Stanley and other insulated glasses contain lead. Should you be worried?

(CNN) — First, Stanley glasses were all over social media because so many people wanted them. Now, oversized thermoses are back in the spotlight, but over fears that they may contain lead.

Videos on social media like TikTok show people pulling out lead test kits and testing them on their Stanley Tumblers and other travel flasks.

And it’s true: some brands of travel tumblers have sealed lead inside the base, including the very popular Stanley brand.

Lead is used as part of the tumbler’s vacuum insulation and is covered with a layer of stainless steel that protects consumers from lead exposure, according to glass manufacturer Stanley, Pacific Market International.

“Our manufacturing process currently uses industry-standard pallets to seal the vacuum insulation at the base of our products; the sealing material contains some lead,” a Stanley spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Electronic. “Once sealed, this area is covered with a durable layer of stainless steel, making it inaccessible to customers.”

“Please ensure that no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley product that comes into contact with the consumer or the product’s contents,” the statement said.

But people on social media are nervous considering the dangers of any lead exposure. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the toxic metal can cause kidney problems, anemia, reproductive problems and developmental problems, and Stanley glasses are everywhere.

The cup, which comes in a rainbow of colors and holds up to 1.2 liters of water and can fit in a car’s cupholder, has become both a status symbol and a well-being essential for those who adhere to “clean girl” beauty trends. With hydrated and natural skin.

Stanley Mug is in hand Bloggers Beauty, in the car of parents who pick up their children from school and was also on many children’s Christmas lists last year. Some parents said their children were bullied by their peers if they went to school with other brands of mugs.

Some caution is warranted, said Jane Houlihan, director of research at Healthy Babies, Bright Futures, a nonprofit, alliance of scientists and donors with a mission to reduce infants’ exposure to neurotoxic chemicals.

“If the cup remains intact, there’s probably no risk of exposure to lead for consumers. But if that bottom seal comes off, all bets are off,” Houlihan said.

“Lead is so toxic that you can’t take any chances with it,” he said in an email. “If a company has to rely on its product to be completely intact in order to stay secure, there is a fundamental security problem with the content that company is transmitting to its customers.”

If the Stanley Cup’s base cap comes off, exposing the seal, which is rare, the cup is eligible for replacement under a lifetime warranty, according to a statement from Stanley.

Not just Stanley glasses

It’s not just the Stanley brand that uses lead. The US According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), other brands are subject to shelf recalls for their use of ingredients.

In November, the federal agency announced a recall of about 84,000 Tblu stainless steel sippy cups and 3,600 sets of ClickPic Home sippy cups sold on Amazon because of “accessible solder beads with lead levels above the federal ban on lead content.

Earlier that month, about 1,600 panda ears and 200 Laotian stainless steel baby cups sold on Amazon were recalled for similar reasons, according to the CPSC website.

And in July of last year, the manufacturer recalled about 346,000 Cupkin stainless steel children’s cups because they contained lead levels that exceeded the federal lead content limit of 100 parts per million. (For water, the level is 15 parts per billion, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.)

CPSC Press Secretary Patty Davis said, “In general, the CPSC has strict regulations on lead, especially for children’s products. We have issued several recalls for lead in children’s products.”

“And we encourage consumers, if they have safety concerns with a product, to let us know on our website, which is http://www.saferproducts.gov/,” Davis said.

Why draw?

Why is lead found in drinking glasses?

“Using lead for soldering is a very old manufacturing practice that was quite common,” said Olga Nydenko, vice president of scientific research at the Environmental Working Group, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington. Environment.”

“In thermal tumblers, lead was used in the solder that sealed the gap between the inner and outer layers of the tumbler,” he said via email. “Many manufacturers now say they are using lead alternatives to vacuum seal these types of glasses.”

Any potential exposure to lead is unacceptable and companies should take steps to make these products lead-free, Nydenko added.

There are no safe levels of lead

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there is no safe level of lead for children. “Even low levels of lead in the blood have been shown to affect learning, attention, and academic performance,” the CDC said.

Lead “bioaccumulates” in the body, meaning it lingers and builds up over time, so continued exposure, even at extremely low levels, can be toxic. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that children, especially fetuses and infants, are the most vulnerable because it takes much less exposure to harm a child than an adult.

“A dose of lead that has little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. In children, low levels of exposure have been associated with central and peripheral nervous system damage, learning problems, short stature, hearing problems, and blood cell abnormalities. Problems with structure and function,” the EPA states on its website.

The main source of lead exposure in the United States comes from inhaling dust or ingesting particles contaminated by paint chips. This is because lead was a common additive in household paint, gasoline, and many other materials for years before its toxicity was known.

According to experts, between 10% and 20% of our lead comes from contaminated water. It’s even worse for the youngest and most vulnerable: drinking formula mixed with contaminated water can expose babies to between 40% and 60%.

Many experts suggest that parents test their children for lead levels between ages 1 and 2, and possibly more often, depending on the area of ​​the country. The test is easily performed by a pediatrician or local state, county or city health department.