Rae Dunn Collectors are SO upset that I found lead in these pieces that…

Updated: 12/23/2018

Rae Dunn Collectors are SO upset that I found lead in these pieces that…

… folks have taken to writing false and slanderous statements about me publicly on social media (in an effort to disprove my findings!) Oy! [We’ve saved screenshots, and hopefully it will stop!] These are passionate collectors I guess!  Check out the video we made in February 2018. It has had thousands of views and hundreds of shares!

Click here to see all of the Rae Dunn pieces I have tested.

This Rae Dunn “Coffee” Mug (here’s a link to see this same mug on Amazon*) tested positive for a very low trace level of lead on the white glazed outside, and it was unfortunately positive for a higher level of lead on the black glazed inside.

XRF readings on this specific piece:
Rae Dunn
Artisan Collection
By Magenta
Made In China
“Coffee” Mug

White glazed outside:

• Lead (Pb): 85 +/- 35 ppm
• Arsenic (As): 48 +/27 ppm

Black glazed inside:

• Lead (Pb): 319 +/- 74 ppm

For context:

• The amount of lead that is considered toxic in the paint, glaze or coating of a newly manufactured item intended for use by children is anything 90 parts per million (ppm) lead or higher.
• Mugs and dishware are not regulated with these same strict standards unless they are specifically marketed to be used by children (like new ceramic baby cups might be.)
• There is currently no regulatory standard for an “acceptable” level for lead content in dishware as detectable with an XRF.
• The sole relevant regulatory standard for dishware for adults — leach-testing — is a test that only aims to address whether an object “leaches” any detectable lead at the time of manufacture.
• These mugs were likely leach tested and passed this test at the time of manufacture.
• The problem with the leach testing standard is that with frequent (daily, regular) use (including washing, microwaving, etc.), a dish or mug or other ceramic piece that passes leach testing at the time of manufacture may begin to deteriorate with use and pose a risk to the user once the glaze becomes compromised, ESPECIALLY if the vessel is regularly used for acidic or hot contents (like juice or coffee or tea.)

You can learn more about my concerns for lead in new pottery pieces by reading this post.

Click here or scroll down to watch the video about this mug that we originally posted on Facebook!  (& to read the more than 600 comments!!!)

The testing on these pieces and reported here on this blog was done with an  XRF instrument (specifically a Niton XL3T). This is the very same state-of-the-art scientific instrument used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to determine the presence of lead (and related regulatory compliance) for toys and other items “intended for children”.

Click here to see more mugs I have tested.

In case you are new to my site: As the mother of lead poisoned children who has personally seen the impacts of lead on her family and who lives with those impacts every single day (my 13 year old son has a brain injury from being lead poisoned as a baby), it is my opinion that the regulatory standards should be changed.

The same strict standard that is applied to children’s toys should be applied to dishes.

I would also go so far as to take things a step further: there should be no allowable lead (using any and all testing methodologies – including XRF testing) in any modern/newly manufactured dishware or mugs. Lead is a potent neurotoxin and does not belong anywhere near our food.

To learn more about the testing I do (& the instrument I use), click here.

As I understand some of the Rae Dunn collectors are skeptical of the work I do and my testing methodologies (because of some of the slanderous comments made by a few people in the collector groups), as a testament to my credibility in this work I also share with you this CBS This Morning news piece from November 8, 2017, where I was acknowledged for my roll in finding lead in the popular fidget spinner toys last year (link.)

Thank you for reading and sharing this post in support of my independent consumer goods testing and lead poisoning prevention advocacy work!

There are more than 1,400 posts on this blog with items I have tested for lead. Please use the search bar to look up items in your home by brand (like “Pyrex”) or type of item (like “Mixing Bowl”). You can also scroll through my testing index to click through to categories of items I have tested.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

*Links on this site may be Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links I may get a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work in this way!

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As of Saturday, February 24th at 5:08 pm;