Learn about the properties of copper - lead concerns, plus the antimicrobial nature of copper.

We use only virgin 99.9% pure copper in the manufacturing of our kitchen sinks. We believe there is a huge liability, not only for us, but for our dealers if we were to do otherwise. Many State laws indicate that the manufacturer bears the greatest liability, however the "sellers" of these products can also be held financially accountable. Paint companies have been sued for lead content in their paint. Landlords have been sued for not removing lead paint in their tenants homes. We see a day in the near future where there will be law suits filed against manufacturers of copper sinks due to the lead content. Be assured we have your and our best interest in mind. We will only provide domestic, virgin,  lead-free copper to our customers.


You might also read: www.aboutcoppersinks.org

The following information has been copied from Lead-info.com website.
The EPA estimates that 9,150 children are expected to have an IQ score below 70 as a result of their exposure to lead.

"Lead at low levels is a serious threat to the central nervous systems of infants and children. Lead toxicity in the blood has been found not only to impair early school performance, later grade school performance, but also to negatively affect cognitive functioning into young adulthood. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990:

"The persistence toxicity of lead was seen to result in significant and serious impairment of academic success, specifically a seven fold increase in failure to graduate from high school, lower class standing, greater absenteeism, impairment of reading skills sufficiently extensive to be labeled reading disability (indicated by scores two grades below the expected scores), and deficits in vocabulary, fine motor skills, reaction time and hand-eye coordination."

Within the human body, lead damages the nervous system, circulatory and blood forming system, reproductive system, kidneys, and gastro-intestinal tract. In adults lead poisoning can cause various symptoms, including fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach disorders, forgetfulness, headaches, insomnia, irritability, hypertension, anemia, reduced desire for sex, impotence, dizziness, and weakness in the extremities.

It is much more serious when children are exposed to lead. Since the brain has not yet completely developed, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, lowered IQ, and anti-social behavior. Elevated levels of lead sustained over a period of time, can damage the central nervous system of children and adversely impact their development."


Independent laboratory tests have shown some imported sinks to have lead percentages ranging from 1 1/2% to as much as 12%. Even at the lowest percentage, the lead content is more than 1000 times the accepted amount. Please do not take this information as a call for a ban on imported sinks. Not every imported sink contains lead. We merely want the retailers to be aware that they must insist on some sort of verifiable proof of copper purity from all manufacturers of copper products. If you have any concerns, please let us know and we can have a sample tested by an independent laboratory. Just to give you an idea of how dangerous small amounts of lead is, the Consumer Product Safety Commissions is considering banning all children's jewelry which might contain as little as .06% lead by weight. This is less than half the amount of lead tested in some of the imported copper sinks. Let us be clear. There is NO lead in Rachiele sinks!

Deadly pathogen survives on stainless steel, but not on copper

On pure copper MRSA, epidemic EMRSA-1 and EMRSA-16 were completely killed after 45, 60 and 90 minutes, respectively, at room temperature (see figure). On brass, which is 80 percent copper, all three strains were drastically reduced in three hours, and MRSA and EMRSA-1 were dead in 4.5 hours. The bacteria on the stainless steel surface remained viable after 3 days at room temperature.

The copper we use in our sinks is antimicrobial, just like what is shown in these tests.
 

Wonder about lead in products coming from China? Just look at this link of just one year's worth of products coming into the US with high concentrations of lead. Read More