Published: December 7, 2018
Updated: September 2022
What’s frankly, terrifying, about this bowl is how much paint has worn off of the decoration on the inside food surface. Take a good look at the image below (you can click on it for a full resolution image.)
To see more Bunnykins sets I have tested, Click HERE.
I have not yet tested a Bunnykins set that was Lead-free (or even Lead-safe) so I recommend avoiding them altogether.
Continue reading below the images.
Royal Doulton English Fine Bone China Bunnykins Baby Bowl, year unknown:
61,800 ppm Lead on the FOOD surface.
For context, the amount of Lead that is considered unsafe on a newly manufactured item (made today) intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint, glaze or coating. This bowl pictured here has 61,800 ppm – nearly 700 times the level that is considered unsafe. As a result, this particular bowl would actually be considered illegal by current standards (if manufactured today), HOWEVER because it is considered vintage / nearly an “antique” – it is not regulated at all and can be sold on eBay (or similar) with absolutely no Lead warning.
Here’s a link to a site that helps to date these these pieces, [Here’s another link too!] <<<<<< UPDATE: OK! Based on these links this piece was most likely manufactured between 1967 and 1976!
To continue reading (and see the exact toxicity test results on this piece – via XRF technology) please scroll down.
Continue reading below the image.
This bowl had the following specific readings when tested with an XRF instrument:
Reading #1) Inside (food surface) of bowl:
- Lead (Pb): 61,800 +/- 1,900 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 44 +/- 16 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect / Negative
- Arsenic (As): Non-Detect / Negative
- Antimony (Sb): 161 +/-39 ppm
- Barium (Ba): Non-Detect / Negative
- Chromium (Cr): 1,895 +/- 170 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 284 +/- 38 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 1,798 +/- 122 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 3,825 +/- 361 ppm
- Vandium (V): Non-Detect / Negative
- Titanium (Ti): 779 +/- 105 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): Non-Detect / Negative
- Cobalt (Co): 581 +/- 152 ppm
Reading #2) Outside (non-food-surface) of bowl:
- Lead (Pb): 62,900 +/- 1,900ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect / Negative
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect / Negative
- Arsenic (As): Non-Detect / Negative
- Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect / Negative
- Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect / Negative
- Tin (Sn): Non-Detect / Negative
- Zinc (Zn): 76 +/- 33 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,257 +/- 227 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): Non-Detect / Negative
- Vandium (V): 129 +/- 41 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 231 +/- 60 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): Non-Detect / Negative
- Cobalt (Co): Non-Detect / Negative
Learn more about XRF instruments and XRF testing here and here.
For safer choices for your family, please check out THIS post and THIS post!
#SimpleSolution: Frame this in a shadow box with a note on the back about how you came to have it (who gave it to you) and a note in the inside of the shadow box warning anyone who opens the box that it is high Lead and should not be used for food-use purposes. Hang your shadow box on the wall. It’s a lovely piece of art actually!
These are available for sale on Amazon* (LINK) but I encourage you to NOT purchase these as I have never tested a set that was either Lead-safe or Lead-free.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts!
Tamara Rubin
Owner – Lead Safe Mama, LLC
#LeadSafeMama
For those new to this website:
Tamara Rubin is a Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. Tamara’s sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in August of 2005. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009 and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. Her work was also responsible for two CPSC product recalls in the summer of 2022, the Jumping Jumperoo recall (June 2022) and the Lead painted NUK baby bottle recall (July 2022) and was featured in an NPR story about Lead in consumer goods in August of 2022. Tamara uses XRF testing (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 and reported on. Please click through to this link to learn more about the testing methodology used for the test results discussed and reported on this website.
I feel sick to my stomach, yet grateful for your work. I have these dishes, they were mine as a child and now I have been using them to serve food to my 4 and 2 year old. So so so upsetting. 🙁 Thank you for raising awareness.
hi i have two pieces, one peter rabbit egg cup holder and one bowl that is winnie the pooh, they are both marked made in china in 2001 are these safe please, I have a new grandbaby on the way
Do you know if the modern ones are also unsafe? My grandmother bought these for my kids born between 2007 and 2018.
Hi Hilary – 2018 is probably safe, 2007 is probably unsafe. I would not trust anything made before 2011 to be Lead-free or appropriate for children (when talking about ceramics.)
Thank you for commenting.
Tamara
Oh dear, my baby has been using these at his grandmas for the last 2 months … do you know how likely it would be that the lead seeps into the food?
Hi Kathryn,
If this is a vintage piece (being used by your baby) I would be quite concerned if a baby has been using this on a regular basis for food use purposes. I would stop using it immediately and get a blood lead level test right away if possible as it is important to know the highest possible level that a child might have had (to help with assessment of possible long term implications.)
Given what I have seen in terms of the wear on these dishes I expect the likelihood that the lead may leach into the food with normal use is very high.
You can read more about blood lead testing here:https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
Tamara
P.S. Kathryn – I checked out your website, you may also be very interested to read this post (from a professional standpoint): https://tamararubin.com/2019/07/today-is-my-youngest-sons-11th-birthday-happy-birthday-charlie-parker-eliezer-rubin-the-story-of-how-lead-impacted-his-birth/
Tamara
I have willow dishes that are microwave and dishwasher safe. Are they lead free?
Also have Thomas dishes, an arm of Rosenthal, they r made in Germany- wedding gift in 1976. Do I get rid of them all?
My kids are now older but I was doing a photo shoot for my company the other day using my stainless steel utensils. I came across my vintage version of this bowl and considered using it in the photo shoot. My kids definitely ate off of this bowl when visiting my parents, and I used it as a child too. Thank goodness I thought of your website and just assumed the bowl was likely not safe. I chose a non-toxic option instead, to go with my non-toxic stainless steel flatware. Now I know for certain that I made the right choice. Phew.
Oh no! I have one of these dishes–I bought it as a non-plastic dish I loved to serve on for my children. Ugh I had no idea. Thank you.