Lead, Kratom, and Prop 65: How Super Speciosa Prioritizes Your Safety

Dear Valued Super Speciosa Customers,

We understand that there may be concerns regarding Prop 65 warnings on our kratom products. Please rest assured, your safety and peace of mind are our top priorities. 

Our commitment to you is steadfast: Super Speciosa kratom products will always be free from unsafe levels of lead or any heavy metals. To ensure this, each batch undergoes meticulous quality controls and rigorous third-party testing specifically for contaminants, such as lead. Any product that doesn’t meet our stringent quality criteria is immediately discarded, ensuring that only the safest products reach your home. 

Now, let’s dive deeper into understanding Prop 65, its warning labels, and the measures we take to ensure the purity of our kratom.

Why Is There A Prop 65 Warning On My Product?

For many natural products, the Prop 65 warning label is unavoidable. Kratom is no exception. A kratom supplement without a single warning is probably not adequately labeled. 

“Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.” Learn more about Prop 65.

Distributors of kratom products that do not put this warning label on their products are likely at risk of being fined.

Why? Mainly because the standards set by Prop 65 are quite conservative compared to other commonly accepted standards.

What Does The Prop 65 Warning On Kratom Products Mean?

This California law has established “safe harbor” thresholds that allow product manufacturers to avoid including a warning label on their products without risk of being fined.

Two types of thresholds may require disclosure of potential risk:

1. No Significant Risk Levels (NSRLs)

2. Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs)

Let’s explain what each of these “levels” means.

For each chemical of concern, such as Lead or Nickel, the State of California has determined two different “levels.” The “No Significant Risk Level” or “NSRL” is a limit related to potential cancer risk. The “Maximum Allowable Dose Level” or “MADL” is a limit related to a potential risk for reproductive harm. 

Thus, each chemical has its own level for both NSRL and MADL.

If the amount of a chemical exceeds one of these limits, the state regulations require a warning disclosure to the consumer. One thing to note is that these “safe harbor limits” simply determine when a product manufacturer must disclose a potential risk. Without doing so, the manufacturer faces a much greater risk of penalty by state regulators.

Having a Prop 65 warning does not always mean that a significant health risk to the consumer exists. In other words, product manufacturers may be able to argue that their products are safe even though the chemical of concern exceeds the safe harbor limits. The manufacturer may present their own safety data to make this case.

Regardless, to avoid fines from the state of California, product manufacturers are best advised to disclose the warning whenever their products exceed any of these two limits for any chemical.

Now back to kratom, the chemical of concern under California law is lead. The Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL) for lead is 0.5 micrograms (µg) per day. 

Natural kratom commonly tests for lead within a range of 0.5 micrograms (µg)/g to 1 microgram (µg)/g. So, Super Speciosa products, when consumed as directed on the label, do breach this safe harbor limit. According to California law, disclosing the potential risk of reproductive harm is necessary.

The No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) for lead is 15  micrograms (µg) per day. Since you won’t exceed this limit when following our consumption guidelines, our products do not require the Prop 65 disclosure of potential cancer risk. 

It’s important to emphasize that California’s MADL limits are set to very conservative levels and do not indicate an absolute risk but rather a potential risk.

How much lead is in kratom?

Natural kratom leaf commonly contains lead in amounts that range from 0.5µg/g to 1µg/g. Most often, it’s toward the lower end of this range. For every teaspoon of kratom powder (roughly 2.4 grams by weight), you consume up to 2.4 micrograms (µg) of lead. 

NSF and AHPA publish widely adopted safety standards for lead in all kinds of dietary supplements and food. It’s important to note that lead levels in kratom do occasionally exceed the maximum levels permitted by NSF/AHPA standards. This is why it’s important to make sure that the kratom you use is thoroughly tested and meets AKA GMP standards. Super Speciosa thoroughly tests its products and never releases products for sale that exceed the NSF standards and AHPA standards. Read to learn more about our lab testing procedures.

So is this product safe or not?

We encourage all consumers of our product to do their own research. When considering the risk of lead in kratom, understand that:

1. Many natural products, dietary supplements and foods contain trace amounts of lead, not just kratom leaf.
2. The Prop 65 limits are very conservative compared to NSF and AHPA standards.
3. Super Speciosa kratom products are free of harmful amounts of lead according to widely adopted NSF standards.

We set our heavy metals limits based on the Daily Permissible exposure guidance from the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for dietary supplements, which is 10µg/day.

Super Speciosa’s suggested use for kratom leaf powder products is 2.4 grams of kratom leaf consumed no more than twice daily. Based on this serving size, most kratom powder exceeds the set limit for California’s Prop 65 but not NSF or other recommended guidelines.

We keep a strict specification for our lead testing of 1.25ug/g to remain well under the NSF’s limits, eliminating the risk of exceeding the permissible daily exposure for dietary supplements according to NSF’s published guidelines.

Why is there Lead in Kratom?

Lead is a naturally occurring element in many natural products, not just kratom. 

For example, your local water treatment center that supplies your home with drinking water may also contain trace amounts of lead within acceptable safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other organizations.

Lead is present in kratom products because it is present in the environment where kratom plants are grown and processed. Trace amounts are absorbed by the plant and accumulate in the leaves. 

None of the kratom alkaloids are currently in the 308 chemicals listed by the California Office of Environment Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). 

How To Evaluate Super Speciosa’s Lab-Test

At Super Speciosa, our vision is to sell ‘kratom with a conscience.’ All of our products come with an easily scannable QR code to view the lab test results for the specific batch of product in your hands.

Here’s a sample Cora Science lab report for you to refer to. If you have a Super Speciosa product on hand, you can either scan the QR code with your phone or use the lot number to find your lab report right now.

On the COA (Certificate of Analysis) from the lab, you will see the term LOQ: “Limit of Quantitation.” The LOQ means the lowest concentration reliably measurable by an analytical procedure.

Now look at the column “Specification.” For lead, the Specification is the maximum amount of lead allowed in our product according to NSF standards for dietary supplements. Our lead specification allows a maximum of 1.25 µg/g.

The National Sanitation Foundation’s (NSF) guidelines for all consumable dietary supplements are the basis of our standards. We also use American Herbal Products Association’s guidelines to set our limits for Heavy Metals and Microbial testing.

To confirm that your product meets NSF standards, check the COA by scanning the QR code. Compare the value in the “results” column to the value in the “specification” column. If the result for lead is less than 1.25, you are clear as this meets the safety standards set by NSF.

Why Is There a Lead Concern in Kratom?

Highly unsafe lead and heavy metals levels can only occur due to improper cultivation practices or poor manufacturing processes.

Improper Cultivation Practices

The kratom plant is mostly grown in the wild or on privately owned land. If it’s grown in poorly managed soil or lead-contaminated water, the plant can carry higher than normal lead levels in its leaves.

Improper Manufacturing Processes

Kratom vendors without strict quality control measures expose their kratom shipments to contamination. Kratom may get exposed to heavy metals during processing, manufacturing, or storage. 

Improper handling of kratom leaves can also contaminate kratom. This is reason enough to stay away from ‘garage vendors.’

Read why Super Speciosa’s lab-tested kratom is the best for you!

Safe Kratom Consumption for Super Speciosa Products

It goes without saying that Super Speciosa will always prioritize consumer safety.  Our product labels provide complete transparency and information on the risks of taking kratom.

Kratom success stories are common and the benefits of using kratom offer exciting potential. However, it’s important for anyone who begins taking kratom to be aware of potential risks.

We fulfill our promise of transparency and safety by including Prop 65 warnings on our product labels. 

According to publicly available research, responsible use of kratom does not appear to present a significant health risk. We urge anyone taking kratom to research and conclude for themselves too.

Remember that our lead testing and safety limits are based on a recommended 2.4 grams of kratom powder per serving with up to two servings per day. This means heavy kratom consumers are at an increased risk. The more kratom you take, the more lead will enter your system. Dive deeper on kratom serving sizes and how often you should take kratom.

Super Speciosa’s Quality Promise and A+ Customer Service

Our founders, Ken and Aaron, started Super Speciosa in 2016 with a vision of ‘kratom with a conscience.’ Our promise is safe, clean, and high-quality kratom products. 

Super Speciosa takes great care in milling and handling our pure kratom tree leaves. We have developed a quality manufacturing system tailored specifically for kratom. This system, designed from scratch, ensures that we deliver the best kratom products to our customers.

Super Speciosa maintains a high level of transparency by providing third-party lab test results from Cora Science. These tests cover various aspects such as alkaloid content, microbiology, contaminants, and heavy metals. To ensure easy access to the lab results, each of our products is accompanied by a scannable QR code. Additionally, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee to give customers peace of mind.

We adhere to the American Kratom Association’s GMP Standards Program, which is derived from the FDA’s guidelines for Current Good Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements. Learn more about our GMP-standards.

Our dedicated customer service representatives are ready to assist you with any questions or concerns, both over the phone and via email, ensuring a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on all our products.

Here’s what our verified buyers say about us:

“Great stuff. By far the best Kratom.”

“Excellent quality and customer support answered my questions.”

“So glad I found you guys! Better quality and price by far than my local distributor. Quick shipping too!”

Check out reviews about Super Speciosa!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why does kratom have a Prop 65 warning?

Many natural products are required to carry the Prop 65 warning label. If a kratom product doesn’t have this label but contains all natural whole kratom leaf ingredients, it is likely not properly labeled for consumers.

In California, a warning label is required if the lead content in a product would cause a consumer to consume more than 0.5 µg per day. Natural kratom commonly tests for lead within a range of 0.5µg/g to 1µg/g. This breaches the conservative limit set for lead related to reproductive harm but not for cancer. 

However, consumers of properly tested AKA GMP-compliant kratom products are generally not at risk according to other commonly accepted standards like NSF and AHPA.

“Proposition 65 requires businesses to warn Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or other reproductive harm. ” Learn more about Prop 65.

Is the lead in kratom products safe to consume?

With Super Speciosa’s kratom supplements, there is no significant safety concern unless someone takes an excessive amount of kratom. This is because of our strict testing protocol that meets NSF standards.

How does lead in kratom compare to other natural products?

Most natural products have small amounts of lead. Even foods commonly found in the supermarket can have trace amounts of lead. We thoroughly test our products to ensure the levels are safe to consume. 

What are the NSF guidelines for lead in dietary supplements?

The Daily Permissible exposure guidance from the NSF for dietary supplements is 10ug/day.  Based on the NSF guidelines, we have a strict specification for our lead testing of not more than 1.25ug/g.

How much kratom can I safely consume without health concerns?

Our lead testing and safe limits are based on a recommended 2.4 grams of kratom powder per serving with up to two servings per day. Unless someone is taking an excessive amount of kratom, there is no significant concern.

Is the Prop 65 warning specific to California only?

Yes, the warning is only required to be shared with consumers in California, per state law.