Controversy is swirling around the world’s current favorite beverage container, following reports that Stanley cups contain lead. A once-prominently used material, lead has fallen out of common use when people realized how damaging it is to the brain and nervous system.

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Lead poisoning is well-documented at this point and it remains high on the list of concerns among average consumers. Not because it’s a common occurrence, however. In fact, quite the opposite. Outside of controversial situations like the one in Flint, Michigan, lead poisoning is largely a thing of the past. Stanley’s PR nightmare is an uncommon one in 2024, largely due to the discontinuation of lead use in regular products that could expose a user. A memo that Pacific Market International, the LLC behind the Stanley brand, apparently missed, if rumors about the construction of these mega-popular cups have any truth behind them.

Do Stanley cups have lead in them?

Stanley cups do contain lead, so don’t write this particular controversy off as yet another online rumor. Confirmation that lead is involved in the construction of Stanley cups came out in January of 2024 and instantly sparked widespread backlash, as consumers worried over whether or not they’d been inadvertently exposed.

Stanley was forced to come forward and explain the reasoning behind that bit of lead in all our Stanley cups. In the process of sealing these hefty drink containers, it seems Stanley decided — probably all the way back in 1913 when they were first developed — to put a small pellet that contains lead at the bottom of the cup. This pellet allows the vacuum insulation to seal and is covered by a stainless steel barrier. So long as this barrier remains in place, there is no risk from the lead pellet.

The concerns then arise when that barrier is damaged or removed. They’re by no means easy to pop off, but these cups are used for everything. People who are hard on their property have likely damaged that stainless steel barrier several times over, and they’re now concerned that they may have exposed themselves, and even their children, to dangerous lead in the process.

Is there a Stanley cup recall?

Despite concerns over the safety of their continued use, there has yet to be a Stanley cup recall. It is entirely possible that certain designs will be discontinued in the wake of the controversy, and even that Stanley will remove that lead pellet from manufacturing in the future, but it seems that those of us with a pre-existing Stanley cup — stainless steel barrier still in place — will simply need to be more cognizant of that barrier’s condition in the future.

What are the risks of lead exposure?

The risks of lead exposure are extensive, particularly when it comes to children. The side effects of lead exposure become less damaging once the brain and body have fully developed, but grown adults are not entirely safe where lead is concerned.

Let’s start with the side effects in kids, while keeping in mind that your child could not have been exposed to lead due to your Stanley cup unless the steel plate protecting the bottom of the tumbler has been removed or badly damaged. In kids, exposure to lead most often leads to cognitive issues. Particularly in still-developing children, high exposure to lead can result in severe damage to the brain and central nervous system, which can lead to permanent intellectual disorders.

There are risks from even low levels of exposure to lead as well. Lower levels of lead can still affect brain development, cause behavioral problems, and can result in damage to the reproductive organs. In adults, lead can lead to a heightened risk of high blood pressure, kidney damage, and cardiovascular issues, according to the World Health Organization.