Beatrix Potter Wedgwood Peter Rabbit Baby cup (c. 1960 ): 59,200 ppm Lead (illegal if made today)

---

Vintage Wedgwood Benjamin Bunny/ Peter Rabbit:
59,200 ppm Lead (when tested with an XRF instrument)
Made in England

---

For those new to this 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 sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

---

Year unknown (possibly 1960s, based on what the owner told me when I tested it); Wedgwood started making these in 1949. I have observed that the older they are, the higher the Lead levels tend to be. This example is useful, as the photo shows how the glaze can become cracked/ crazed (as much older pottery is), making it more dangerous because it becomes more likely to leach Lead when it is to the point of such a visibly deteriorating condition. 

It would be highly illegal to manufacture baby dishes (or toys for that matter) with Lead levels this high today (modern/ newly-manufactured items, which are currently sold and manufactured as items intended for children’s use must be under 90 ppm Lead in the coatings and under 100 ppm Lead in the substrate).

Unfortunately, many people have held onto these vintage Wedgwood Peter Rabbit dishes to pass down to their children and grandchildren as “heirlooms.” I would strongly advise against this. Wedgwood even makes a new/ modern version of this piece that is, in fact, Lead-free.

Here are some better (Lead-free) choices you can purchase today on Amazon:*

The Modern Peter Rabbit set (pink) by Wedgwood
The Modern Peter Rabbit set (blue)
Modern Peter Rabbit Children’s tea set

Do NOT buy these things second-hand. Only the new versions are Lead-free.

---

To see the #LeadFree dishes I use in my home, click here.

For more #SaferChoices for your family, click here.

To make a contribution in support of my independent consumer goods testing and Lead poisoning prevention advocacy work, click here. Thank you!

Thank you for reading and sharing Lead Safe Mama’s posts!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

*Amazon links are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking one of these links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC will receive a small percentage of what you spend, at no extra cost to you! Thank you!