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Stanley cups, the popular insulated mugs that have gained attention on social media, contain a small trace of lead in their seals.
However, the lead is completely enclosed by stainless steel and does not come into contact with the drink.
Stanley has stated that their cups meet all U.S. regulatory requirements and that no lead is present on the surface of any product that would touch the beverage. While lead exposure can have serious health effects over time, it is unlikely that the amount of lead in the Stanley cups would cause harm.
The average person is exposed to a small amount of lead every day, but chronic high levels of exposure are needed to cause harm.
A local family physician, Dr. Karla Robinson said lead is a naturally occurring element that’s even found in soil. But in this case, “natural” doesn’t equate to “healthy.”
“With exposure over time, you can certainly find some serious health effects if that exposure is repeated, and at high levels,” Robinson said.
“The average lead level is somewhere less than 10 for adults,” she said. “And so we do have some exposure on a regular basis, and that’s something to be expected.
