Answers.Body: <p>Even in early 1980s there were some patches having Cadmium. I should link to the study but lost it now. </p>
  
  <p>Here is somewhat proper reference:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5436922/second-hand-plastic-toys-including-lego-could-harm-children-with-toxic-chemicals/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5436922/second-hand-plastic-toys-including-lego-could-harm-children-with-toxic-chemicals/</a></p>
  
  <p>Eating is something to avoid. Hand-to-mouth (hand skin licked) behaviour is not as fatal.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-10-12T17:01:08.347Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-10-12T18:10:47.860Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2018-10-12T18:10:47.860Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Katve
Answers.Body: <p>I asked Gary Istok on your behalf in <a href="http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/498950">this Brickset Forum thread</a>, who is an expert on LEGO's history. He said the following: </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>When LEGO replaced the Cellulose Acetate bricks circa 1963 with ABS
    plastic for non-trans parts, and polycarbonate for the trans ones,
    they had a problem with the red and yellow parts.  For some reason
    (I'm not a chemical engineer)... red and yellow ABS parts were more
    difficult to color to TLG standards.  So Bayer and Borg-Warner (the
    chemical companies that produced the ABS and other plastic pellets
    worldwide) added Cadmium, a heavy metal, as an additive to those 2
    LEGO colors to help in the coloring process.</p>
    
    <p>Although Cadmium will not leach out of the LEGO bricks of that era (kids could safely chew on those LEGO parts), the longer term landfill
    issues of Cadmium laced LEGO getting into the ground, did become an
    issue with environmentalists.  So TLG had their plastics makers
    Borg-Warner (for USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland and Australia) and
    Bayer (for continental Europe and Asia) work on removing the cadmium
    from the red and yellow elements of that era.  I don't know the
    chemical specifics of that action, but by 1973 LEGO parts were Cadmium
    free... and have remained so.</p>
    
    <p>Next question.... can you tell Cadmium parts (1963-72) from Cadmium free parts?  Generally yes... but it's easier for red bricks, which
    are a darker red color with Cadmium.  Yellow LEGO parts with Cadmium
    are also a darker color, but the difference between Cadmium and
    Cadmium free yellow parts is less noticeable... especially with used
    or dirty yellow elements.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-01-28T23:07:07.747Z
Answers.Text: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium_pigments
Answers.UserDisplayName: Aaron D. Marasco
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-02-26T10:32:43.147Z
Answers.Text: Fixed thread link: https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/comment/498950
Answers.UserDisplayName: stan
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-01-28T18:37:27.150Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-01-28T18:41:20.830Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2017-01-28T18:41:20.830Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: TheBrickBlogger
Body: <p>I remember a rumour from my youth in the late seventies / early eighties, that there was supposedly cadmium in older (relative to that time) LEGO bricks.</p>
  
  <p>Searching for <code>LEGO cadmium</code> yields quite a lot of hits, but so far, nothing conclusive.<br>
  I also note that LEGO has never recalled any old bricks, which I admit would be next to impossible: how would the general public be able to distinguish between older and newer bricks?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Has cadmium ever been used in LEGO bricks? If so, in what quantities?</strong></p>
  
  <p>How about other toxic metals?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-01-28T16:00:52.030Z
Comments.Text: What an interesting question! I'm going to ask my older LEGO friends to see if anyone knows.
Comments.UserDisplayName: TheBrickBlogger
Tags: <history><safety>
Title: Was there ever cadmium in LEGO bricks?
UserDisplayName: SQB
ThreadText: # Was there ever cadmium in LEGO bricks?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-28)
  
  I remember a rumour from my youth in the late seventies / early eighties, that there was supposedly cadmium in older (relative to that time) LEGO bricks.
  
  Searching for `LEGO cadmium` yields quite a lot of hits, but so far, nothing conclusive.  
  I also note that LEGO has never recalled any old bricks, which I admit would be next to impossible: how would the general public be able to distinguish between older and newer bricks?
  
  **Has cadmium ever been used in LEGO bricks? If so, in what quantities?**
  
  How about other toxic metals?
  
  **Tags:** history, safety
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: What an interesting question! I'm going to ask my older LEGO friends to see if anyone knows.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2017-01-28. Score: 11 | Accepted answer
  
  I asked Gary Istok on your behalf in [this Brickset Forum thread](http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/498950), who is an expert on LEGO's history. He said the following:
  
  > When LEGO replaced the Cellulose Acetate bricks circa 1963 with ABS
  > plastic for non-trans parts, and polycarbonate for the trans ones,
  > they had a problem with the red and yellow parts. For some reason
  > (I'm not a chemical engineer)... red and yellow ABS parts were more
  > difficult to color to TLG standards. So Bayer and Borg-Warner (the
  > chemical companies that produced the ABS and other plastic pellets
  > worldwide) added Cadmium, a heavy metal, as an additive to those 2
  > LEGO colors to help in the coloring process.
  >
  > Although Cadmium will not leach out of the LEGO bricks of that era (kids could safely chew on those LEGO parts), the longer term landfill
  > issues of Cadmium laced LEGO getting into the ground, did become an
  > issue with environmentalists. So TLG had their plastics makers
  > Borg-Warner (for USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland and Australia) and
  > Bayer (for continental Europe and Asia) work on removing the cadmium
  > from the red and yellow elements of that era. I don't know the
  > chemical specifics of that action, but by 1973 LEGO parts were Cadmium
  > free... and have remained so.
  >
  > Next question.... can you tell Cadmium parts (1963-72) from Cadmium free parts? Generally yes... but it's easier for red bricks, which
  > are a darker red color with Cadmium. Yellow LEGO parts with Cadmium
  > are also a darker color, but the difference between Cadmium and
  > Cadmium free yellow parts is less noticeable... especially with used
  > or dirty yellow elements.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium_pigments  
  > **username_4**: Fixed thread link: https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/comment/498950  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2018-10-12. Score: 2
  
  Even in early 1980s there were some patches having Cadmium. I should link to the study but lost it now.
  
  Here is somewhat proper reference:
  
  <https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5436922/second-hand-plastic-toys-including-lego-could-harm-children-with-toxic-chemicals/>
  
  Eating is something to avoid. Hand-to-mouth (hand skin licked) behaviour is not as fatal.
  
  
  ---
  
  