Vintage (c. 1990?) Corelle Dish with Pink Roses & Black Trim: 3,536 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe for kids) + Cadmium

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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (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. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

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To see more Corelle pieces we have tested, click HERE.

This is a vintage (c. 1990?) Corelle dish with pink roses and a black trim. The exact year of manufacture is unknown, but this color scheme was REALLY POPULAR in 1990/1991 — so that’s my educated guess. In my last year of college (1990) I had sheets for my bed that would have matched this pattern exactly!

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When tested with an XRF instrument, the painted decorative border on the food surface of this vintage Corelle plate was positive for a very high level of Lead. To see the full XRF readings for this exact plate, scroll down. Note: I don’t know the exact year of manufacture of this piece as it was purchased second hand at Good Will. If you have information about the year of manufacture (or year-range) for this pattern, please comment here on this piece.

To learn more about XRF testing, click HERE.

As a mother of Lead-poisoned children and as an environmental activist, I have taken the stand that there is no place for any amount of Lead on our dining tables. None at all.

It literally just takes a microscopic amount of Lead to poison a child (or any human for that matter), and as of the moment of publishing this piece, there is NO ONE (no individual, company, educational institution or other agency) studying the potential impact that eating off of Leaded vintage dishware has on the users (because no corporation stands to benefit financially from such a study). Consequently, as consumers, we need to err on the side of prudence and proactively remove all potential sources of Lead exposure from our homes ourselves, starting with our kitchens.

For a pretty Lead-free and Cadmium-free option, click HERE.*

These particular dishes tested positive for 3,536 ppm Lead.

For context, to better understand what this level of Lead means: The amount of XRF detectable Lead that is considered toxic in a newly manufactured item “intended for use by children” is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint, finish, or coating, and anything 100 ppm Lead or higher in the substrate. 

Dishes (modern or vintage) are not considered to be items “intended for use by children,” and thus are not regulated for total Lead content (as detectable with an XRF) in the same way as toys and other similar children’s items (unless they are dishes expressly marketed and sold as baby dishes manufactured after 2010). In my opinion, dishes should be considered items equally intended for children’s use.

To read more about the concern for XRF-detectable Lead in dishware, click here.

Related: What should I do if my dishes are positive for high levels of Lead? Click HERE.

All tests reported on this website were done for at least 60 seconds each (unless otherwise noted), using an XRF instrument testing in “consumer goods mode.” The XRF instrument used for the testing is a Niton XL3T, a scientific instrument specifically designed and intended expressly for testing consumer goods for Lead and other metals. The results are science-based, replicable, and accurate.

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Decorative Edge/ Food Surface (image above):

• Lead (Pb): 3.536 +/- 100 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 26 +/- 8 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): 2,725 +/- 142 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 222 +/- 32 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 3,451 +/- 260 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 530 +/- 61 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 2,523 +/- 153 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 1,877 +/- 164 ppm

Plain White Center of Plate/ Food Surface:

• Iron (Fe): 272 +/- 112 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 74 +/- 22 ppm
• Titanium (Ti): 92 +/- 28 ppm

To learn more about the concern for Cadmium (Cd), which is a known carcinogen, click HERE. XRF detectable Cadmium is considered toxic at levels as low as 40 ppm (and above).

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading and for sharing this work!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

*Some links are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s affiliate links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our independent consumer goods testing in this way!