Scientific Study: Potential Hazard of Lead in Decorated Glassware
Published: November 23, 2017
Here’s a direct link to the study on PubMed.
Click the image below to read the full article shown below from IFL Science!
“Dr Andrew Turner of the University of Plymouth, UK tested a range of glass products used for storing liquids, both new and second hand. These included tumblers, beer glasses, wine glasses, and jars. More than 70 percent of the 72 products tested contained lead. Almost as many had cadmium.”
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First of all, thank you so much for your informative blog! You are doing a wonderful service to your readers!
The new Corelle dishware you recommend is embossed, not painted. Is that because the painted ones still contain lead or is that just a coincidence/question of taste?
Thanks!
Hi Liz!
Thanks for commenting. The plain white new Corelle pieces (embossed or not) are Lead-free, Cadmium-free, Arsenic-free and Mercury-free! With the painted decorations I am still finding trace contamination of heavy metals and even sometimes very high levels of Cadmium. Here’s one example of that: https://tamararubin.com/2018/11/small-corelle-plate-with-red-floral-border-2788-ppm-cadmium-arsenic/
Here’s another: https://tamararubin.com/2019/09/brand-new-2019-open-stock-at-fred-meyer-corelle-key-west-dish-141-ppm-cadmium-75-is-illegal-in-denmark/
As a result I cannot recommend any of their painted products with colorful decorations.
Tamara
Thank you so much Tamara for your reply! So many blogs don’t reply to comments on older blog posts. It’s so nice if you to do so!
Of course!:-)
I try! I don’t get to all of the questions but I really try – lol!
Tamara
The embossed are very nice! I bought a set of Bella Faenza! Corelle wears so well, this set will outlive me!
Do you know if Mikasa Or Princess House crystal glasses are safe or do they have lead? Vintage-
Do Mikasa Intaglio, American Limoge, Corelle Indian Summer, and Fire King jade green dishescontain lead?
I had just bought my family member a birthday gift of Coca Cola dishes from the 1990’s. And about 15 mugs off of Ebay for myself (owls, cats, and Corelle/Pyrex. I had also planned on purchasing, for my new hobby of tea drinking, antique teacups and saucers going back to the early 1900’s… and more Coca Cola glasses and memorabilia for gifts. That’s when I discovered your work and then I realized I had been using OLD mixing bowls all of my life for my cooking, steaming vegetables in them every few days, boiling tea in them, in addition to inherited stoneware mixing bowls from my great-grandparent’s house (they were a dairy farm) in the mid 1800’s to late (?). Then I had no mugs or bowls to use, so I bought an anchor hocking glass mug you recommended and I plan on buying the Ikea turquoise floral mug(s) item 15199, that you said were safe along with more glass mugs you recommended on Amazon. I luckily had bought the plain white corelle dishes with nothing on them years ago from Walmart (the ones with the high-sided soup bowls) and those were the only ones Ive used so I am lucky in that respect. I am so glad to have stumbled upon your website because I was just starting to become a collector of antique mugs, antique teacups, and antique corelle and pyrex dishware. I had been looking for the prefect antique teacup for a gift. Now I am dismayed that my parents have been using old stoneware dishes and I hope to convert them to the embossed white corelle.
Thank you for commenting!
Hi Tamara,
Have you tested any Longaberger or Southern Living dishes. I am now going to have to remove a lot of items from my every day use and am wondering if those brands will have to go also?
Thanks
Jensine
Here is one example I have tested: https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/longaberger-pottery-vitrified-china-small-burgundy-plate-56-ppm-lead-101-ppm-cadmium/
Thank you for your quick response. I saw that in your website. I have mostly the white with blue decorations. I am going to order the test kit you recommended and try to determine. Thanks so much.
Most consumer goods cannot be tested with home test kits (fyi) – the home test kits are designed for testing for Lead in paint:
Testing Dishes:
https://tamararubin.com/2017/02/ask-tamara-q-can-i-test-my-dishes-for-lead-with-a-leadcheck-swab-a-sometimes-but-not-always-click-to-read-more/
Testing Toys:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/04/asktamara-are-the-3m-swabs-sufficient-to-test-the-surfaces-of-toys-is-it-better-than-nothing/
Tamara
Thanks I don’t think Inhave any other options?
So, basically, everything in my kitchen that’s been used my entire life (because it was all my grandmothers) is toxic.
That’s not an unreasonable assumption. More information here:
https://tamararubin.com/category/character-glass/
and here:
https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/
Tamara
I have Temptations painted bakeware purchased from QVC. Have you tested it?
Should my family be tested for lead if we have been using Pyrex baking dishes for years? I have the Cinderella turquoise set I received as a wedding gift in the 1960’s.
Thank you for the work you are doing.
Oh wow! I have the small Spice of Life Corningware casserole dish, and the 3 piece peach floral pattern too. Got them 10 years ago when my mom passed. I couldn’t find anything about that pattern being toxic or not. We have been microwaving in them too. Should I get rid of them? As a breast cancer survivor for 5 years (and counting), I went through my cabinets and got rid of all the BPA filled plastic storage containers. I bought several glass sets, thinking those would be safe. One from Pampered Chef, and some both Pyrex and Anchor Hocking. I swear it’s so difficult to avoid poisons in your body. I tried to Google about the Corningware, but all I could see was people selling it for thousands of dollars on ebay and Amazon. So if it’s toxic, why is it selling for so much? I have lots of glass drinking glasses too. Is there a kit I can buy to test my glassware? Should I get rid of the Corningware? Help!!!
Thank you!
Anna Nadler
Hi Tamara
I can not thank you enough for all you are doing!!! I have been using so many vintage lead filled things for years and thanks to you have purged them from my kitchen and toy cabinet . My family and especially ny grand children are safer now. My husband is having trouble parting with his moms Cambridge Portia crystal after I destroyed all the lead positive china we had inherited. Have you ever tested this crystal? It turns grayish and cloudy in the china cabinet quickly after washings. I so appreciate your telling us what brands are safe. It helped me restock my kitchen. With so much appreciation!!!!!! Debi
Thank you!