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:
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
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
#LeadSafeMama
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.