Independent Lab Testing Confirms Redmond Real Salt Contains Unsafe Levels of Lead and Arsenic (July 2024)

Original article published by Tamara Rubin on Lead Safe Mama — July 18, 2024 (Updated: April 26, 2025). Tamara is a multiple-federal-award-winning childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocate, documentary filmmaker, and mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

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Key Harms at a Glance
About Lead Safe Mama, LLC
Key Finding
Understanding “Action Levels”
Prior History with the Redmond Brand
Why Dismissive Arguments Don’t Hold Up
Possible Sources of Contamination
Greenwashing: Misleading Marketing Claims
Safer Salt Alternatives
Recommendations
Additional Resources & References
Safety Thresholds & Reference Limits
How to Reduce Exposure
Research Papers
Connections
Featured Videos

Key Harms at a Glance

290 ppb lead – Third-party lab result, approximately 58× the 5 ppb children’s Action Level proposed under the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021.
Arsenic contamination also detected; inorganic arsenic is a Group 1 human carcinogen (IARC).
Lead bioaccumulates in bone and soft tissue over a lifetime; there is no known safe blood lead level.
Mining-related contamination – Explosives, leaded brass equipment, and natural underground lead deposits are plausible contamination pathways for mined salt.
“Natural” ≠ safe – The source of the lead (geological vs. industrial) does not alter its toxicological profile.
Children and pregnant women are at greatest risk from chronic low-dose lead exposure in salt.

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About Lead Safe Mama, LLC

Tamara owns and operates Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a woman-owned small business focused on childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
Since July 2022, the organization has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
All test results reported on the site are described as science-based, accurate, and replicable.
Visit the Lead Safe Mama press page for media coverage of their work.

Key Finding

Independent, third-party laboratory testing of Redmond Real Salt Ancient Sea Salt ("Mined in America") confirmed levels of Lead (290 ppb) and Arsenic that exceed safe thresholds proposed by the scientific and medical communities under the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021. The proposed Action Level for Lead in food is 5 ppb — Redmond Real Salt tested at 58× that threshold.

Understanding "Action Levels"

Action Level ≠ Maximum Allowable Level. Once a heavy metal in food reaches the Action Level, it enters the range that can cause lasting harm — especially to children.
These levels were proposed by the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, which was never passed into law, but remain scientifically and medically valid benchmarks.
The Action Level concept is analogous to the American Academy of Pediatrics' 1 ppb threshold for Lead in water — even though the FDA's official level is 15 ppb. Read more about safe Lead levels in water.
Action Levels represent concentrations that are both achievable by manufacturers and protective of infant/toddler health.

Prior History with the Redmond Brand

Lead Safe Mama has been writing about Lead contamination concerns with the Redmond brand for approximately a decade. Related articles:

Redmond Baby Powder Tests Positive for Lead (2021)
Tamara's Personal Response to Redmond's Misleading Communication (2021)
Response to Redmond Questioning the 167 ppb Lead Result (2021)
Salt Overview Article: How Much Lead Is in Salt? (2020) — a researched summary of many brands and salt types.

Why Dismissive Arguments Don't Hold Up

Common counterarguments ("it's naturally occurring," "you only eat a little salt," "fruits have similar Lead") are addressed and refuted:

There is no safe level of Lead exposure. Period.
There is no safe form of Lead. Period.
Modern fresh fruits and vegetables do not typically contain Lead levels anywhere near those found in this salt.
Lead bioaccumulates in the body over a lifetime of chronic exposure. Read more about Lead bioaccumulation.
Safer, lower-Lead salt alternatives do exist, making the contamination in this product avoidable.
Daily chronic exposure to Lead at these levels is linked to: heart disease, kidney failure, infertility, arthritis, memory impairment, and birth complications.
Consumers would choose a safer product if properly informed — making the company's dismissive statements harmful.

Possible Sources of Contamination

Mining processes: Explosives used in mining often contain traces of Lead. Lead-painted equipment and Leaded brass components may also contaminate extracted salt.
Underground Lead deposits: Lead naturally co-exists underground with other minerals and may be present in the Redmond mines depending on depth.
Utah soil Arsenic: XRF testing of Utah soil by Lead Safe Mama confirmed elevated Arsenic levels in the Great Salt Lake area, suggesting a natural geological source for the Arsenic contamination.
Crucially: "Natural" does not mean "safe." The current levels of Lead and Arsenic found are harmful despite being legally permitted.

Greenwashing: Misleading Marketing Claims by Redmond

"Safe from modern pollutants" — Lead is a modern pollutant and is demonstrably present in the product.
"PURE and unprocessed" — A product containing Lead and Arsenic at unsafe levels cannot be considered pure.
"For everyday use" — Daily use of a Lead-contaminated product creates precisely the chronic, cumulative exposure that causes long-term harm.
"Subtly sweet flavor" — Lead often tastes sweet; the contamination may be contributing to the flavor described in Redmond's own marketing.
"Beneficial trace minerals" — The author has written two articles debunking this claim:
- The Myth of Beneficial Trace Minerals in Mined Salts (Dec 2023)
- You'd Need a Lethal Amount of Salt to Benefit From Trace Minerals (Dec 2023)

Safer Salt Alternatives

The author recommends Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Kosher Oregon Sea Salt as the cleanest salt independently tested to date. See Jacobsen Salt lab results here.
The other salt also tested by Lead Safe Mama — Selina Naturally Celtic Salt — also failed with extremely high Lead levels: Celtic Salt Lab Report (June 2024)
Read about what salt Tamara uses for her own family.
Safer food and snack choices for kids

Recommendations

Do not consume mined salt (e.g., Himalayan, Real Salt, Celtic/gray salt).
Do not consume salt harvested in clay beds.
Limit added salt in general — modern diets already contain far more sodium than is needed.
Choose a non-mined sea salt confirmed low in toxicants via independent, third-party laboratory testing.

Additional Resources & References

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Safety Thresholds & Reference Limits

Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 (proposed) – 5 ppb lead Action Level in children’s food.
AAP – 1 ppb lead ceiling in drinking water.
California Prop 65 MADL – 0.5 µg/day lead (reproductive toxicity).
Codex Alimentarius (CXS 193-1995) – 2 mg/kg maximum lead in food-grade salt.
EU Regulation 2023/915 – 1.0 mg/kg lead in salt.
WHO – No known safe blood lead level; cumulative lifetime exposure drives harm.

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How to Reduce Exposure

Avoid mined salts (Redmond Real Salt, Himalayan pink, Celtic gray) that lack current non-detect lab reports.
Choose solar-evaporated sea salt from clean-water sources with published third-party heavy-metal testing.
Reduce total sodium intake to <2,300 mg/day (AHA recommends <1,500 mg/day for higher-risk adults).
Special caution for children, pregnant women, and individuals with kidney disease or osteoporosis.
Request third-party lab reports from any salt brand before regular purchase.

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