Plastic Toys

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 testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)…

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 when tested with an XRF instrument: Cadmium Lead…

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 when tested with an XRF instrument: Cadmium Lead…

Multi-colored plastic toy frying pan: Non-detect (negative) for Lead, Cadmium, Antimony & Mercury.

When tested with an XRF instrument (for repeated 60-second / 1-minute tests) this plastic toy frying pan had the following set of readings (below): Green Plastic Knob Copper (Cu): 12 +/- 7 ppm Iron (Fe): 99 +/- 17 ppm Titanium (Ti): 883 +/- 203 ppm Orange Plastic Handle Zinc (Zn): 38 +/- 7 ppm Copper…

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 substrate….

1970s Yamaha Recorder: 6,652 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) 4,737 ppm Cadmium (75 is unsafe) & 1,572 ppm Mercury.

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage recorder (musical instrument) had the following readings: This is the reading with the XRF analyzer window focused on the gold of the Yamaha logo: Lead (Pb): 6,662+/- 282 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 4,737 +/-192 ppm Mercury (Hg): 1,572 +/- 107 ppm This is the reading of the brown…

Vintage Fisher Price Doll. Please don’t let your kids play with these dolls. 75 ppm Cadmium (& higher) is illegal in Denmark.

The amount of CADMIUM that is considered toxic (and illegal in Denmark!) in newly manufactured items intended for use by children today, is anything 75 ppm Cadmium or more. Here’s a table from a recent (2015) study about toxicants found in vintage plastic toys. If you click on the table it will take you to…

Vintage Fisher Price Doll. Please don’t let your children play with these dolls. 90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids.

The amount of Lead that is considered toxic (and illegal / unsafe) in newly manufactured items intended for use by children today, is anything over 90 ppm Lead in the paint or coating and anything over 100 ppm Lead in the substrate. Here’s a table from a recent (2015) study about toxicants found in vintage…

Vintage Plastic Fisher Price Doll. Please don’t let your children play with these dolls. 90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids.

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 tile toys of this nature that I have tested (all of the…

Vintage Radio Shack Phone: 1,850 ppm Lead. Remember these things? [Phones? Radio Shack?!]

This vintage Radio Shack brand phone had the following readings when tested with an XRF instrument: Lead (Pb): 1,850 +/- 43 ppm Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect (Nd) Arsenic (As): Non-Detect (Nd) Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd) Antimony (Sb): 190 +/- 28 ppm Barium (Ba): Non-Detect (Nd) Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect (Nd) Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd) People often hold on…

2012 Mardi Gras Beads: 15,800 ppm Lead (Pb) [90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids!] & 2,028 ppm Cadmium (causes cancer).

Blue Metallic Plastic Mardi Gras Beads. When filming for my documentary in New Orleans in February of 2012 we collected quite a few sets of Mardi Gras beads, including this set. When tested with an XRF instrument the blue plastic beads pictured had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 15,800 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 2,028 ppm [This…

2014 Golden Mardi Gras Beads; 1,127 ppm Lead (Pb). 90 ppm & up is unsafe! Please don’t let children play with these.

Gold Plastic Mardi Gras Beads from 2014. In 2014 I did an outreach event at the Charleston Children’s Museum and did XRF testing of consumer goods for folks who came to the museum that day. A nanny came up to my table pushing a toddler in her stroller and I noticed the toddler had these…

XRFTesting: Plastic Doctor Toy Purchased On Amazon in 2018

XRF Test Results for: Plastic Doctor Toys Purchased On Amazon in 2018 Here is my Amazon affiliate link for this toy set.* Words printed on Stethoscope: “Made In China” and “Dongguan”. No other mark or brand info printed on toy. Tests were done without disassembling toy, so results are accurate taking that consideration into account…