Stanley cups have exploded in popularity this year, but they may come with some deadly health risks.

The rumor that you could get lead poisoning from a Stanley cup started after people had found a pellet that was normally hidden inside the bottom of the cup, and it was discovered to be lead. This led to many people thinking the pellet had touched the water, making them think they now had lead poisoning.. When someone has lead poisoning, it infects almost every crevice of the body, it can lead to brain damage, convulsions, comas,  and even death.  

This lead pellet is also in many other reusable bottles, like Yeti, MiiR, and LifeStraw. Even Hydroflasks used lead when they started, however, lead has not been used since 2013.

The lead is Stanley cups are used to create vacuum insulation in the cup. Thankfully, this pellet is never in direct contact with the actual liquid or outside of the cup, and is completely sealed away. And many people have swabbed the cups to check for any traces of lead on the outside, and it’s all come back perfectly fine. Also, removing the bottom of a Stanley cup is extremely difficult, and since this information is now public, it doesn’t make sense for someone to try and expose the pellet just for fun when it could endanger their life.

But just because it’s highly unlikely, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for someone to expose the lead pellet and contaminate themselves. However, Stanley has released a statement about the pellets, stating they’re researching a substitute to lower the risk of poisoning, and hopefully this pellet will be replaced with a less dangerous solution.