This Royal Norfolk “Made in China” snowman mug tested positive for Lead and cadmium at the following levels (note, the year of manufacture is unknown, however, I don’t believe this is very old).
Here’s a link to this exact piece on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Qnone7.
- To see more Royal Norfolk pieces I have tested, click HERE.
- To see more Christmas decorative pieces I have tested, click HERE.
- To see more Christmas mugs I have tested, click HERE.
Green Glaze:
Lead (Pb): 198 +/- 27 ppm
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Red Glaze:
Lead (Pb): 939 +/- 68 ppm
Cadmium (Cd): 539 +/- 39 ppm*
~
White Glaze:
Lead (Pb): 97 +/- 20 ppm
Since I originally published this piece, I have learned that this brand and type of Christmas Mug is sold at Dollar Tree and similar stores. (You can also buy it on Amazon! LINK.)
Tested with an XRF instrument, this item was negative for arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg).
*Red glaze is often positive for high levels of cadmium (Cd). You might remember your paint colors from grade school (depending on how old you are!)… “Cadmium yellow,” “Cadmium red,” and “Cadmium orange,” were common colors back in the day! (Just as was/ is “Lead white.”)
To learn more about Cadmium toxicity, click HERE.
By modern standards, the amount of Lead considered toxic in an item intended to be used by children is 90 ppm Lead (or higher) in the glaze or coating and 100 ppm Lead (or higher) in the substrate (in the case of mugs, the ceramic).
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Thank you for reading and for sharing this work.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
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).
I have this exact mug from the Dollar Store, and I’ve been using it as a decorative piece the last couple of holiday seasons. I was just packing away Christmas stuff and something made me google it. I found this blog entry, and I’m so glad you tested it. Thanks for this information!! I’m shocked, but I’ve been suspicious of the quality of cheap products manufactured in China. I’m going to start to pay more attention. Keep up your research! It’s valuable!!!
I would like to know if the Royal Norfolk Christmas mugs bought in the Dollar Tree Store in Staten Island have been tested for lead. I will describe them.
There are about 5 or 6 different decorations that I saw. Each mug is 14 oz. Each mug individually comes in an open type small box so you can see the pattern. Each box has on top a “To: and From: gift giving type of label as part of the top of box. Styles are a 1)giant Santa red, black and white belt buckle. 2)Santa and. Christmas Trees with snow flakes,3) cartoon type snow men with the words JOY and HO HO HO.4) a floral pattern of red white flowers. The box also says. Holiday Mug – ( and directly under that) TASSE DES FETES. Can you tell me if any or all of these mugs have been tested for lead? Thank you, Frank.
I wonder if there is any way I can seal this item, to make it safe to use as a decoration. Some sort of clear coat.