Recent studies have sounded the alarm on toothpaste safety, exposing pervasive contamination with lead and other toxic heavy metals. A study conducted by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that nearly 90% of the toothpastes tested had lead. Moreover, 65% were contaminated with arsenic, and almost half contained detectable levels of mercury. These studies sparked legitimate fears of serious health risks and even cancer, particularly among children. Consequently, concerns are being raised about the adequacy of existing federal and state regulations on lead levels in consumer products.
Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a lead limit of 10,000 parts per billion (ppb) for children. For children, half the limit for adults, where the limit is established at 20,000 ppb. Now, the state of Washington is leading the way with a new law. This new law sets a very low limit of 1,000 ppb for lead in food and personal care products aimed at children that will soon test any threshold. Additionally, the recently proposed federal Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 aims to reduce lead limits in children’s food and personal care products, including toothpaste, to just five ppb.
Tamara Rubin, founder of Lead Safe Mama, highlighted that the contamination likely stems from certain ingredients used in toothpaste formulations. She noted that hydroxyapatite is derived from cow bone and promoted for the purpose of helping teeth to absorb calcium. It may be a potential source of lead. Calcium carbonate and bentonite clay may pose risks of lead contamination in toothpaste. These ingredients are cause for alarm and should be handled with extreme caution.
Our findings uncovered dangerous levels of lead in some popular brands of toothpaste. These levels exceed federal and Washington state thresholds. Of all the heartbreaking things about this revelation, this one is the most horrifying. The federal government has long recognized that no level of lead exposure is safe. If we can rely on these effects being universal, the broader implications of this research could be huge, particularly for parents buying dental care products for their children.
“It’s unconscionable – especially in 2025,”
- Tamara Rubin, Lead Safe Mama’s founder.
These findings reveal an urgent need for increased oversight and reform of the personal care product industry. Consumers are rightly concerned about what hazards lurk in common products. This increased awareness is intensifying the demand on manufacturers to place safety above the lure of profit.
Besides lead, the research found alarming levels of other tomb poisonous metals in toothpaste. Even worse, arsenic appears in 65 percent of the samples and cadmium is found in one-third. This shocking information just confirms our worst fears that these largely utilized artificial goods are unsafe. With some of the highest contamination rates ever reported, experts are calling on consumers and regulators alike to demand more.
The FDA has not yet replied to inquiries about possible lead contamination in toothpaste. At the same time, advocacy organizations are calling for aggressive steps to protect the public health now. The urgency of addressing these issues is hard to overstate, especially for families who are just trying to protect their children’s health.