--- title: "Stanley Admits Its TikTok-Famous Mugs Are Made With Lead After All" description: "The Stanley mug-making company has been forced to respond after a TikToker found lead in her viral bottle." date: "2024-01-28" modified: "2024-01-28" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/stanley-mugs-lead" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "lead" - "the digest" - "tiktok" - "viral" --- # Stanley Admits Its TikTok-Famous Mugs Are Made With Lead After All ![The Stanley mug-making company has been forced to respond after a TikToker found lead in her viral bottle.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Duck, Duck It's been quite the year for Stanely, the 110-year-old tumbler brand that's been [milkshake ducked]() after its Quencher bottle went [uber-viral](), [sold out]() many times over, and subsequently became the focus of health concerns. In the latest case of TikTok fame giveth and taketh-ing away, the same social platform that [increased Stanley's profits]() ten times over between 2019 and 2023 played host to burgeoning concerns about whether these colorful flagons may contain lead when a [video from March]() of last year began to recirculate online. In the post, a user known as "Lead Safe Mama" claimed that she detected lead when checking for the toxic metal on the bottom of a Stanley Quencher, using a reactive agent that changes color when coming into contact with the heavy metal. Indeed, as the video shows, the LeadCheck swab did turn pink after the user swiped it across the mug's exposed posterior, indicating that lead was present. https://www.tiktok.com/@leadsafemama_2022/video/7215011362181778731 ## Leading On Unsurprisingly, people began to freak out at the thought that their cherished status symbol beverage holders might give them something more than clout, forcing Stanely to respond. In statements made to [local news](), [*USA Today*](), and the [*Today* show](), Stanley representatives said that lead is indeed used in the company's manufacturing processes and trace amounts can be found in its products, but that it will not touch any beverage put inside the cups because it's enclosed within their interiors, which are protected by the company's customary [stainless steel exteriors](). That does seem to track with Lead Safe Mama's video, which shows the mug's inner layers being exposed to, well, the elements. In a statement to a [local *NBC* affiliate]() in Charlotte, North Carolina, Stanley insisted its products comply with all US and state regulations, and added in its comments to *Today* that the company is "making progress on innovative, alternative materials for use in the sealing process." In short: yes, there is lead in Stanley tumblers, but unless you open it up, the amount is not enough to hurt you — which is also true for [lots of other consumer products](). **More on viral sensations:** [*Scandal as AI-Generated Audio of Politician Slamming Colleague Goes Viral*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()