My XRF Testing Experiences

[Jennifer, TheSmartMama]

I thought you might find my XRF testing experiences interesting. I think I've tested more than 50,000 products. Or perhaps more. I'm not really sure.

I can tell you what I've found in terms of detecting lead:

(1) Vinyl is often stabilized with lead. So, I've found lead in fake leather, vinyl purses (particularly children's and doll purses), vinyl or fake leather shoes, vinyl raingear, diaper changing pads, diaper pages with built in changing pads, vinyl changing pad covers, vinyl mattress covers, etc.

(2) Fake pearl, fake shell or opalescent buttons. Almost universally.

(3) Fake inexpensive pearl decorations attached to clothing or in children's jewelry.

(4) Some red dyes in textiles.

(5) Lots of those decals on the front of t-shirts. I'm not a fabric industry person, so I don't know if they were ironed, heat transfer, screened or what. They seemed not to be silk screened but I don't have the vocabulary to be accurate.

(6) Crystals. The lead may not be accessible but the lead is generally well above 600 ppm.

(7) Charm like decorations attached to clothing.

( Decorative zipper pulls, but generally not zipper teeth or the zipper base.

(9) Brass belt buckles, pieces of purses, etc. Lead is often added to brass to make it easier to machine.

Jennifer
www.thesmartmama.com

[Jody]

This is excellent information...I can't help but notice that all the materials you mentioned, with the exception of the red dyes in textiles, are surface coatings, which would be adequately regulated under the lead paint rule. I still feel that textiles, whether colored or not, should be exempt from the testing requirement, provided that the coloring is only from dyes or pigments (as opposed to surface coatings like vinyl or paint). I have scoured textile industry literature and the Internet, and I simply cannot find any evidence that textile dyes and pigments represent a threat. Nor does the CPSC have any record of recalls for lead in textiles.

My findings so far indicate that lead salts (e.g. lead acetate) are sometimes used as a mordant (i.e. fixative) to make dyes and pigments more colorfast. However, the lead salts themselves are water soluble, which means that they would indeed be washed away during processing of fabrics as Walt Poole suggested in his presentation to CPSC. I still need to look into the chemistry a bit more, because the fact that lead salts are water soluble yet used as a fixative seems counter-intuitive. But, I suspect that has to do with whatever chemical reaction occurs as a result. It could be that the other elements in the lead salts fix the color while the lead washes away but I haven't verified that. Any chemists out there??

[Valerie Burner]

Interesting how all those products, with the exception of the surface coatings and vinyl products, are things that children like to put into their mouths.

Remember vinyl for the next phase- phthalates. Phthalates make vinyls and plastics pliable.

[Eric H]

Jennifer, how are you documenting what you have done? I mean, do you write up detailed notes about what you scanned, how you scanned it, how you calibrated the machine, dates, etc.?

I think these things might be valuable from the standpoint of seeing how good process control should look. If you have photographs and sample forms and such, we can figure out a way to host those.

[Jennifer, The Smart Mama]

Most of these are from client testing, not just random testing for myself. Although I do that too.

When I test, I calibrate the equipment, calibrate against a known standard or standards (I have plastic & metal standards), and then start testing. I photograph the item, and write down the information re test number & where tested on the item. When done with a testing group, I load the data from the Niton XRF analyzer to my computer. I save the raw data. I then create reports by item with the photograph of the item, the calibration information, and then the results by test number. I sign the reports. I give the reports to the client. I can also provide the raw data or excel spreadsheets, but most clients only want the reports and the knowledge that I have saved the raw data.

And yes, vinyl also usually has phthalates too. Vinyl must be stabilized with a metallic salt - usually lead, cadmuim or organotin - although others are used. To make it soft and flexible, they usually use phthalates. So, if you've got vinyl, you probably have phthalates. My Niton XRF can tell you if the material is PVC - so I can give a client that information, but, of course, XRF is not approved by the CPSC for phthalates. The Innovyxs (sp?) Alpha can't tell plastics - it is my understand that it is only for 20 metals or some such.

Jennifer
www.thesmartmama.com
Jennifer
www.thesmartmama.com

[Jennifer, The Smart Mama]

I do have sample forms etc. Let me know - I can give them to you to host.

[mollyodesigns]

Great info Jennifer. I got your email. Thank you for all the information! I will try to get back to you later today when things calm down around here.

[my2littlewonders]

Thank you so much for the information. Do you mind if I copy and paste your post and send it to my Congressman's office?

[ShariB]

Jennifer~
I tried emailing you a few days ago regarding XRF testing but I got an email bounced back saying your mailbox was full (yikes!!) Can you pls email me, I want to discuss possible XRF testing...thanks!! I would just hate to lose all my existing inventory in one month!!!!
shari (at) happychickadee (dot) com
www.happychickadee.com

[Natasha Levin]

Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for the info! I also have emailed you through your site/blog--I'm sure you're SWAMPED with requests for XRF scanning. Thanks also for not price gouging-- I'm already planning on cutting out a good portion of my fall line, so I can afford to test the top sellers.

[lisa versaci]

Hi Jennifer, It makes sense now. I sent you a PM a while ago and didn't hear back. Now I know you're inundated with emails about testing...
Good luck and thanks for the great work,
Lisa

[Vesta]

Thanks for the info, Jennifer. Two questions:

1. Do you or your clients ever send items with positive results for third-party lab testing, to verify? If so, do the results match up well?

2. When you say these things have lead, do you mean above 600 ppm, or any detectable level? Do you distinguish in your reports? (XRF does give a ppm measurement, yes?)

[Jennifer, TheSmartMama]

Yes, clients have sent items for further testing. Yes, in all but one cases, results have been fairly consistent - ppm off slightly but same range. Say I got 700 and the wet testing will show 750.

In one case, however, I had a hard time reading a zipper pull. It was around 400. Wet testing came back at 220, so while I failed (for 8/12/09 limit), it actually passed.

When I say fail, above 300 ppm (that's what I'm using since that is August limit and I don't want people to have to test inventory 2X).

Finally, if you emailed me and I haven't gotten back to you, I'm working on it. I'm getting around 500 emails per day just on XRF.

[tashabelleame]

Does anyone mind forwarding me the info on XRF testing my email is tasha@belleamepettiskirts.com . I have been researching online and I want to be sure that it is capiable of measuring lead in a fabric such as Nylon before I go out and rent/buy a XRF analyzer as they are so expensive.

[Pamela]

Jennifer tested about 12 of my upcoming spring styles and I just received an email that they all passed at 30ppm or LOWER. This is the goods news. We can see that this is the amount of lead in cotton clothing but the very unfortunate part is that come Aug of this year the cost of testing just to find out that I will come in under 2011 standards will put me out of business.

The good thing is this whole CPSIA thing has caused me to really look at my business model and realize the numbers were just not working. Working very long hours and in the end not much profit, if any. In a way this has been a real eye opener for me and even if they change the testing requirements I will most likely be changing my whole business model.

In any event I watch each day for some sort of communication from CPSC on all of this and I am very glad to see the press starting to talk.

Oh, the article is now in Earnshaw's mag this month. It is good for people who don't know anything about it but there is nothing in there that we don't know. There is no big call to arms and I would have missed the whole article except I saw the headline for it on the front cover.

Pam