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Lead and copper? Lead and Brass? Is there lead in my espresso machine?

Lead and copper? Lead and Brass? Is there lead in my espresso machine?
Category: FAQ - Frequently Asked Coffee Questions
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If you have purchased a high end espresso machine that has been imported from the USA into Canada and the machine has copper boilers you will most likley see a label that says: "Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." But is it really harmful? Can I still drink espresso made from my machine?

If you have purchased a high end espresso machine that has been imported from the USA into Canada and the machine has copper or brass boilers you will most likley see a label that says: "Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." But is it really harmful? Can I still drink espresso made from my machine?

The reason for this label is Californias new proposition 65 which states: "The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 requires that the Governor revise and republish at least once per year the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive harm."

You can find the list of chemicals known to the state of California here: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/files/041913P65list.pdf

Proposition 65 explained: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/cancer-warning-labels-based-on-californias-proposition-65

"Manufacturers decide to put warning labels on their products based on their knowledge of the types of chemicals in them. The labels must provide “clear and reasonable warnings” about any potential risk. By law, Californians must be warned about any chemical on their list, unless the level of exposure would pose no significant cancer risk.

The law defines “no significant risk” as a level of exposure that would cause no more than 1 extra case of cancer in 100,000 people over a 70-year lifetime. So a compound can be unlabeled if a person exposed to the substance at the expected level for 70 years is estimated to have a 1 in 100,000 chance or less of getting cancer due to that exposure. The law also has similar strict cutoff levels for birth defects and reproductive harm."

Is my espresso machine safe to use?

An ordinary diet contains about 70µg Pb / day and the limit for a Proposition 65 warning is 0.5µg/day.

Here are a few examples of what needs to have this warning:

 - Shoes
 - Leather
 - Wires
 - Boilers
 - Electrical Appliances
 - Furniture
 - Luggage
 - Bedding

These are only a few of the examples...

 

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