2 ms·

Sorry but your post reads like one of her Facebook mom groups where everyone is panicking. Note: I think lead is a very real issue that unfortunately contamina

Sorry but your post reads like one of her Facebook mom groups where everyone is panicking. Note: I think lead is a very real issue that unfortunately contaminates a lot of products. I have not don’t a full blown investigative review of her but every time I have dug a little bit based on some recent post, this is what I come to the conclusion of. Her website is very hard to parse through. For me, it always reads as one of those “you may have cancer” ads mixed with some antivax Facebook mom groups. Every post about lead contamination does not go deep into the science. Did she calibrate the machine? What are the specifics about her machine? Does the material/item she is testing need modification for testing accuracy? She mentions many times she is qualified but seems like only a bare qualification from the manufacturer. That and I never see a picture of her lab. Does she ever follow up her hand held test with a lab test to confirm? One to eliminate any inaccuracy in her device and two to have a confirmation of her results? She makes all these posts, Costco salt has unsafe lead levels, la crueset has lead, kitchenaid mixers have lead, etc. It needs to be followed up with additional, lab qualified testing. She undoubtedly finds items with lead but I just cannot trust her methodology. My family and I get regular lead tests and we are conscious consumers but I cannot follow her style of scare mongering. And let me say it again, she definitely finds things with lead in them but without some type of scientific rigor and verification, it’s hard to trust her results.

gregwebs 3y ago
I do find her website a little bewildering so I can see why you would react with such a mindset. But a minute googling answers most of your questions: https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-to-test-for-lead/ https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-t... It seems like there's a misunderstanding about the technique being used. An XRF gun is a portable device that works in the field and does not require to be operated in a lab. For most of the consumer goods she is testing she is already using a highly sensitive piece of equipment that measures ppb- it wouldn't make sense to "send it to a lab". She is certified in using the equipment and probably one of the most experienced at using it to test consumer goods. The gun she is using is self-calibrating to begin with, but still calibrated for each test. I actually think most of the problem here is that her website has an unprofessional appearance. If it had the professional appearance you were expecting and she had a university degree in chemistry or material science but posted almost the exact same information with perhaps a few minor edits and a slightly different style I think it would have the scientific look and feel you and others are looing for. But the underlying science of using an XRF gun to test for lead seems quite sound.

gregwebs 3y ago

I do find her website a little bewildering so I can see why you would react with such a mindset. But a minute googling answers most of your questions: https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-to-test-for-lead/ https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-t... It seems like there's a misunderstanding about the technique being used. An XRF gun is a portable device that works in the field and does not require to be operated in a lab. For most of the consumer goods she is testing she is already using a highly sensitive piece of equipment that measures ppb- it wouldn't make sense to "send it to a lab". She is certified in using the equipment and probably one of the most experienced at using it to test consumer goods. The gun she is using is self-calibrating to begin with, but still calibrated for each test. I actually think most of the problem here is that her website has an unprofessional appearance. If it had the professional appearance you were expecting and she had a university degree in chemistry or material science but posted almost the exact same information with perhaps a few minor edits and a slightly different style I think it would have the scientific look and feel you and others are looing for. But the underlying science of using an XRF gun to test for lead seems quite sound.