A CT scan of Stanley’s viral Quencher cup has confirmed what the corporate has been saying all alongside: There’s solely lead on the backside of the cup. The lead is roofed by a chrome steel cowl, which Stanley says makes it “inaccessible to clients.” Ultimately, although, lead publicity would possibly come all the way down to a matter of luck.
The staff at Lumafield, a {hardware} manufacturing firm that makes CT scanners, ran Stanley’s Quencher tumbler through one of their machines final week. Whereas movies of optimistic outcomes from at-home lead checks (which expert warn can be unreliable) have led to limitless hypothesis over what components of the cups have lead, Lumafield’s CT scan confirmed that there was solely lead on the backside of the Stanley Quencher.
The lead recognized by Lumafield, which is distinguished by the darkish crimson circle on the CT scan, is the lead pellet utilized by Stanley to solder its cups. Stanley’s tumbler cups characteristic an internal and outer wall fabricated from stainless-steel that’s welded collectively on the rim. Between these partitions is a vacuum of insulation, which is what minimizes warmth switch and helps preserve your beverage heat or chilly.
Stanley says it uses a lead pellet to seal the vacuum insulation on the backside of the cup. The corporate then covers the lead pellet with a chrome steel disk, the identical materials used for the remainder of the tumbler.
So, what does this CT scan inform us? First, it implies that Stanley wasn’t mendacity: There was solely lead on the backside of the examined cup. However that doesn’t imply that folks with Stanley cups are fully protected from lead publicity, which may trigger critical well being issues for youngsters and adults.
“[O]ur CT cross-section reveals that the lead is totally shielded, and its person received’t be uncovered to steer in any respect. If the medallion overlaying the lead solder is pried off, it’d change into accessible—however in that case, a alternative cup is roofed by Stanley’s guarantee.” Bruner mentioned.
The key phrase right here is the medallion, or the stainless-steel disc overlaying the lead. In different phrases, whereas the CT scan clearly confirmed us the place the lead in Stanley’s cups is, it additionally confirmed us that the one factor defending individuals from publicity is a small steel disc that may theoretically fall off or change into unsealed.
Lead security activist Tamara Rubin told Gizmodo in February that she’s acquired a whole bunch of experiences of individuals stating that their base cap has fallen off after regular use.
“Within the final couple of days alone, I’ve had one thing like 300 individuals contact me and inform me that that disc on the underside of their Stanley’s fell off inside every week or a month of regular use,” Rubin mentioned, including that if individuals contact the lead pellet inside their cups after which contact meals, they may expose themselves to steer.
Stanley, for its half, states that the stainless-steel cowl coming off is “a rare occurrence.”
Whereas consultants say there is no risk to using Stanley cups which can be in excellent situation, do you actually wish to take the danger? There are many various cups, reminiscent of Stanley’s lead competitor Hydro Flask, on the market that don’t include lead. (To be honest, Hydro Flask used lead in its cups till it invested in going lead-free.)
“As customers change into extra discerning concerning the merchandise they purchase, the strain on firms to not compromise on security or sustainability will solely enhance,” Lumafield wrote in a post about its experiment.
We’re taking a look at you, Stanley.
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