Non Toxic Christmas Decorations

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Non Toxic Christmas Decorations – Many Christmas decorations are full of toxic chemicals. What Christmas decoration materials are non toxic?

[Updated Nov.2021: Some products are updated on Nov.22, 2021]

Now that I have found a non toxic Christmas tree for my home, I need to decorate it with Christmas lights and ornaments. How wonderful would it be to just go to the store and buy shiny and bright lights and decorations! However, buying Christmas decorations is not that simple either just like buying a Christmas tree. While researching for a non toxic Christmas tree for our home, I have also found out that many Christmas decorations and lights are toxic. Many Christmas lights contain lead which is dangerous especially for young children. Many Christmas ornaments and garlands contain toxic chemicals such as lead, bromine, chlorine. Decorating a Christmas tree is like a bringing home full of toxic chemicals which are dangerous to our family. In this post, I share with you how Christmas decorations can be toxic and what non toxic Christmas decorations are available.

How Christmas Decorations Can Be Toxic

Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are one of main Christmas decorations. It shines bright and makes us feel the Christmas festivity in cold weather. According to a report by Bloomberg, 54 percent holiday lights tested in a US study had more lead than regulators permit in children’s products, with some containing more than 30 times those levels. Cornell environmental analyst also discovered that many Christmas lights contain high levels of lead that exceed limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for windowsills or floors. HealthyStuff.org also tested lights and found Christmas lights including lights attached to decorations commonly had high levels of lead and bromine in their 2014 study. Lead is used as a stabilizer in the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) jacketing of the Christmas light cords. It is dangerous chemical and it is especially harmful for children. Lead can be inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Once lead gets into person’s system, it is distributed throughout the body. It travels in the blood to the liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, spleen, muscles, and heart and also gets stored in the bone. Lead damages the central and peripheral nervous system and the kidneys and also interrupts formation of red blood cells. It could also cause seizures, coma and death at very high levels of lead. Children are more vulnerable and more susceptible to the toxic effects of lead. Many of the effects are irreversible. There is no safe level of lead exposure. Low levels of lead can cause lower IQ, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, developmental delay, behavioral problems, impaired hearing and stunted growth for young children. Therefore, do not let young children touch the lights and have them wash their hands after touching them.

Christmas Ornaments

Hanging Christmas ornaments are the best part of decorating a Christmas tree. How fun it is to decorate all the ornaments together with kids! Unfortunately, Christmas ornaments can contain lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, antimony, bromine, chlorine, tin or toxic paints. Many antique ornaments or ornaments that are passed down through generations have lead paint. Even nowadays, you can purchase ornaments made of leaded crystal or mercury glass which contain lead and mercury. The thing about Christmas ornaments is that I would not know if the Christmas ornaments contain lead or other harmful heavy metals unless I send it into a professional lab. This makes buying Christmas ornaments difficult.

Christmas Beaded Garlands

Christmas garlands, or beaded garlands are another popular Christmas decorations. However, they do also contain toxic chemicals. Healthystuff.org tested 69 holiday products (including beaded garlands, tinsel garlands, artificial wreaths and greenery, stockings, figurines and other tabletop decorations, and gift bags) in 2014 study and they found following.

Walgreen’s retailed Santa Hanging Décor: 1,400 ppm bromine, 1,300 ppm chlorine, 290 ppm antimony.
Lowe’s retailed Beaded Garland: 11,000 ppm bromine, 16,000 ppm chlorine, 600 ppm lead, 2,100 ppm antimony.
Lowe’s retailed Silver Bells: 120,000 ppm chlorine, 370 ppm lead, 290 ppm antimony.
Kroger retailed Red Bead Garland: 13,000 ppm bromine, 17,000 ppm chlorine, 140 ppm lead, 3,900 ppm antimony, 150 ppm tin.
Kroger retailed Silver Jingle Bell Door Hanger: 150 ppm arsenic, 1,900 ppm chlorine, 170 ppm lead, 1,500 ppm tin.
Walmart retailed Poinsettia Wreath: 900 ppm bromine, 6,500 ppm chlorine, 830 ppm lead, 230 ppm antimony.
Target retailed Decorative Tree: 1,400 ppm chlorine and 2,100 ppm lead, you can use this target online promo code to get a discount.
Target retailed Holiday Swag Bundle: 2,400 ppm bromine, 24,700 ppm chlorine, 670 ppm antimony, 152 ppm tin.
CVS retailed 18 foot Lighted Garland: 65,800 ppm bromine, 310,000 ppm chlorine, 170 ppm lead, 10,200 ppm antimony, 2,300 ppm tin.
Dollar Tree retailed Decorative Bows: 426,000 ppm chlorine, 1,100 ppm tin.

As you can see, many of them have extremely high levels of toxic chemicals. Garlands listed above have very high levels of bromine and chlorine and they also all contain lead and antimony.

Candles

Scented candles are also used a lot during holidays. However, candles can also be dangerous. Scented candles often use fragrance. Fragrance, also known as perfume contains phthalates which are endocrine disruptors, human immune system toxicants or allergens. EWG’s Skin Deep (Environmental Working Group) rates fragrance’s hazard score as 8 (10 being the most hazardous). Fragrance is typically made up of synthetic chemicals derived from petroleum. However, manufacturers do not have to disclose fragrance ingredients on the label because fragrance ingredients are treated as a trade secret. Therefore, consumers do not know exactly what type of toxic chemicals are used in the fragrance. Examples of these chemicals include diethyl phthalate which is linked to sperm damage in human epidemiological studies, and musk ketone, which may increase the susceptibility to health hazards caused by carcinogens in humans.

Another reason how candles can be toxic is that conventional candles are made of paraffin wax which is a petroleum-based. When these candles are burned they emit toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene or toluene which are known carcinogens. Some candles also use wicks that contain lead. Conventional candles made of paraffin wax and lead core wicks should be avoided.

So then, what non toxic Christmas decorations are available? Here are some non toxic Christmas decorations I have found on the web.

Non Toxic Christmas Lights

The most non toxic Christmas lights are LED lights sold by the Swedish furniture company, IKEA. IKEA has to comply with stricter European Restriction of Hazardous Substances regulations for levels of chemical requirements. RoHS restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. The substances banned under RoHS are lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), cadmium (Cd), and four different phthalates (DEHP, BBP, BBP, DIBP)

IKEA Ledljus LED String Light – Non Toxic Christmas Lights

Non Toxic Christmas Lights – IKEA Ledljust LED String Lights

IKEA LED Lights are RoHS/ CE Certified. Lead and other toxic chemicals are banned under RoHs.

I got IKEA Ledljus LED string lights for our Christmas tree. These lights can be used for indoors and outdoors. I think they are wonderful and great for our Christmas tree!

How Christmas Decorations Can Be Toxic

Christmas Lights

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Beaded Garlands

Candles