Testing with an XRF instrument revealed this decorative Khokhloma wooden spoon from Russia to have the following ingredients (in the painted markings):
- Lead (Pb): 1,994 +/- 67 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): 7,624 +/- 148 ppm
- Arsenic (As): 70 +/- 36 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 607 +/- 107 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 489 +/- 73 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 327 +/- 47 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 446 +/- 29 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): 35 +/- 12 pm
- Iron (Fe): 2,196 +/- 92 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 494 +/- 173 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 447 +/- 238 ppm
I am not at all surprised by this – as these are really just intended as decorative pieces, but I think it is very important to re-emphasize that these must be strictly regarded/treated as “intended for decorative purposes only!”
You can buy these on Amazon today (affiliate link), although I do not recommend having these in your home – given they were positive for (high levels) of lead AND mercury, and also contain arsenic!
Unfortunately, I have actually seen one of these used for serving food before – specifically for scooping candied anise seeds (intended to be eaten as a dessert) from a bowl. Please NEVER use these for food purposes and NEVER let a child play with this! Best idea: if you have one of these, put them in a shadow box and use them as a decorative piece, including a story about the artwork and the history of the piece on the box.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
If you have a few extra dollars to spare and would like to support my independent consumer goods testing and lead poisoning prevention advocacy work, please consider chipping in here.
Thanks Tamara . Who would think such beautiful pieces of vintage folk art would contain such poisons ?
I’ll be careful .
If you have a list of poison free khokholoma spoons or the manufacturers that produce them , I be happy to have a copy .