In newly manufactured items that are intended for use by children and made today, 90 ppm Lead (or higher) is considered illegal in the paint, glaze or coating. 100 ppm Lead (or higher) is considered illegal in the base substrate. In addition to the Lead listed in the title, this piece also tested positive for high levels of Cadmium (Cd) in the paint and even Arsenic (As) in the glass itself. Please scroll down through all the pictures to see the separate reading sets for each component tested.
Takeaway: Please consider keeping items like these in a curio-cabinet. Please do NOT let children in your life use them. I personally would not use something like this in my home for any purpose (and especially for food-use purposes.)
When tested with an XRF instrument the paint on this 1973 Pepsi Collector Series Warner Brothers Daffy Duck Drinking Glass had the following readings:
Each test done for a minimum of two minutes (120seconds).
Area with mostly black paint:
- Lead (Pb): 50,200 +/- 1,000 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 40 +/- 9 ppm
- Arsenic (As): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Barium (Ba): 2,046 +/- 100 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 9,687 +/- 266 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Copper (Cu): 4,240 +/- 143 pm
- Iron (Fe): 5,518 +/- 267 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 80 +/- 37 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,694 +/- 106 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 398 +/- 115 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 4,068 +/- 195 ppm
Continue reading below image.
Area with mostly orange paint:
- Lead (Pb): 71,800 +/- 1,700 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 4,461 +/- 192 ppm
- Arsenic (As): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Barium (Ba): 2,557 +/- 151 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Titanium (Ti): 2,203 +/- 133 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 404 +/- 152 ppm
Continue reading below image.
Area with mostly white paint:
- Lead (Pb): 65,100 +/- 1,500 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 766 +/- 39 ppm
- Arsenic (As): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Barium (Ba): 2,075 +/- 121 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 4,810 +/- 175 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Copper (Cu): 2,114 +/- 105 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,759 +/- 219 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 6,639 +/- 283 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 462+/- 143 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 2,098 +/- 157 ppm
Continue reading below image.
Plain glass (area without paint:
- Lead (Pb): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Arsenic (As): 303 +/- 10 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Barium (Ba): 14,300 +/- 200 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-Detect (Nd)
- Iron (Fe): 266 +/- 40 ppm
If you are interested in participating in the testing I do, click here to learn more about it.
As always, thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Is this Continuous through this series of glasses or specific to the Daffy Duck release?
It is for all vintage glasses like these. Here’s a link with more examples:
https://tamararubin.com/category/character-glass/
Wow. We’ve been using our 1973 WB mugs (Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner) for the past 2 months on a DAILY basis, multiple times a day!!! Have those two been tested? Are there certain findings in the brown and blue paints that you find common?
It wasn’t until I saw an ad on the NYC subway about lead paint on baby bottles (shocking btw) that it suddenly occurred to me to check. I’M SO GLAD I DID!!! (We’re also trying to get pregnant and that would’ve been terrible.)
Thank you for your research, and letting people know about this crucial issue. Sending lots and lots of appreciation from Brooklyn NY.
Thank you so much! I have a panel up in the subways about vintage collectible glassware too. Here’s that related article:
https://tamararubin.com/cartoon-glasses/
And here’s the scientific study supporting my work in that area:
https://tamararubin.com/2017/11/decorated-glassware/
It’s all potentially quite dangerous – you should get a blood Lead test right away. Read this:
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/
And this:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/i-heard-that-urine-and-hair-tests-for-heavy-metals-including-lead-were-not-real-or-useful-test-results-why-is-this/
And read this story about my pregnancy (and the linked science in the article):
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/
I’m coming to NYC in October. I don’t yet have a free testing event lined up but may. Keep an eye on my calendar for updates:
https://tamararubin.com/2023/03/now-booking-consultations-and-outreach-events-for-lead-poisoning-prevention-month-october-2023/
Tamara