#AskTamara: Do my Pioneer Woman dishes have Lead (Pb)?
#AskTamara:
Question: Do my Pioneer Woman dishes have Lead (Pb)? Do they have Cadmium (Cd), too?
Answer: Well, do you want the short answer? … then “Yes”… BUT (and this is a BIG, LOUD “BUT”)….
….PLEASE read the whole post below to see the exact level of Lead and Cadmium (found in the bowl pictured) and to better understand the concerns for Lead and Cadmium found in newer dishes (at the levels found in these particular dishes).
In the dish pictured below:
- The Lead (Pb) levels ranged from 240 ppm to 744 ppm.
- The Cadmium (Cd) levels ranged from 70 to 378 ppm
First and foremost, if you are new to my site please read more about the testing methodology I use for dishes (and other consumer goods). I use what is called an “XRF Instrument” [the full technical name is an “X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer”] which is the exact same instrument used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to test for metallic toxicants (like Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic) in items “made and intended for use by children” [there are virtually no analogous testing standards or requirements aimed at protecting adults].
Here is a link about XRF testing.
Here is a link to the CPSC.
While modern dishes are often tested for whether or not toxicants leach from their glazed surfaces, they are not regulated (and usually not tested) for total content of Lead and Cadmium as revealed when tested with an XRF instrument.
The concern here is not whether or not these dishes are going to poison the user at the time of manufacture (or even when they are still new-ish).
The main concern is this: over time, as these dishes are held onto and used for decades (and generations) will the glazed surface eventually leach toxicants into their contents once the surface is well-used and worn.
Additionally, a major concern I have as an environmental activist is the fact that the toxicants found at the levels present in these particular dishes (see exact XRF readings below) — are at levels above what might be considered a trace or incidental contaminant of the pottery.
Given then that the Lead and Cadmium present in these dishes is likely an intentional additive (probably added to enhance or stabilize the color) the manufacture of these products is contributing to creating (and sustaining) a demand for the mining and refining of these toxicants, which creates a burden on our planet and our atmosphere (and impacts our lives and our health and the lives and health of future generations of inhabitants of our planet).
For context: the toxicant levels found in these dishes are fairly low compared to the amount of Lead and Cadmium found in vintage or antique dishes, HOWEVER they are many times higher than what is considered safe in an item “manufactured and intended for use by children”. Items intended for use by children are considered toxic if the Lead level in the glaze, paint or coating comes in at 90 ppm or higher (or if the substrate comes in at 100 ppm Lead or higher.)
Please click this link to read more about the above concerns.
As a result, as a mother of lead poisoned children and a steward of this planet (as we all should be) I do not recommend EVER purchasing ANY products from ANY brands that use ANY LEVELS of Lead (and/or Cadmium) anywhere in their products (regardless of whether or not this product might be toxic to the end-user when it is first manufactured and sold).
To read more about Cadmium toxicity concerns, Click Here.
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing my posts.
Please let me know if you have ANY questions.
….and PLEASE scroll down and read the exact levels of Lead and Cadmium found in these newly purchased [Fall 2018] Pioneer woman dishes. [More examples from Pioneer Woman to be posted shortly.]
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
To make a contribution in support of my independent consumer goods testing (something I do that is wholly subsidized by my readers chipping in!) please Click Here.
Pioneer Woman Small Dish With Red Inside and Orange Flowers
“Floral Bursts” Red Dipping Bowl.
Exterior Reddish Orange Flowers
(based on one minute reading):
- Lead (Pb): 560 +/- 39 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 287 +/- 18 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Arsenic (As): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Barium (Ba): 357 +/- 61 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Selenium (Se): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Zinc (Zn): 19,400 +/- 600 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 254 +/- 50 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Iron (Fe): 1,294 +/- 184 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Vanadium (V): 639 +/- 67 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,383 +/- 117 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 6,170 +/- 180 ppm
Inside Red of Bowl (image above)
(based on one minute reading):
- Lead (Pb): 254 +/- 31 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 378 +/- 23 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Arsenic (As): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Barium (Ba): 693 +/- 72 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Selenium (Se): 131 +/- 26 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 5,460 +/- 217 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 331 +/- 57 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Iron (Fe): 1,597 +/- 220 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 71 +/- 19 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 1,633 +/- 102 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 3,129 +/- 182 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 10,700 +/- 300 ppm
Black and White Logo on Bottom (Image above)
(based on one minute reading):
- Lead (Pb): 744 +/- 41 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 70 +/- 10 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Arsenic (As): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Barium (Ba): 321 +/- 55 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 5,310 +/- 225 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Selenium (Se): Negative /Non-Detect (nd)
- Zinc (Zn): 21,900 +/- 600 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): 907 +/- 101 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 5,072 +/- 316 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 763 +/- 79 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,499 +/- 130 ppm
- Indium (In): 27 +/- 12 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 1,437 +/- 154 ppm
- Magnesium (Mn): 853 +/- 276 ppm
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What about the plates bowls and coffee cups does the pioneer women have lead in tgem
Hi Janet,
I would imagine most of their ceramics would test the same.
Tamara
Hi Tamara does the teal floral pioneer woman tea kettle have lead?
Do the Portmeiron bin tannic always garden dishes I’ve bought at TJ Max over the last 15 years have lead and cadmium in them? Also have you contacted the Pioneer Womam aboutvthe lead you found in her dishes? I have just finished collecting a complete set of her dishes and intended to pass it onto my granddaughters. Is it safe to use? I have the teal blue and floral patterned dishes. Thank you for your efforts and your response.
OMG . I HAVE SOOOOO!!!! MANY PIONEER WOMAN DISHES, BAKEWARE, CUPS ETC PRODUCT MASSIVE I LOVE HER AND HER PRODUCTS. NOW I KNOW THAT FOREVER IT SAYS DO NOT PUT HOT FOOD ON BRIGHTLY COLORED DISHES ETC CAN CAUSE MORE LED TO COME OUT. THAT YOU SHOULD ONLY SERVE COLD ON THESE COLORED ONES. GEE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO SAY BUT IT IS NOT ONLY THE PIONEER WOMAN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING HAS to LEAD IN IT WE EAT FROM AND IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE DO NOT BASH THE PIONEER WOMAN. SUNNY
Not everything has Lead. Here are some Lead-free options for dishware, Sunny:
Link 1: https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-dishes-do-you-use-in-your-home-which-dishes-are-lead-free/
Link 2: https://tamararubin.com/2018/12/asktamara-which-dishes-are-lead-free/
Link 3 – is the index to my site which starts with a full list of Lead-free items I have tested: https://tamararubin.com/2018/01/a-new-idea-an-index-for-leadsafemama-com/
Thank you for commenting!
Tamara
Hi Sunny, if the Pioneer Woman doesn’t care about poisoning people with her dishes and you don’t care… then you have a serious problem. She should care about what she sells. You however need to grab a brain and buy new dishes and email Pioneer Woman and tell her how bad it is.
I just got the beautiful ‘willow’ pattern of Pioneer Women 8.5″ plates. Was so happy as they are everything I wanted. Now what???
Thank you Tamara for this lead info. I love Ree and her family, but feel really bad that her dinnerware is full of lead. I thought for sure her products were being made in the USA and were lead free. Seems that they could afford to make them here and be mindful of their fans and their children. I have some of her bowls but will stop using them now.
How can the everyday woman know if the products she’s purchasing have lead in them? Is there a scanner that we could use in the store before purchasing colorful dinnerware?
Thanks again for your eye opening piece.
I have Pioneer Woman Cowboy Lace in Teal. I got them last year. I rotate my dishware by season, so they were used 3 months last year and I have just brought them out for this year. Also, I have a huge collection of mugs and rotate them mugs daily, so the number of times I would have used the mugs last year would have been 12 (these rotated among the 4 that came with the set). This morning I noticed that where I put my mouth to drink coffee, had discolored and is definitely several shades lighter than the original color. I’m very worried about lead etc.. Please give me the name of the manufacturer of these dishes so I can contact them for a response. I also plan to contact the FDA.
Hi Pam, I think you can contact Pioneer Woman directly (through their website or on Facebook), sorry I don’t have the manufacturer information handy.
Tamara
Hi,
I just ordered the Pioneer Woman Farmhouse Lace dishes in the white. What’s the info on lead in these?
Thanks so much!
Yes. I have the mugs and want to know too.
Hi Tamara, thanks for all your hard work over the years! My sister just bought me the white Pioneer Woman mugs for Christmas and while I know white is often safer than colored dishes, these are almost luminescent white and have a very shiny glaze. Have you found the shiny glazed to contain more lead? I may have to get a home tester kit myself as I drink tea all day long and don’t want the lead obviously.. Thanks again!
Hi, I just bought a set of the dishes and also the dipping bowls, delivered today. I am wondering if you tested the plates and dish sets themselves, or just these dipping bowls? The reason I ask is that the dipping bowls were shipped separately from CHINA, in a different box that is labelled from “Gibson Overseas” and it is labelled as shipped from overseas to Walmart, and then to me. The dipping dishes look like any such lead filled dipping dish you could find in a Chinese restaurant that has been clearly purchased for cheap in bulk overseas, so I instantly thought “lead poisoning.” The dinnerware themselves do not look the same and were shipped from Walmart directly to my house. I definitely believe these dipping bowls are cheaply made and inferior products, and plan to return. All of your photos are of the dipping bowls. Could you please send me the testing results for the actual tableware dish sets if you have tested that separately, as they are not made the same at all and are NOT shipped from overseas? If you have not tested the plates and actual dinnerware, could you let me know that, also? The dish sets are labelled from Gibson, California, and California law requires disclosure of even any potential lead in dinner or glassware to the consumer. I know- I moved here from California. If you know something more about the dish sets or other regular serving pieces besides the dipping bowls, I really want to know, as they are violating CA law and I don’t want to unload these dishes from the boxes. I’m already steamed they sent the dipping bowls in such a round about way, probably exactly to avoid the CA law on labelling lead containing dinnerware products clearly.
Can you test the Amelia glasses please?
Hi Melanie – here’s how to send something in for testing and reporting on the blog;
https://tamararubin.com/2019/08/tamara-can-i-send-you-one-of-my-dishes-to-test-for-lead/
Tamara
Hi ai just bought pioneer lady tureen. How much lead is in the dish? Now I am worried . Thank you Tamara
I have Pioneer Woman dishes.
Heritage Floral. I also purchased the matching coffee cups. Are they safe to use? I just happened to come upon your site. I am shocked and appalled to discover Pioneer Woman products contain lead. I saved to get these dishes!
Thank you so much.
I was just wondering if you had tested any Temptations plates or bowls..
Good job in reporting that the so-called pioneer woman’s crap has some health risks attached to it. Wonder if her doctor/dad knew long term use of it could be a health hazard. For me, just that it’s made in China turned me off a long time ago. But it does fit in with her phony claim to be a “pioneer woman”.
My oldest daughter had lead poisoning. It was an awful experience for her and myself. We found out when she was 2. She didn’t have to have chelation, thank god, but just barely. She had to go every 3 months to have blood drawn to test her levels. They had strap her in a papoose and cried for me to help her. She had to have speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy. She pulled her hair out and banged her head on the wall. It was awful. It took 3 years before the lead was out of her system. To even let the possibility of this happening to anyone’s child is criminal. There should be better regulations when it comes to heavy metals being used. And better education for the public. I had no idea of lead poisoning until my daughter got it. I have these dipping bowls. ALL of them. And I am so angry that they let this be sold to the public.
Do you know about the Pioneer Woman Jadite dishes and if they have lead?
I am about to retire all my great grandmothers blue and white Johnson’s Brothers castles dishes after learning about lead. Looking for vintage looking jadite or blue and white options to replace it with! Any help appriciated!
Do you know if the Pioneer Woman Cornucopia nesting bowls contain lead?