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Question from Tara

We are putting in a new kitchen faucet and new cabinet pulls. Do you have any advice on the best finish for these items? I will be handling the faucet and the door pulls often while handling food so I want to be sure nothing toxic will rub off onto my hands. I thought stainless would be the safest, but for the door pulls, I can only find a nickel finish in the size we need. For the faucet, I found a stainless faucet from Moen and one from Delta, but Moen’s faucet has a Spot Resist finish and the Delta faucet has a Brilliance Finish. Moen’s website didn’t have much on the Spot Resist finish, but Delta’s Brilliance Finish said they embed molecules deep into the finish through a process that uses various gasses and zirconium. Would I be better off going with a chrome finish for the faucets? The chrome faucets don’t seem to have these special finishes.

Thank you so much for your advice!

Debra’s Answer

I am at a loss at the moment as to how to respond to this.

Let me just tell you my thought process.

When I first became aware of things toxic, it was about products that offgassed toxic fumes into the air. And so I was just looking for products that didn’t offgas.

It wasn’t until only a few years ago that I began to be aware of metals, their dangers, and exposures.

While I don’t wear costume jewelry because the nickel gives me skin rashes, all my faucets are brushed nickel. I have had no problem with them at all.

Now, because lead can be released through touch and absorbed through the skin, I am now questioning other metals. OK I just looked it up. “Nickel is poorly absorbed through the skin.” If you want to know about other metals, search for “[name of metal] skin absorption.”

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