Myott Finlandia 1982 Fine Staffordshire Ware, Made in England.
When tested with an XRF instrument the dish pictured here was positive for :ead at the following level:
- Lead (Pb): 35,500 +/- 1,100 ppm
- Note: this dish was “Non-Detect” (negative) for Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), and Cadmium (Cd.)
For context: the amount of lead that is considered toxic in a newly manufactured item intended for use by children (today, in 2019) is anything 90 ppm Lead (or higher ) in the glaze, paint or coating.
Dishware is not considered to be “an item intended for use by children” and, as such, even new dishware is not as strictly regulated as toys. Additionally, depending on the year of manufacture, most vintage or antique dishware was simply not regulated at all for total Lead content (as detectible with a modern XRF instrument) at the time of manufacture (even in England.) As a matter of fact if you have vintage English china it is most likely VERY high lead… and typically the fancier (more expensive / “higher quality”) the pieces the higher Lead they tend to be.
These dishes also are highly likely to present a Lead-leaching hazard (where the Lead in the finish can easily leach into the food being eaten off of the plate) given their age and Lead level. I would never personally eat of a dish like this or have something like this in my home.
Unfortunately the concern for high levels of Lead being in vintage china holds true consistently for English china manufactured as late as 2010.
To see more English china I have tested, click here. These are specifically dishes with “England” or “Made in England” stamped on the bottom of the dish.
To see more “Staffordshire” pieces I have tested, click here.
To see more Myott pieces I have tested, click here.
For #SaferChoices for dishes, check these out!
To see the Lead-free dishes that I use in my home with my family, please click this Amazon link.* [Note: you can often find these dishes at Target for a little bit less money!]
As always, thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Dear Tamara,
I accidentally came across your website because I was looking for a spare saucer for the Myott Finlandia 1982. I was offered the dishes about a year ago by an elderly lady from the village (she had received them in the 1980s as a gift for subscribing to a garden magazine) and I really love the design. I use them almost every day. From what I understand it is better not to use them any more. But I’m afraid I didn’t get why they put lead in the finish and what happens to my body if the lead from the dishes gets into it. Do you think they also used lead in German dishes and how can I find out about it?