Popular Stanley tumbler brand sued over presence of lead in cups
The company behind the viral Stanley tumbler is in hot water with some customers who are concerned about what the product is made of.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Pacific Market International (PMI) LLC, the parent company of the brand, over allegedly failing to disclose the presence of lead in the popular Adventure Quencher tumbler.
The suit was filed this month at a US court in Washington state by Robin Krohn. According to the complaint, obtained by Bloomberg,Ā Krohn says she wouldn’t have paid for her Stanley tumbler if she had known the product contained lead.
The class action will represent Krohn along with other Stanley users who bought the tumblers after February 2019.
For the uninitiated, after going viral online, the Stanley tumbler has created a strong following of shoppers who collect dozens of its colourful cups.
@justtkass I think i may have too many š #stanleycup #funny #fyp ā¬ original sound – South Park
The tumblers have only continued to grow in popularity thanks to influencers sharing their intricate Stanley drink recipes on TikTok.
@thirstdrinks Just another Utah girl & her Stanley #stanleycup#stanley#dietcoke#dietcokerecipe#drink#drinkrecipe#utah ā¬ Flowers – Miley Cyrus
And viral moments like this Stanley tumbler that miraculously survived a car catching on fire.
@danimarielettering Thirsty after you catch on fire? @Stanley 1913 is like no problem i gotchu #fyp #carfire #accident #stanleycup ā¬ original sound – Danielle
These Stanley cups have even upstaged the OG Stanley Cup on Google.
Despite its popularity, this isn’t the first class-action lawsuit the company has been hit with this year.
Earlier this month, another proposed class action on behalf of consumers in California accused the maker of failing to disclose its use of lead to maintain its sales, according toĀ Bloomberg.
After users began showing themselves testing their Stanley cups for lead on social media late last year and early this year, the company released a statement on its site admitting that there is lead in the cup.
“Our manufacturing process currently employs the use of an industry-standard pellet to seal the vacuum insulation at the base of our products; the sealing material includes some lead,” reads the site.
“Once sealed, this area is covered with a durable stainless steel layer, making it inaccessible to consumers.”
The brand goes on to assure consumers that no lead is present on the surface of any Stanley tumbler that comes into contact with the user or the contents of the cup.
It does advise users to replace the tumbler using the lifetime warranty if the base cap of the product comes off, exposing the seal.
Krohn’s class action pushes back against this, saying that PMI also āadvertises and sells the Stanley cups to consumers with the assurance that they can be used during activity (i.e. hiking and climbing) where a consumer could drop and/or damage the Stanley cups.ā
“PMI has marketed its products to the public for years as a safe, practical item especially suitable for young women. But PMI did not disclose its use of lead in manufacturing until January 2024,” added the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is seeking punitive damages and a “permanent injunction requiring PMI to disclose any lead or other toxins in its products in California.”
Daily Hive has reached out to Health Canada about whether this issue has affected any Canadians.
In the meantime, if you’re now feeling unsure about using your cup, here are 11 alternative travel mugs that might be better than the Stanley tumbler.
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