Many of us know of the stanley cup. It has a fun straw, it is insulated, it has cute colors and a nice handle…you could go on forever about how great the stanley water bottles are. But as some of us may know, it has a dark side. There have been rumors of stanleys containing lead. Here is everything you need to know and how to stay safe.

The big question is, do stanleys have lead in them? The answer is yes. The website even states that the cups are “vacuum insulation technology” which supposedly keeps the water at an ideal temperature. The stanley company says, “we use an industry standard pellet to seal the vacuum insulation at the base of our products.” That same sealing material, it says, “includes some lead.” But why is lead so bad? Well, lead exposure can lead to many illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and reproductive toxicity. Fortunately, the amount of lead in stanleys isn’t very harmful to us, but it is frustrating that the stanley company would use the toxic material that is lead in their cups. Not only is it wrong, but it is banned in many applications in a cup.

Don’t worry though, the stanley business isn’t all that shady. The people at Stanley noticed influencers posting about the rumors of lead and really started thinking. Recently, the scientists at Stanley have been working to create innovative alternatives to the stanley sealing piece containing lead. So in conclusion, if you want to get a Stanley, go for it! And if you already have one, that’s great! However, personally, I’ll wait until they do come out with that alternative, then maybe it will be worth the $45.