This is a Dansk brand “Bistro Cafe” Belgian Blue Ceramic Plate, made in Portugal. The owner of this item told me that it was purchased at a Dansk outlet store in 2005. When tested with an XRF instrument it had the following readings:
Blue Glazed Edging of Plate:
- Lead (Pb): 4,555 +/- 114 ppm
- Chromium (Cr): 1,531 +/- 103 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 255 +/- 18 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 58 +/- 18 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): 276 +/- 94 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 3,621 +/- 243 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 247 +/- 37 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 608 +/- 64 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 11,300 +/- 400 ppm
Food Surface Center of Plate (White Glazed Area in Center of Plate):
- Lead (Pb): 335 +/- 23 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,733 +/- 222 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 58 +/- 13 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 85 +/- 20 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 229 +/- 33 ppm
- Indium (In): 29 +/- 9 ppm
Metals not listed were not found to be present by XRF testing. Testing was done for a minimum of 60 seconds.
For context the amount of lead considered unsafe in the glaze, paint or coating of a modern item made today and marketed to be used by children is anything that is 90 ppm Lead or higher. There is no current standard for allowable Lead levels in dishware as detectable with an XRF instrument.
As with all XRF testing, a high positive reading is NOT a definite indicator that the dish may be leaching Lead. It is, however, possible for dishes with this high Lead to leach and I therefore would never eat off a dish like this.
To see more “Made in Portugal” items that I have tested, click here.
As always, please let me know if you have any question.
Thank you for reading and for sharing my posts.
Ilona says
Hi, thank you so much for such a great job you are doing! I feel stupid asking you things like that but I really don’t know Hei to read the numbers….for example “iron : 2,73+/-223 ppm” .Do you mean almost “3” bu “2,73” or does it mean 2 thouthand and 730? Andare what does “+/- 223ppm” mean? Should I add or substract. 223 ppm is a high number isnt it? It make a big diffrence
Ginny says
Have you ever tested Dansk Bistro dishes that were manufactured in Japan? (Not Portugal.) Mine say DANSK International Designs LTD, NR/Japan. They were purchased in Japan, and are not the Cafe pattern. Thank you.
Nancy Krueger says
I want to give away my Dansk Tapestries white dish set to my daughter. It was bought in the USA 1986
and is the Winter White JLL/NR/Japan on the back stamp.
Do you have information abut the lead levels in this dish?
Susan Butler says
Hi Tamara,
Have you tested Dansk Generation Brown Mist from the 1960’s and 1970’s?
I have checked out the Dansk website but cannot find anything about their dishes being lead free.
I really appreciate your informative website.
Susan
Susan says
Have you ever tested Dansk dishes made in Sri Lanka or Thailand?