Know what is in your environment

Say it isn't so Yoda! Cadmium and Lead found in Star Wars Figurines

Owning an environmental testing company, I am fairly numb as to where I find certain heavy metals like lead.  However, today I must say I’m saddened to find lead and cadmium in toys I use to play with as a child and know that many of these toys are still around today, in homes with children.

Over the weekend, I was contacted by a concerned mother of two beautiful boys; she wanted to make sure that the toys and items they would play with are free from environmental toxicants.   This morning she visited our office (Essco Safety Check) to have me test some items from lead using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers, however, I found more than just lead, I found cadmium too.

The problem with today’s test is much like every other day, the randomness as to where I find, what I find.  Why does one figurine have lead or cadmium and another doesn’t?  It could be the coloring agents, or it could be involved in the making of plastic, or just a random element mixed in to the item during production.  But regardless, it is present and was found in some fairly high quantities.  

Today I tested approximately 30 Star Wars figurines and found approximately half to contain lead or cadmium.  You should note that these Star Wars figurines I tested and found with lead or cadmium are from 1977, 1979 & 1980 (marked on each figurine), they are fairly old and were manufactured before particular regulations regarding lead.  But regardless of when they were manufactured, some of these figurines contain harmful heavy metals, making them toxic toys.

Yoda contains approximately 1,800 PPM of cadmium, along with a Luke Skywalker figurine and Boba Fet figurine, while Lando Calrissian appears to have over 1% lead (over 10,000 PPM) in his vinyl cape.  Many other figurines had levels of cadmium ranging from 250 PPM to over 600 PPM. 

What does all of this mean?  You should be aware that your children could have “hand-me-down” toys that could be considered toxic toys. 

Have you given your children toys from your childhood to play with?

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