Vintage Wedgwood Benjamin Bunny/ Peter Rabbit:
59,200 ppm Lead (when tested with an XRF instrument).
Made in England.
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, as it is more likely to leach lead when it is to the point of deterioration such that it is visually in this 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 manufactured and intended to be used for children and sold today must be under 90 ppm lead in the coatings and under 100 ppm lead in the substrate].
Unfortunately many people have held on to these vintage Wedgwood Peter Rabbit dishes to pass to their children and grandchildren as “heirlooms”. I would strongly advise against this. Wedgwood 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 ones 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 for sharing my 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 I will receive a small percentage of what you spend, at no extra cost to you! Thank you!
Hi, I have a whole set of these from my childhood (early 1980ties). I guess they are toxic so I won’t give them to my children as I planned to. Would you like them for your potential lead museum? I could send them to you. Let me know…
Hello! Thank you. If you would like to send them in (and especially if you have a pretty good idea of the year they were purchased) I would love to have some more examples of these for the museum exhibits we are putting together. We are actually working on our first exhibit for this series of museum exhibits now. Thank you for offering. Please include your contact information in the package so that I can confirm we received them:
Lead Safe Mama, LLC
7933 SE 15th Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
Thanks so much!
Hi Tamara, thanks for your answer. Ok I’ll send them in next month. I need to retrieve them from my parents’ house. If you’d be interested I would include 2 pieces of very famous French ceramics (that many people use in Europe) to get tested. (Quimper and Gien). (I am Paris based with the kid at school next to Eiffel tower…).
Kind regards,
Léonie
Oh sure! I used to live near the Eiffel Tower (summer 1989, I was an au pair there)! Two blocks away (did we chat about that before?!)
Did you see my videos of the testing I did at the tower in November?
T