In my travels I often visit with people (either in their homes or they come to me) and test their things for lead. I love the opportunity to meet with families in person and to give them tools to make their homes safer.
If I find leaded dishes in their homes, I offer advice to help them find lead-free or lead-safe alternatives for their families.
Over the years I have tested a LOT of Syracuse brand china. All of the vintage Syracuse pieces I have tested have been very high lead.
This particular piece tested positive with an XRF as containing more than 10% lead in the glaze! [More here about how I test for lead!]
While I would almost never say a specific piece of china or dishware or kitchenware might poison you because of the lead content, I think it is very important that we make informed choices as consumers. Lead is one of the most potent neurotoxins known to man. Once given the knowledge, why would we choose items with any lead for our kitchen or dining room?
In addition to that, there actually have been several cases where a child (or an adult) was found to have been acutely and chronically lead poisoned specifically from regular and repeated daily uses of a favorite cherished leaded ceramic mug or bowl (and even a leaded Waterford crystal baby bottle)… so why would we want to take that risk? [More about the particular concern here.]
I would not personally want any Syracuse china in my home.
Here are some lead-free alternatives.
Please share this post with your friends and family to help spread the word. Thank you.
Green Glazed Ceramic Plate
“Carefree”
Calypso China
Handcrafted by Syracuse
One Year Breakage Guarantee
Made in USA
Tested with an XRF
greater than 100,000 parts per million lead*
12,166 ppm arsenic
#XRFTesting
*While total lead content in vintage dishware is in no way regulated, for context the current amount of lead considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item sold and intended for use by children is 90 parts per million lead and higher. This particular dish pictured here tested positive at a level that was higher than 100,000 parts per million (ppm) lead.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Is the finesse pattern problematic in terms of lead? Thank you!!!
Straight from the article: “Over the years I have tested a LOT of Syracuse brand china. All of the vintage Syracuse pieces I have tested have been very high lead.“ Are your dishes marked Syracuse Carefree True China? If so, then there’s a high probability they contain lead. It’s not the pattern, it’s the make up of the base pottery and glaze.
Are the following vintage dishes high in lead? Or where can I get the readings? Syracuse Millbrook pattern, vintage Homer Laughlin restaurant ware (green stripe), also the green stripe Homer Laughlin one marked “Best China” on the back, Buffalo China restaurant ware (green stripe), Wellsville China restaurant ware (green stripe)Leigh Potters or Leigh Ware Art Deco Tulips, Iroquois China “New Yorker” pattern, Depression glass bubble pattern, English Chippendale Johnson Bros roses pattern (name?) “All Decoration Under the Glaze” marked on the back. Thank you!
I have some syracuse china handed down to me from my great grandmother. It has the markings that would indicate pre 1911. They have been in my basement for many years. I was thinking about giving them to my granddaughers as wall hangings. Would that be safe or should I dispose of them?
I have my mother’s Syracuse Portland pattern china. Has this ever tested positive for lead? I purchased additional place settings as well as serving pieces to complete the set from Replacements Ltd. My parents were married in the early to
Mid 1950’s