A study has revealed that heavy metals have been detected in popular toothpaste brands. The study shows that some 51 toothpaste brands tested positively for lead, a toxic heavy metal. It also found high levels of arsenic, mercury, and cadmium.
The study, conducted by Lead Safe Mama, also found that metals and other toxic materials could be found in children’s and green toothpastes. They claim that close to 90 percent of the analyzed toothpastes contained lead, 65 percent had arsenic, and half had mercury.
These high levels of toxic materials would violate federal and state limits in the United States. US public health institutions have previously scrutinized these high levels of toxic elements, as the federal government has found that no exposure to lead is safe.
Heavy metal levels in toothpaste are unconscionable, says Tamara Rubin
Lead Safe Mama founder, Tamara Rubin, said that the level of heavy metals detected in toothpastes is “unconscionable – especially in 2025.” She added, “What’s really interesting to me is that no one thought this was a concern.”
Indeed, lead is a potently harmful substance. It can cause cognitive damage to children, harm the kidneys, and cause heart disease. Additionally, lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic are all carcinogens.
Ofc Lead and other dangerous metals are addd to toothpaste. Wonder what else the FDA has approved??
Source: https://t.co/FD531ltqLU pic.twitter.com/OSanoo634e
— Stewby-Stew (@Stewby_Stew) April 17, 2025
This is not the first time Rubin has detected lead in toothpastes. She first discovered lead 12 years ago while working with children who had high levels of metal in their bloodstream. At that time, she found that the toothpaste brand called Earthpaste was the common denominator among all the children.
High levels of lead were detected using an XRF detection tool
Last year, Rubin used an XRF lead detection tool to confirm the presence of the substance in toothpastes. Through crowdfunding, she sent popular toothpastes to an independent laboratory. Some brands tested include Crest, Sensodyne, Tom’s of Maine, Dr Bronner’s, Davids, and Dr Jen.
None of the toothpaste brands have said they will check their products for lead and work towards removing the substance from the pastes. Some companies have even defended themselves by claiming the lead presence is in the environment, and avoiding its presence is impossible.
According to @LeadSafeMama, there are unsafe levels of lead in Hello Fluoride-Free Toothpaste.
"The lead level for this Hello Fresh Watermelon flavor toothpaste product is outrageous and even more so because this is sold as a children’s product… for “kids all ages.” pic.twitter.com/d495dWdGn1
— Fluoride Action Network (@FluorideAction) January 30, 2025
The federal Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 called for limiting lead in kids’ food and personal care products. The FDA’s current lead limit for children is 10,000 ppb, and 20,000 ppb for adults. None of the analyzed toothpastes exceed those limits.
Rubin’s hypothesis is that the presence of lead in toothpastes can be explained by some toothpaste ingredients, which include hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate, and bentonite clay.
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