless Mug – no lead or cadmium
Glass Jars:
- Weck – 139pp +/- 32 lead, no cadmium. This is the third time I’ve tested Weck over the last several years. They all have been positive in the 139-150ppm range. I no longer use Weck which is a huge disappointment because an all glass food storage and canning jar would be amazing.
- Le Parfait glass jar – 101ppm lead, 9ppm +/- 6 cadmium
- Ball Mason jelly jar – no lead, cadmium or any other metals in the glass or lid. See my Non-Toxic Dishes Post here.
Popsicle Molds (items we owned and were not new):
- Onyx Stainless circle popsicle mold – no lead or cadmium
- Onyx Stainless square possible mold – no lead or cadmium
Food Storage:
- Anchor Hocking True Seal Glass Storage with green lid. Glass was clean, no toxins. The green part of the lid had 11ppm +/- 5 of cadmium. This is a low level but when coming into contact with food it is not. This was disappointing to me but I don’t think it’s a risk.
- Glass Lock (tested by a reader). I own these and talked with her after finding cadmium in the lid of the Anchor Hocking. The glass and lid are lead and cadmium free.
Dishes & Utensils (items we owned and were not new):
- Anchor Hocking new presence bowl – no lead or cadmium. See my Non-Toxic Dishes Post here.
- Henckels knife – 430/40 Stainless Steel – no lead or cadmium
- Klean Kanteen Stainless cup – no lead or cadmium. We’ve owned these for year. I’m a fan of glass now but we still use these occasionally.
- Stainless tongs – no brand listed – no lead or cadmium
- Dansk child’s stainless steel spoon – no lead or cadmium. This wasn’t mine, I was testing for a friend.
Other Kitchen Items:
- Anchor Hocking glass measuring cup – no lead or cadmium
- Anchor Hocking large glass measuring cup – no lead or cadmium
- Colander – this was not new and there is no brand listed – no lead or cadmium
- Mesh Strainer (working on getting brand name) – no lead or cadmium
- LunchBots blue lid (for stainless food container) – this was not new – no lead or cadmium
- Ecojarz stainless mason jar lid – no lead or cadmium
Kid’s Shoes:
- Keens – brown boots with fur. No lead, cadmium, or any other metals
- Boggs boots – no lead but cadmium in the 23-24ppm range +/- 8-9
- Agile Red Rain boots – 46ppm lead +/- 17, Cadmium 28ppm lead +/- 9
- See Kai Run Blue Shoes – no lead, cadmium, or any other metals
- Keens Grey, black and red shoe – no lead, cadmium, or any other metals
- See Kai Run Black and Red shoe – no lead, 18ppm +/- 7 cadmium, no other metals
- Umi blue shoe – no lead, cadmium, or any other metals
- Bobux shoe – no lead, cadmium, or any other metals. This is interesting to note. Previously I had tested two of their shoes and had lead on the sole for both pairs. Bobox didn’t offer testing or take responsibility. They claimed we must have stepped in lead dust. However, we had other shoes that had zero lead so I never believed that to be true. I wish I had tested two pairs of their shoes this round. Maybe they found their issue and fixed it. I see this as a positive but I am also not 100% sold.
- Converse – tested the sole, uppers, and grommets. The sole had 14ppm of cadmium. Everything else was clean.
- Stonz purple rain boot – no lead, cadmium 21 +/- 17, no other metals
- Hunter yellow rain boots – no lead, cadmium 32 +/- 7
- Hatley anchor rain boots – lead 21ppm +/- 13, cadmium 12 +/- 7. The sole had 12ppm of lead +/- 7
Kid’s Toys:
Please see my Toys Post for safe, vetted recommendations. I personally look for zero lead and cadmium in our toys. Under 90ppm of lead and 40ppm of cadmium is considered safe.
- Caaocho Mele the Sea Turtle – no lead
- Caaocho Sensory Ball – no lead
- Crocodile Creek Red Ball with dogs – no lead, cadmium 33ppm
- Crocodile Creek green ball – no lead, cadmium 24ppm +/- 9
- Hatley Umbrella – no lead, cadmium, or other heavy metals. I haven’t vetted the waterproofing they use on this yet.
- Honeystick crayons – the purple crayon had 21ppm of cadmium. All other colors were clean of any metals (pink, green, white, brown, red, yellow, dark blue, dark green, blue and tan). I followed up with Honeysticks and they insist the test their crayons and have not found cadmium. I would like to investigate lower levels of cadmium by comparing a lab test with an XRF test.
- Filana crayons (these were our crayons that had been used) – red, yellow, black, green – no lead, cadmium or any other metals.
- WeeCan Too green square crayon – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Haba Nail Game – made in China – tested the nails, cork, hammer, green, yellow, red and blue pieces – all were free of any heavy metals. I’m not promoting or advocating for toys made in China. Quality control issues still exist there. I just wanted to test one toy from Haba made in China & one made in Germany.
- Haba clutching toy – made in Germany – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Veggie Sidewalk Chalk – all colors were free of all heavy metals including lead and cadmium.
- Hevea Rubber Bath toy – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Grimms small rainbow stacker (not every color tested) – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Grimms blue boat with people inside – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Ostheimer figures:
- Brown pig – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Chicken – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Cat – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Holztiger:
- Mushroom – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Dog – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- An old basketball from when I was a kid – lead 49-67ppm +/-22-24, 22ppm +/- 10 cadmium, no other metals
- Cone (soccer cone our neighbor brought over for my kids) – 58ppm +/- 16 lead, no other metals. I was suspect of this cone, turns out my gut was right. I am returning the cones to our neighbors.
- Kid’s guitar from China (one of the 2 toys from China in our house). I’ve been suspect of this guitar since day one. It was gifted to my child by someone we see often and my son LOVES it. It broke earlier this year and I saved it to test one day. The base of the guitar was fine. The knobs which hold the strings in place had 28,000ppm lead and 1,032 ppm cadmium. In the metal on the handle there was 236ppm +/- 32 mercury. Going to start trusting my gut and getting rid of toys that I don’t feel right about.
- New kid’s ukulele – I bought the last one that I had been eyeing for a year. It’s made in the USA by a company that went out of business. It was totally lead and heavy metal free.
- Old leather soccer ball (by old I mean prob 75 years old) – 79-86ppm lead, no other metals. This was my grandfather’s soccer ball. It’s old leather ball that I use to have my son play with in our house. I thought it was better than the toxic version today (and before I found my non-toxic soccer balls). Vintage/antiques and children do not mix. This hasn’t been used in at least a year and I’m not bringing it back out.
- Rock climbing wall steps from our Cedar Works playlet – no lead, cadmium or any other metals. Very happy about this one!
- Wooden top – no lead or cadmium
- Wooden top with dice – no lead, cadmium 27ppm
Women’s Shoes:
- Boggs – toe had no lead but 20 +/- cadmium and no other metals, the leg had 36ppm lead +/- 18, 28 +/- cadmium and no other metals, the grommets were copper & zinc, the sole had 19ppm lead +/- 10. I tested Boggs previously and they had lead at higher levels. At the time I reached out to the company. They then shared with me a spreadsheet that showed their testing. Some were completely lead free. Others had decently high levels of lead (in the 200ppm range). They offered to send me a free pair of LEAD FREE Boggs but I declined because how could I make a purchasing decision about Boggs in the future. It seems like there are some that still have lead and others that don’t. It’s not a gamble that I am willing to take. We avoid Boggs.
- Hunter black rain boots – 24 +/- 8 cadmium on the leg. The leg, logo, grommet, and buckle were all lead, cadmium and other metal free.
- Cliff Dweller leather shoe – no lead, cadmium or any other metals. These are really expensive shoes. I only have this pair but wanted to test them because of the price tag!
- Feel Goodz Flip Flop – on the logo lead was 189ppm, on the flip flop material no lead, cadmium was 17 +/- 7. I will be contacting them about the logo. Seriously disappointing. I didn’t test my son’s flip flops but now wish I did. A reader of this blog tested her flip flops and there was no lead on the logo. Our logos are different. See below to see the difference in the logos.
Random Items:
- Penn Tennis Ball – no lead, cadmium or other heavy metals. I still don’t consider this non-toxic but at least I won’t stress when my kid picks one up occasionally.
- Mountain Valley Spring Water in green glass – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Mountain Valley Spring Water Sparkling in green glass – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
- Water Right 500 series hose – the hose and stainless metal spout were both lead, cadmium and other metal free.
- Brass hinge on our kitchen cupboards – 950ppm lead. Changing these out pronto!
- IKEA screw – 213ppm mercury, no other metals
- Dice – no lead, 32 +/- cadmium in one spot. In another no cadmium.
- Environmental Lights Christmas Lights – no lead, cadmium or any other metals. I was very happy to confirm their lead free claims.
- Golf ball – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
Health & Wellness:
- Ancient Minerals Magnesium bath flakes – no lead, cadmium or any other metals. Interesting to note, no magnesium was detected either. I’m not an expert on the XRF so I don’t know if since it is magnesium sulfate if it would detect that or not.
- Dr. Teals Epsom Salt – no lead, cadmium 14 +/- 5, no other metals
- Bentonite clay – lead 46ppm +/- 14. Cadmium 14ppm. No other metals. This one is HUGE. People ingest bentonite clay for detoxing, toothpaste, etc. It’s used widely on the body and come in a powdery / dusty form. You have to mix with water for it to become a paste. Consuming lead at 46ppm is a VERY BAD IDEA. This is toxic. There are lots of natural people out there promoting bentonite clay. My advice STEER CLEAR OF ANYTHING WITH BENTONITE CLAY. I’ll have a more detailed post up later about this.
Door Knobs:
I had a doorknob in my house test for 27,000ppm lead. This has lead me on a search for a lead free doorknob. I was happy to find some options! These results are specific to each knob, this does NOT mean that each knob by this company is lead free.
- Karsher – Stainless Steel – no lead or cadmium
- Inox – claim to be Stainless Steel – no lead or cadmium
- Valli & Valli – ranged from 933 to 10,300ppm lead
- Emtek – 3,351 to 27,500ppm lead
- Omnia – Stainless Steel – no lead or cadmium
- Amerock pull knob – no lead or cadmium
- Top Knobs – no lead or cadmium
- Baldwin, Schlague, Kwikset, Defiant nickel – no lead or cadmium
- Liberty hinges – no lead, cadmium or any other metals
Home Goods:
- Pottery Barn Chandelier (purchased in 2012 or 2013) – no lead, cadmium or other metals in the crystal drops or the frame (the frame was 95% iron and the rest zinc). This was SO surprising. I emailed pottery barn about this chandiler and they told me not only did the crystals have lead but the entire thing including the metal frame had lead.
- House key, car key & post office box key all had 5,000 – 8,000ppm lead. Never let your kids play with your keys, wash your hands after touching your keys, and keep them in a place to limit contact with other items!
- Restoration Hardware: I got approval from my local store to go in and test a few things. I was really interested in some lighting they had in their 1920’s Odeon Lighting Collection. They claimed that it was lead free through our 20 or so emails. I wanted verification – which I got – woo hoo for lead free lighting! We also tested a few other items as well. A random faucet we tested, a dresser, a dining room table, and a coffee table were all lead free (and cadmium free too). A dining room table centerpiece tested at 15,900ppm of lead!
How Concerned Should You Be By This Lead Testing?
I aim for lead free because I do not think the risks are worth it. Especially when there are lead free alternatives that I share on my blog. Take my kid’s guitar, it was well above the safe limits for lead & cadmium (and mercury!) but it is sold and marketed as a child’s product. This should absolutely not be happening but it does happen all the time. This is why I continue to test and continue to offer safe products. You can decide for you if you want a zero tolerance policy or if you want to just use products that are below the recommended levels set by our government.
It’s also worth noting that just because it is there doesn’t mean it leaches. It can, and does, leach from some products but not all. This is how I prioritize, if you have a lead paint issue or live in an older home you should strongly consider hiring someone to test your house so you know exactly where your risks are. You can more about Lead Prevention Strategies here.
If you are going to do a remodel, in a newer house or older house, you should have someone come test before you remodel. Lead in tiles is totally unregulated in this country. You could be removing tile that has lead creating a huge lead dust issue. I’ve tested at least a dozen different tiles, new and old, and some have lead and some don’t.
After that, I focus on my kid’s products and products in my kitchen. I’m less concerned if my rain boots have lead on the bottom of the rubber and more concerned if my kid’s toys have lead in them. Hope this helps with some perspective!
Feel free to share any items you have had tested below!
Interested In More Lead Testing Results? Check Out My Other Lead Testing Results Page!
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Wowzers! Surprising results! I’m quite ticked off about the feelgoodz because they told me their shoes tested free of all heavy metals. Now I wonder about their fabric shoes we have. Thank you for sharing! All your posts are incredibly informative.
Yeah I was less than thrilled with Feel Goodz after all the correspondence I have had with them. It seems like different logos have different materials. I will post the picture of the other lead free logo as soon as I get it. I will also test my son’s flip flops too.
Shannon,
I have the Anchor Hocking True Seal Glass Storage with green lid and use all the time to store my sons food! I also have some glass Pyrex storage with different colored lids. Is there an option to replace the Anchor Hocking lids with clear maybe? Should I email them? I sure hope this hasn’t been leaching…my food doesn’t touch the lid but I wash it with all my other dishes. Thank you!
I think not having food contact you are fine. Food doesn’t touch our lids either but I’m still not happy about it. I will be getting in touch with them soon for sure.
Is there a kids ball you could recommend? The crocodile creek was my go-to!
Sadly, no. I do have some from a company in Australia called RREPP. The use to make natural latex sports balls in adult & children’s sizes. I bought several from him years ago. I tested them and they were free of all heavy metals. Sadly, he doesn’t make the latex ones anymore but does make traditional polyurethane. I don’t know if his new ones are any better from a toxins standpoint than other balls.
What brand house key was it? I contacted our company and according to them it doesn’t have lead but I’m not sure
I don’t know the brand, just a typically brass house key. I would say any brass key you have will have lead. Even keys that don’t look like brass still have a strong potential unless you are buying aluminum keys.
The lead can often be found in the lubricant of the lock – some car keys and house keys are lead free, but there may be lead in the lock lubricant – which is why babies should never chew on them.
Thank you so much for doing this and sharing!
You’re welcome!
Wow SO disappointed about anchor hocking it’s all we use.. Now I am so annoyed I will have to get rid of all of the lids. I wish you tested a Pyrex too. Thanks Shannon!
I’ll be testing pyrex and other AH lids too. I was surprised by that result as well.
Wow!!! Thank you so much, Shannon! This is EXCELLENT information and SO helpful!
I will be making some adjustments to the things in our home. I was dissappointed with the results of the glass food storage, as that’s what we use. Ugh! What do you suggest as a safe alternative?
Also, would you please fix your link to your post for kids toys? It wasn’t linked. ????
And, I will happily use your affiliate link. Thank you for all you do!
The glass lock I linked tested clean. I’m going to test a Pyrex lid at some point too. Thanks for letting me know about the link to the toy post 🙂 Thanks for your support too!
Thanks so much for this! I’m wondering about the play balls…I feel like play balls are important but it’s disheartening to fond that even the “good” ones aren’t heavy metal free. Have you ever tested one that was? I’ve been meaning to buy the caaocho sensory ball. It’s the only sensory ball I’ve found that’s supposedly non toxic so to find its not is so frustrating. Any ideas on safe play balls?
I haven’t found one. I do have some from a company in Australia called RREPP. The use to make natural latex sports balls in adult & children’s sizes. I bought several from him years ago. I tested them and they were free of all heavy metals. Sadly, he doesn’t make the latex ones anymore but does make traditional polyurethane. I don’t know if they are any better from a toxins standpoint than other balls.
Oh my goodness, and the dr. Teals Epsom salt….I really want to test other Epsom salts now. I give my son Epsom salt baths….yikes! Have you reached out to Dr. Teals about this?
I haven’t yet just getting this up was too time consuming. I’m going to start reaching out to companies soon. So disappointing, I know!
Is this the Dansk spoon you tested? https://www.amazon.com/piece-baby-duck-flatware-Dansk/dp/B00JSJ8AZQ/ref=sr_1_1?srs=3023834011&ie=UTF8&qid=1485457948&sr=8-1&keywords=baby
No, I’ll get a picture of it and upload it tonight!
This is great! Q: Do you know of regular chalk that is Lead-free? I noticed that you had the Wee Can Too Veggie sidewalk chalk tested. Do you know if any other standard chalk brands are safe? Prang, crayola, etc. – ones that would be in a classroom?
Thank you 🙂 I haven’t researched regular chalk and honestly have been putting it off… but that would have been great to test!
What flatware do you all use?
We use Vega Wang which was part of our wedding registry. It is lead free but it’s not an affordable every day line. We splurged on our flatware when we registered for whatever reason (maybe figuring this would be something we would never buy ourselves). I’ve heard IKEA flatware has tested lead free.
Thank you for doing this!! Do you know the brand of the stainless steel pot you tested?
You’re welcome! 🙂 It’s Calphalon – no research done on them buying buy as it was my pre non-toxic days.
Would you say that crocodile creek is currently the safest on the market for outside play only, when kids are likely to have their hands washed prior to eating?? When it for sure won’t be in the mouth.
I probably would be ok with it for outside play with hand washing after. I have more leniency with toys outside than I do inside 🙂 I so wish someone would make an FSC Latex ball again!
I just got my baby’s blood work result. I extremely cautious, but we live in a 1920 house. It’s so upsetting that even with all the efforts he got a >2 result.
Thank you for giving us guidance. Your blog is the best!
Thank you! Did the lab only test down lower than 2 or was the result just a less than 2? If less than 2 that could mean anything from 1.9 to zero.
You have only tested the green ‘tru seal’ lids, right? Those are made in China:( Have you tested any other anchor hocking lids? Regular lids are made in USA
Thanks for bringing up that point! I will test some more anchor hocking lids for sure, as well as some Pyrex.
So 2/3 of your glass mason jars tested positive?:( I also thought glass is one safe option.
No, where did you read that on my post? I want to make sure it isn’t reading unclear 🙂 All my Ball Mason jars have tested clean. My Weck jars have tested positive multiple times (not mason jars).
You have mentioned “Grimms small rainbow stacker (not every color tested) – no lead, cadmium or any other metals”
Which colors were tested that came out clean?
I didn’t want to unwrap the plastic so we just tested the top (red) and bottom (purple). I’ve tested other Grimms in the past and they have always been clean.
Sorry, I meant to say 2/3 of your Glass jars tested positive. I was under impression that clear glass is always a safe bet, and Im really disappointed that it can be contaminated too:(
Oh, yes, it can be. However, lead leaching out of glass is totally different than lead leaching out of crystal for example. This is why I test, just so I know 🙂
Thank you for all of your hard work! It is much appreciated! I was so disappointed to hear about the Caaocho sensory rainbow ball. I just wanted to share some information. This is what the company told me:
“thank you for your email. I understand your concern, especially when it
comes to products for your little one, as i have a little girl too, well,
no so little anymore, she is 9. However, she grew up with CaaOcho toys and
she was the reason we started this business.
All CaaOcho toys are tested by a third party testing laboratory approved
by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission organization according to
strict safety standards of North America and Europe. None of the toy
component contains either Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) or any other heavy
metal. We only use high quality rubber and pigments for decoration
imported from Malaysia. Below are links to our safety test reports for
2015 and 2017:
for 2015: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_oB7iNoojZVN1haWkRqN1hrbFk
for 2017: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_oB7iNoojZVTW5UZFlaci1lam8
Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.”
What do you think? Have they said something similar to you? How should I respond?
Thank you!
Companies say this all the time but often times they do have the things in them that they say they don’t. I’ll send it to a third part lab if they want to pay to test it! This is why I don’t typically buy things from China. Especially toys. I just can’t trust it. Things change in the supply chain all the time.
Thanks for your reply. I’ll reach out to them and see what they say. It’s so challenging when you can’t trust companies that you thought were trustworthy. Thanks again for all of your hard work!
I heard back from Caaocho. Here is their response when I told them about your testing results:
“I understand your confusion, i would be confused myself if this happened to me.
All safety tests for our toys are conducted by professional testing laboratories approved by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The tests are thoroughly done by dissolving the testing material by means of different chemicals. Normally, a few days is required to conclude the results of heavy metals existence. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing technology shows the results within seconds and is not by far as accurate as the method our laboratory uses.
Here’s an explanation of XRF testing technology i received from a testing lab specialist (in this case he used Lead as an example but it applies to all heavy metals) :
“Because the XRF testing method is not the most accurate method, it will
always read with a deviation of ppm of lead. This means that although your
product received a None Detected reading for lead, let’s say that means it
is very low (ie: 1 – 20 ppm), with a deviation of 12, this means that if the
actual ppm value was 14, the machine reads a buffer zone based on its
accuracy of about plus or minus 12 ppm.
Please let me know if you need anything else or if you would like me to give
it another shot at explanation. These machines and their results,
calibration, and “user friendliness” can be a bit confusing sometimes.”
I hope this helps.”
What are your thoughts regarding their response?
Are they saying that their balls are 100% lead and cadmium free? Yes, the reference range provides a plus or minus but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. I understand they are approved by the CPSC but that doesn’t mean they are lead & cadmium free. It only means that they are below the allowable levels.
Thanks for explaining their response. I will get in contact with them again. Keep you posted.
Hi Shannon,
I asked them again directly if they were 100% free of heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Here is their most recent response:
“Yes, CaaOcho toys are 100% heavy metal free. If you look at the safety test report, see attached, page 7 describes the testing results for heavy metals, among which is Cadmium. The MDL column stands for Method Detection Level and it’s set to 5 mg/kg (ppm). The test shows N.D (not detected) even though the limit allowed for testing to pass is 75 mg/kg (ppm), see column Limit.
I also just got off the phone with an EXR specialist from Innov-X Technologies Canada Ltd, the company specializes in XRF technologies. His name was Ian and he explained that XRF device are never used for commercial testing, it’s merely a check. If it shows something unusual, then a commercial testing in a laboratory needs to be performed. And that’s what we do regularly. We test our toys according to ASTM-F63 (for North America) and EN71 (for Europe) and none of those tests allows XRF testing technologies due to inaccuracy.
Ian explained that it’s not just about pulling the trigger on the device to test a material. It depends on the kind of the devise (hi-end, consumer), complexity of the software and algorithms involved, software setup etc.
As i mentioned before, our tests are conducted by a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) accredited laboratories. We tested the toys by two different laboratories and the results were the same: no heavy metals detected.
We also export CaaOcho toys to the non North American or European markets like Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand where the distributors had to test the toys according to their safety standards, and no heavy metals were detected either. “
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for the update on the Feelgoodz rubber flip flops. What exactly are the differences between the 2 logos on their flip flops? Which logo tested positive for lead? It could be my computer but I couldn’t see the logos in the photos that clearly.
Also, did all of their rubber flip flops test positive for the cadmium that you found in that original pair too?
At this point, what would you recommend? If the logo doesn’t have lead but the flip flop itself has cadmium, would you still let your family use them?
Originally, I was so thrilled to learn about this company and their “natural rubber” products. Again, very disappointed with the findings.
Thanks so much, Shannon! Have you ever tested the EcoJarz stainless steel straws? We have several of them, so I’m curious.
Also, do you have other anchor hocking glass storage sets to test already? The one we have from Crate and Barrel is linked below. The lids are made in the USA…I’m curious how they test:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/anchor-hocking-20-piece-glass-storage-set/s557290?a=1552&campaignid=622767084&adgroupid=28469965136&targetid=pla-59318142069&pla_sku=557290&scid=scplp557290&sc_intid=557290&adpos=1o1&device=c&network=g&gclid=CPnU_Jyk89ECFYdbfgodo2cNYg
I tested the stainless mason jar lid from Ecojarz but never the straws. I can test next time. I am planning on testing more Anchor Hocking storage containers. This one was a new one, we didn’t own it. I’ll try some of the ones with the lids made in the USA.
Sounds good, thanks Shannon!
Shannon, is there a part 2 of testing my stuff for lead? I see “testing my stuff for lead” and then “testing my stuff for lead part 3”. Am I missing a post somewhere? Thanks! 🙂
Good catch, part 2 I haven’t posted yet because it was mostly my house that I tested. I will post the consumer goods I tested at some point soon 🙂
Like everyone commenting I am so appreciative of sharing your results and information. I am very curious what bentonite clay you tested. I’ve read that most clay does contain small amount of lead (not ok for ingesting) except that the clay actually never releases the lead unless it touches metal. And how did you test it? I would like to be able to test mine but I’m assuming you used the XRF on it.
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for all of this information! I just got my 9 month old daughters blood tested for lead too, and it came back with a “less than 2” result. Is this something I should be concerned about? Should I ask specifically if they can tell me what the level was since that’s just a range?
Thanks again!
Hi. Thank you SO much for this information.
What color is your Water Right hose?
Is it sold on Amazon?
Hi, you are welcome! We own this one http://amzn.to/2kJo6R9 with the stainless steel. I went with stainless steel to make sure lead free. At the time they had black available so that is what I bought.
I stumbled across your posts while looking into Weck Jars–I’ve been wanting to start canning, but I’m uneasy about the mystery-plastic lined lids of Ball (which, in Australia, are comparable in price to Weck!)
ANYWAY, I don’t know if this is helpful to you at all (they’re certainly not as pretty), but in Australia, we have a brand of preserving jar called Fowlers Vacola. They’re actually the most popular/common/standard down here. The lid, sadly, isn’t glass, but is stainless steel and they seal with a rubber ring (like Weck). If you’re using them for canning/preserving, I wonder if it might be a workable alternative? I’ll be looking into them shortly ????
Wondering what shoes are safe to buy for my 1 year old daughter. Do you have any suggestions for those?
For early walkers I buy from Little Pitter Pat on ETSY – I do all organic, inside and out. I also buy veggie tanned Soft Star shoes.
Have you ever tested Staub cast iron cookware or Lodge cast iron cookware (the non enamelled Lodge) for metals of any kind….lead…etc? Thank you
Hello Natural Baby Mama!
Kyle here again! I reached out in February asking about what test method/report was used to discover the lead/cadmium in our flip-flops? I would love to get this information from you so that I can share it with our suppliers. This is certainly a surprise to us, and we want to get to the bottom of it!
Thank you!
Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for your message. Sorry I didn’t receive your message from February. My direct email is [email protected]. A Niton XRF xl3t was used. Please email me and we can discuss. Thanks for reaching out.
I know this post is a couple years old, but did you ever do a separate post on doorknobs? I can’t find it. Thanks!
I did not but you can find stainless steel knobs at Home Depot. I also tested nickel knobs at home depot and the cheaper end knobs were lead free. Higher end might have brass (lead) under.
Hi, Thank you so much for all of this information! I’m buying door handles this week. I’ll go with stainless steel for interior, but prefer a black handle for the exterior entrance door. What is your advice on finding lead and cadmium free exterior door handles as well as smart lock deadbolts (that don’t require keys)?
We use 60 yr. old flatware that I got a grocery store when I spent a certain amount of money.
Could there be lead in the flatware?
There could be but they could also be totally fine. There is no way of knowing without testing. Do you know what type of metal it is? Have you ever had your lead levels tested? I would maybe start there. If your lead levels are a concern then you could assume that your flatware is safe. I hope this helps.
Hi Shannon
I had bought the Feelgoodz flip flops in 2017 and was looking at them again as can’t find brown rubber flip flops elsewhere. Have you done any follow up testing, or talked with the company more? I can’t really tell a difference between the logos though the shoes are different.
My last conversation was with them years ago. They felt they were safe/fine as is and didn’t have any plans then to change the logo. I’ve been buying Ollie Flip Flops or Planet Flip Flops. I haven’t tested either but they are also natural rubber.
Hi! Which would you say has the better seal? – Le Parfait or Ball? Also, I am concerned about the lids on the Ball jars.
Thank you
You can get stainless steel lids from EcoJarz. We have those instead of the Ball lids.