![Vintage Milk Glass Small Pyrex Mixing Bowl: 893 ppm Lead [90 is unsafe in children's items.]](https://tamararubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/milkbowl.jpg)
For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
- Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for 5 product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
- Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
Post originally written: February 26, 2017
Updated: March 3, 2020
Vintage Pyrex Mixing Bowl
When tested with an XRF instrument, the small plain white (undecorated, unpainted) vintage Pyrex brand milk glass bowl had the following reading: 893 ppm Lead (Pb).
The actual brand of this bowl was not noted (I did not take a photo of the bottom of the bowl) at the time of testing (c. 2013/2014, on my last trip to Iowa) but it looks like a Pyrex piece given the lip/ edge. This belonged to my friend Leslie, another mother of Lead-poisoned children
How much Lead is too much Lead?
Vintage dishes and kitchenware are not regulated for total Lead content as detectable with an XRF. Depending on the age of the item, many vintage items were also not regulated (for the presence of toxicants) at the time of manufacture. For context, however: The amount of Lead considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item (made today) intended for use by children is 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint or coating, and/or 100 ppm Lead or higher in the substrate. Since this is an unpainted/ undecorated item — IF it were made today and IF it was an item intended for use by children, the 100 ppm limit would apply.
An additional consideration for plain white (undecorated/ unpainted) vintage milk glass:
I am not as concerned about the potential for Lead exposure to the user with unpainted, undecorated (relatively low level Lead) plain white vintage milk glass items. An argument could be made that given the intended use it is unlikely for Lead to leach from these items and cause harm. That said, I don’t believe anyone (or any agency) to date has done any leach testing studies on vintage milk glass to determine the actual food-use-safety of these items. In the absence of a determination of safety (and in the confirmed presence of a toxicant as potent and neurotoxic as Lead) I always err on the side of caution. My recommendation is to not use vintage milk glass items for any food use purposes. However, having something like a vase made of vintage milk glass (or some other similar object d’art) is not of significant concern.
Some additional reading that may be of interest:
- To see more Pyrex items Lead Safe Mama has tested, click here.
- To see more test results for milk glass items, click here.
- To see more mixing bowls I have tested, click here.
- To read more about the testing methodology behind the results we report here on the website, check out this link.
- For some guidelines for choosing a safer mixing bowl, click here.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading and sharing these articles.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Hi Tamara,
I am researching on the corelle lead and saw your article. You are right there are no markings of when the product was manufactured
So how do we know, unless we buy from a Corelle store. Please note that my corelle dishes are all plain white and the plates are already showing the lead on the edges
Hence even plain white dishes are not safe at all. Do you know if Corelle had any action on this issue, I mean for plain white dishes?
The plain white ones have no Lead.
Tamara
I never knew there was lead in the vintage milk glass until I looked up an old white milk glass Pyrex mixing bowl I have with a lip for pouring stuff out. I believe it says Westing House on the bottom also. I was thinking of getting a set of pink salt & pepper shakers but after reading about the lead you kinda scared me. Maybe I won’t put anything in them. Is the pink and green considered milk glass also?
The pastel pink and green milk-style glass will likely have similar lead levels – I have a blue pitcher here on the blog:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/10/antique-blue-milk-glass-small-pitcher-with-handle-161-ppm-lead-not-a-concerning-amount-in-a-decorative-item-likely-to-be-used-a-vase/
Tamara
Hello, Could you let me know in regards to non painted vintage milk glass. I have several mixing bowls. When you are testing are you breaking the bowl and testing the pieces that are damaged or just testing the surface that would touch the food or hands?
I was under the impression outside of holding strong acids( wine, tomato sauce, lemon etc) the lead content of milk glass should not leech out- that the glass itself creates a sort of barrier. Can you clarify at all?
Many thanks for your diligent work here.
Glasbake
Hi Tamara, can’t thank you enough for your website! Even though I’ve been following your site for years, have rid my house of major lead concerns and am very careful of what I buy.. yesterday at a vintage shop I bought a set of white glasbake custard cups and small white mixing bowl with no makers mark. My intent was to use them as planters for houseplant/succulents/cacti. Because they were solid white and unpainted I thought they might be safe. Now I’m seeing that just because they are unpainted that may not be the case. Have you tested any solid white glasbake? Thoughts? Even if it’s just decorative and not being eaten from..is there concern from even touching/cleaning it/having it in your environment? My biggest concern would be one dropping and breaking and exposure from that. If I need to get rid of them would you like them for a write up on your site? Thanks so much!!!
Hi Thia! Thanks for commenting. I am on the road traveling – will try to answer tonight from the plane.
T