Ball Mason Jar (year unknown): 43 ppm lead.
WAIT! DON’T PANIC!
While this jar was positive for a “trace” (very low level) of Lead…
- Almost all of the newer Ball Jars that I have tested have tested NEGATIVE for Lead or Cadmium.
- These levels found here in this jar that I tested (picture below) are trace/ very low/ negligible and are not likely to be leaching at all.
- Newer clear glass is still likely the best thing to store your food in.
- Ball is the most consistently Lead-free brand I have found (with just a few exceptions.)
- Conversely, almost all Kerr jars I have tested have been positive for low-levels of lead (20 to 40 ppm range) – with very few exceptions.
- All Weck Jars I have tested have been positive for lead in the 200 ppm range (still very low, but consistently higher.)
- I use all Ball jars in my home.
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Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Hi Tamara. Have you tested any of the new Ball colored jars?
Hi
Have you tested the Smoke colored 64 oz Mason Jar for lead/cadmium?
Thanks
Hi! I have long wondered about Wilton gel food color. The black especially often has worked seems to be metallic flecks of material in it. Is there any testing on food dyes?
All artificial food dyes have heavy metals. Use natural ones if you can. Please google Artificial Colors: A hidden source of toxic metals.
I also was wondering about colored Ball mason jars. I have a blue tinted pint jar that I use for food storage. Tamara, in your recently posted Target Gorilla XRF testing video, you mentioned that tinted glass is often suspicious for lead. Have you tested blue ball mason jars?
I have tested them and they have been positive for low levels of lead (fairly consistently.). The antique ones are often much higher lead.
Tamara, would dry storage be safe for these old jars? Like storing rice or dry beans?
Hi Tamara, I wonder the same. I have several old school ball & Kerr jars I use with the zinc tops for dry good storage because they look pretty on display. What are your thoughts?
Hi Lauren: https://tamararubin.com/2017/03/antiqueball/
Tamara
Hi there! Great site (just subscribed).
I’d love to see your response regarding new Ball jars and if you have tested them?
Thanks for the great work! 🙂
Oops! I just re-read your opening to this post: “Almost all of the newer Ball Jars that I have tested have tested NEGATIVE for lead or cadmium.”
Question above answered — Thanks!
Hi Tamara I love the video you did with Carissa regarding the Ball Jars. I was wondering what size where the ones you have on the video for your dry goods. Also you mention you vacuum seal or airtight seal I cant quite remember but I would like to know how you do that. If you can add an Amazon link to the size jars mentioned above that would be great do you can get a portion of my purchase. THANK YOU in advance.
Hi Tamara, thank you for your amazing work! Do you know if Le parfait or Kilner are safe jar options for fermenting? Really concerns me as the contents are so acidic. Thank you!
Have you also tested Fido jars? They they are also widely used in food storage. I’d be curious on the difference between the glass and the wire holds the lid in place.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this topic, Tamara!
I don’t think I have.
Hi Tamara, I have those Fido jars as well. Mine have a cobalt blue lid glass on top & clear jar at the bottom. I’m wondering too what that would test.
Someone would have to send some to me for testing. Here’s information about that (I am only accepting items to test from subscribers right now): https://tamararubin.com/2017/12/testmystuff/
Here’s my subscriber link: https://tamararubin.com/2017/07/subscribe/
Thank you for sharing all your research! Have you tested any of Ball’s Quilted Crystal jars? I’m considering using them for breast milk storage.
I have, the new ones are generally lead free. Here’s the type I have tested that has been lead-free on several occasions https://amzn.to/2JAsrRj (affiliate link).
Hi Tamara,
Thank you thank you thank you for all the testing and insights. It’s a scary world we live in.
Have you ever tested Bernardin canning jars? They are the most popular brand in Canada, made in the USA. And Le Parfait? We have quite a few of those for storing our dry goods.
Hi Carol, You are welcome! I don’t recall testing those two brands, sorry! – T
Thank you. It’s odd that Kerr tests positive, and Ball doesn’t, I just found out they’re made by the same company. Bernardin is also made by this company, and is the most available brand in my area, so I’m hoping it’s also lead free and doesn’t test positive (albeit low) like Kerr.
Thank you for your work! I am wondering about some vintage Triomphe Jars — they were (I believe) made in France, and have the hinged glass lid and orange rubber gasket. (Similar to this one, but vintage – https://amzn.to/2COAYzS (Tamara’s aflink) I’m wondering not only about the glass, but the metal wire part. It looks suspicious to me. Any idea? Thanks very much.
Hi Sophie. I haven’t tested this brand, but many of the similar vintage brands are leaded. Both the metal and glass components. In these (the older ones) the metal locking bands are highly suspect.
Sophie here is the link with all of my posts with the “canning jar” tag: https://tamararubin.com/category/canning-jar/
You can also look up “mason jar” “ball jar” “jar” “glass jar” and other similar keywords using the searcher on my site.
Thank you! I was afraid that would be your answer. (I have been using those jars for years and only just became aware of the possibility of lead. Ack.) I have looked at your posts on safe options. I don’t suppose you have tested any with the hinged lids. It doesn’t look like Ball makes those. Do you have any thoughts about the ones that IKEA makes? I saw that you found their mugs to be consistently lead free…
I think I would definitely go with Ikea if I were going that route, although I have not tested all of the new Ikea products of course. In general they are always a safer choice.
Just looked at Ikea & their jars & they don’t add lead or cadmium… BUT they use recycled glass, so presumably it could have anything in it from the old glass. Any thoughts Tamara?
I haven’t tested a lot of the clear glass jars from Ikea, but the ones I have tested have been Lead-free.
Thanks so much for responding. Would that be the Korken jars? I’d love to know if so as I drink lemon water from my jars and also want to create herbal tinctures in them, so lots of leaching opportunities! Thank you so, so much!
I don’t recall the names of the specific Ikea jars I have tested, but I have tested many different designs over the years from them. I would generally expect all of their jars to be either lead-free or lead-safe.
Thank you once again. I will email them too and post any response here for info for others. May I ask, do you know of anyone in the UK who offers your service of checking through household items? I would love to send some bits to you, but it’s not practical from UK. Bless your good heart!
I would very much like to come there for an outreach event series. I would need to get either a corporate or government agency sponsor or could have a bunch of individuals contribute to help cover my costs. Do you have any connections? Sometimes a bunch of moms will chip-in $100 to $500 each (or more), or I often do events sponsored by local or state Health Departments and then since my costs are covered and I am already in the area I do some local private smaller events with parents. All of my rates are listed on this page… Let me know if you have any ideas! Thank you. https://tamararubin.com/2018/02/consults/
Unfortunately I don’t have any contacts, kids, or friends with kids, so it’s not something I could help with. I was hoping you may know of a tester in the UK. Thank you again, for all that you do!
I’ll keep you posted if I make it over there!
Please do! Do you know of any clip top glass jars (like Kilner or Le Parfait) that are 100% lead free? I need glass topped jars for making herbal tinctures which are so expensive to buy but easy to make, but I don’t want to use a Ball Mason because of the plastic coated metal lids. Was hoping the Ikea would be ok but concerned that the recycled glass could contain anything.
Out of interest, do you recall checking any recycled glass from Ikea? Not sure if my other response posted, but I’ve been looking for a UK based service to test items, but searching the internet has left me without a solution. I wondered if you knew of anyone in the UK? Thank you <3
I need to test more of their new products. I have not tested brand new recycled glass from them. I have tested a lot of their glass though and it has all been lead-free or lead-safe (the stuff made in recent years.)
– Tamara
Hello Tamara,
Have you tested vintage canning jar lids? Specifically, I’m wondering about the clear glass lid inserts labeled “Ball No. 10” or “Presto”. I would like to use these as a zero-waste canning solution.
Hi Tamara,
Thanks for sharing your passion & knowledge. Do you know if the negative results also goes for Ball “Elite” mason jars? Seems like that’s my only option at my near by stores. Ty!
I was wondering about the British company, Kilner. They are selling quite a bit in USA – especially for Breakfast Jars for overnight oatmeal. I am going to get one and test with my vinegar and stick kit but I don’t always trust that.
Anyone know? I have a call into the company too.
They make a lot of glass canning jars, etc.
Thanks
I was also wondering about the new amber colored ball jars. The amber color makes it safer to medications and items that should not be exposed to sunlight. HOWEVER, there are ways to do that myself with paper around the jars; decoupage, etc. But I would love to know if the amber color advertised now is cadmium and lead free.
Much obliged
Uh oh may not be authentic ball jars afterall. Now that I am reading more – and absent from the Ball products on Amazon, etc. …… perhaps knock offs. and counterfits and bootleg products made me angry so I never purchase.
Hi Tamara,
Thanks for this. Like others, I am interested in lead testing on Kilner glass jars. If a reader wanted to send you something to test, like this type of jar, how do they do it? I saw the post saying you weren’t accepting items in 2021, due to a back log, is that still the case?
Here you go: https://tamararubin.com/2019/08/tamara-can-i-send-you-one-of-my-dishes-to-test-for-lead/
Do you have any other test results for Ball mason jars besides the six you have published? I’m surprised you consider 43 ppm safe by all standards when these jars are often used to store acidic food. This result has made me anxious about the Ball jars I own, so more data would be greatly appreciated!
I’m wondering how to qualify what “newer” Ball jars are? I have so many Ball jars in my basement, some inherited from my mother, who certainly kept and reused her canning jars from the 90s, at least. I’m worried that I’m contaminating my baby’s breast milk, which I store in boiled Ball jars. Any thoughts on how to date the jars? And what the cutoff in year is for when the jars went virtually lead-free?
I have numerous Ball jars and just bought some more, since I always stored legumes, etc in them. Unfortunately I got a bunch of ameber ones and have now set them aside until I find out more. The amber protects foor quality, but not if there’s lead or cadmium in them!.
I grow my own herbs/spices or buy in bulk. I’ve been putting them in amber glass re-purposed vitamin bottles assuming they’d be food safe. Now I see there are no guarantees. So I bought the smallest size (1/2 cup) quilted Ball jars and just transferred them over. Easier to stack in the cupboard and look nice.
Also stored oil (EV olive oil) in green bottles re-purposed from old avocado oil if it comes in plastic. Now I may use ball jars instead. All my cooking oil (avocado, EVO, Coconut, come in either plastic or colored glass. I’ll transfer to Ball jars and keep them in the cupboard.
Thanks for your wonderful site. I don’t have children living at home, but if I did I’d be throwing away a lot of toxic toys. This is so important for upcoming generations. I’ll let anyone with young kids know about your site.
Thank you for commenting.
T
What about Ball Mason 4oz Quilted Jelly Jars? Thanks for all your work.