Stanley got into hot water last week after a safety advocate pointed out the company’s use of toxic lead in cups, glasses and other products.Internet, recent months Celebrating Stanley It became an instant hit as a must-have for hot girls. Stories about the lead-laced Stanley Cups appeared everywhere from the New York Times to the Today Show, and Stanley’s chief rival, Hydro Flask, seized on the opportunity. Hydro Flask posted on social media touting its lead-free manufacturing process. Here’s the irony: Hydro Flask also used lead in its cups, until the company was denounced by the exact same safety advocates.
Lead is very bad for you. Trace amounts of heavy metals can be toxic, especially to children. Effects of lead poisoning in children include learning and developmental disabilities, reduced IQ, behavioral and emotional problems, and more. In adults, long-term lead exposure can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and brain and kidney problems. Drink up!
“For over a decade, Hydro Flask has never used lead in our sealing process,” the company said on Instagram. “We aim for a higher standard.”
Tamara Rubin, a well-known leading safety activist and expert who runs the website Lead Safe Mama, says Hydro Flask does meet a higher standard. Rubin’s testing shows Hydro Flask products do not contain lead. “I’m the reason Hydro Flask is lead-free,” Rubin told Gizmodo. Back in 2011, Rubin’s testing found dangerous levels of lead in Hydro Flask products, but after she contacted the company, it changed its manufacturing process and removed the lead. Safety is worth celebrating, but given Hydro Flask’s history, it’s a bit like calling an insulated metal cup a black pot.
Hydro Flask did not respond to a request for comment.
Back in January, it was Stanley’s turn to receive the Lead Safe Mama treatment. Rubin tests Stanley’s product The sealant inside the Stanley Cup reportedly contained 300,000 to 400,000 parts per million of lead. “All insulated stainless steel Stanley products are sealed with lead points,” Rubin said.
At this point, it’s no secret. A spokesperson for Stanley instructed Gizmodo statement The company acknowledged on its website that it uses lead but did not answer specific questions. Stanley said the company used the poison in “industry standard pellets” used to sew vacuum insulation onto the bottom of its products. The lead pellet is then covered with a small metal disc bearing the company’s logo. “Once sealed, the area is covered with a durable stainless steel layer that is inaccessible to consumers. Rest assured, any Stanley product surfaces that come into contact with consumers, as well as the product contents, are lead-free,” Stanley said.
Rubin confirmed that the Stanley’s exterior was free of lead, but she didn’t find that reassuring. “In the past few days alone, I’ve had about 300 people contact me to tell me that the discs on the bottom of their Stanleys fell off within a week or a month of normal use,” Rubin said. If you touch the particles inside and then pick up a piece of food, you could be exposed to lead, Rubin said.
We’ve known about lead poisoning for many years 2000, so you might be asking yourself why a company that makes beverage apparel would use it. There’s a simple answer: With certain exceptions, it’s legal and saves money.
“It’s a cheap alternative, which is really frustrating when you consider we’re talking about an expensive product,” Rubin said. Stanley’s flagship Quencher mug sells for $35.
Sadly for you and your body, it is legal to use even when worn under the influence.according to consumer product safety commissionChildren’s products must contain no more than 100 parts per million of lead on their exterior surfaces, but the rules for adults are much looser. However, the CPSC said these restrictions do not apply to parts of children’s products that are inaccessible during normal use.
Stanley has a full line of children’s mugs and cups, but the company insists its products are safe, saying they meet all U.S. regulatory requirements and are verified using third-party labs.Rubin disagreed; she said she was File a complaint Work with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “Stanley said the button, which was covered in lead sealant, wouldn’t come off, and it did,” Rubin said.
If that’s not silly enough for you, let’s start the global supply chain movement. Hydro Flask may slam its competitors, but the truth is, it actually just chose a slightly different factory in China to make its product. The same goes for most well-known American brands that sell thermos bottles. In fact, they all use factories located in the same area of the same city in Zhejiang Province, China.
A website called Imported snowman Easily find shipping manifests, detailed records of all cargo on a cargo or container ship, as well as detailed information about the sender and destination. Enter a company name and you’ll see which factories they work with.If you’re really knowledgeable, you can even find these factories on sites like AliExpress And find cheap name brand items.
For example, PMI Worldwide, Stanley’s parent company, imported a large number of “Thermos Bottle Containers” from a company called “Thermos Bottle Containers.” Gint thermos technologyaccording to Imported snowman. Hydro Flask often works with a company called Feijian Industry and Tradethis website explain.Both companies work with the same Chinese manufacturer called Haas Vacuum Container,ImportYeti report. The sanctimonious criticism of Hydro Flask is really a matter of choosing a different factory that is actually right down the street.
Rubin said that with some exceptions, “many companies that make these products don’t pay attention to the details of what they make and how they make it.” “It’s an oversight issue, it’s a China-made issue, but it’s also an industry-wide issue because I think if they were made in the United States, they’d probably still be using lead because it’s legal.”
Rubin said there is nothing inherently unsafe or worrisome about products made in China.In fact, she often tells her family that the designation “Made in China” actually means that a product is more If it’s an item mass-produced by a major retailer like Target, Walmart, or IKEA, then it’s probably safe. When breaches occur, large retailers often lose a lot of money. The problem, Rubin said, is small companies partnering with foreign factories. The sheer number of companies importing goods from China means customs officials don’t have enough manpower to inspect and test each shipment for safety issues.
Over the past few weeks, many people concerned about lead have posted videos about self-administered home lead testing kits. Rubin warned against such testing. “Home lead testing kits are unreliable,” Rubin said. Many “are designed for testing lead in paint, not consumer products.”
However, thanks to Rubin’s work, there is a resource you can try.She used a process called the “industry standard process” XRF test Assessing products for lead and other heavy metals and amassing a library of thousands of products website. Lead exposure is a serious and potentially life-threatening problem, and if you have any questions about the safety of the products in your life, they should be tested by a professional.
Updated February 10, 2024 at 3:51 pm ET: This story has been updated with additional comments from Tamara Rubin.
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