Vintage Tin

Vintage Red Plaid Thermos Brand Lunchbox: 58,400 ppm Lead + 6 ppm Mercury (90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids)

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…

Vintage Tin, McCormick’s Bee Brand Absolutely Pure Cream Tartar: 10,300 ppm Lead on the painted exterior

1939 Physician’s Sample Tin of Baby Formula: 456,200 ppm Lead. Frankly the implications of this one are terrifying.

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage tin of “Mead Johnson & Co” baby formula supplement (a “Physician’s Sample” – “Not to be sold”) had the following readings (on the the sealing line of the tin when tested for a minimum of 60 seconds). Lead (Pb): 456,200 +/- 3,400 ppm Chromium (Cr): 660…

Vintage Tin, UCA Salve: 9,692 ppm Lead + 231 ppm Mercury. Don’t let your kids play with vintage tins.

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage tin of “UCA Salve – The Dependable Household Ointment” had the following readings (on the painted logo surface, when tested for a minimum of 120 seconds). Lead (Pb): 9,692 +/- 245 ppm Mercury (Hg): 231 +/- 104 ppm Barium (Ba): 1,997 +/- 200 ppm Chromium (Cr): 3,519…

Vintage Tin, Cuticura Ointment: 24,000 ppm Lead + 209 ppm Cadmium. Don’t let your kids play with vintage tins.

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage tin of “Cuticura Ointment” had the following readings (on the painted logo surface, when tested for a minimum of 60 seconds). Lead (Pb): 24,000 +/- 600 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 209 +/- 52 ppm Chromium (Cr): 4,818 +/- 198 ppm Tin (Sn): 6.932 +/- 213 ppm Iron (Fe):…

Vintage Tin, Sample Man-Zan Cream for Rectal Discomfort: 1,805 ppm Lead + 975 ppm Mercury [! Speaks for itself.]

When tested with an XRF instrument this tiny vintage tin of “Man-Zan” cream (“for rectal discomfort”) had the following readings (on the painted logo surface, when tested for a minimum of 60 seconds). Lead (Pb): 1,805 +/- 160 ppm Mercury (Hg): 975 +/- 197 ppm Chromium (Cr): 602 +/- 122 ppm Tin (Sn): 37,900 +/-…

Oh the irony! Vintage metal Band-Aid tin, painted in Lead Paint! 2,193 +/- 147 ppm Lead! [90 ppm is unsafe for kids.]

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage Band-Aid box had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 2,193 +/- 147 ppm Chromium (Cr): 1,022 +/- 126 ppm Zinc (Zn): 2,897 +/- 267 ppm Copper (Cu): 433 +/- 172 ppm Iron (Fe): 851,800 +/- 1,800 ppm Titanium (Ti): 128,600 +/- 1,200 ppm Cobalt (Co): 8,264 +/- 1,305…

XRF Test Results For Vintage WWII Era Coffee, Tea & Biscuit Tins.

When testing the World War II era food storage tins (using XRF technology) I found that they were painted with high lead paint. Please take a close look at the photo (below) and see how much of the paint has worn off of these canisters over the years. To learn more about XRF testing, click…

#Cadmium: Small Toy Copper Coffee Pot

This little antique/ vintage toy coffee pot is 999,700 ppm copper on the outside (basically a pure copper exterior), but the inside (which would touch an beverage poured into it by a child is positive for cadmium when tested with an XRF instrument: Cadmium reading: 1,248 +/- 154 ppm. Read more about cadmium toxicity here….

Antique “An-Du-Septic” Dustless Crayon Artista Water Colors Tin: 73,800 ppm Lead

Many vintage tins are positive for Lead and other toxicants (for example: Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic) and I would be very wary about using vintage tins for your holiday cookie exchanges (among other food-use purposes!) New Lead-free tins can be purchased at Dollar Tree stores (or similar) and are much safer for food use applications….