To see more Corelle pieces I have tested, Click HERE.
Vintage Maroon / Red Heart Petal Flower Pattern Corelle Plate (year of manufacture unknown).
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 post.
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 post, 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 & Cadmium-free option, Click HERE.*
These particular dishes tested positive for 20,300 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, they should be.
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 blog were done for at least 60 seconds each (unless otherwise noted), using an XRF instrument. The XRF instrument used in 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.
Decorative Edge / Food Surface (image above):
- Lead (Pb): 20,300 +/- 500 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 393 +/- 24 ppm
- Selenium (Se): 224 +/- 32 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 45 +/- 22 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 520 +/- 150 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 110 +/- 42 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,479 +/- 122 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 1,856 +/- 64 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 486 +/- 101 ppm
Plain White Center of Plate / Food Surface:
- Iron (Fe): 448 +/- 139 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 79 +/- 23 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 113 +/- 29 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 my posts!
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
Not sure of the whole range of years these were sold, but I received a set as a wedding shower gift in 1989.
Hi Jennifer!
Thank you so much for commenting with that information. I am sure it will be super helpful to others looking into this. I would have expected that these were from that era – I remember this color being very popular then. I used to get my nails done with polish that color back in 1989/1990! I even painted my guest bedroom a version of that color! Lol!
Tamara
Same for me in 1986
I got a set in this pattern in 1986.
Thank you so much for sharing this information. These are the exact dishes my mother has used and are still in her cupboard. She has dementia (age 90) and just went into nursing home care. I’ll certainly be disposing of them.
Ah – thank you for commenting. Dementia has been linked to Lead exposure unfortunately – although I am sure in her life their were other sources (house paint, leaded gasoline, visiting cities in the 1950s- 1970s – that sort of thing.) But it is always good when we can do better for the next generation. My grandmother had severe Alzheimers for years and it was a very challenging time.
Tamara
I bought this set when I moved out to attend university in September 1985.
I bought this set new in 1985 when I moved into my first house.
Wedding gift 1986
Wedding gift March 1985. Still using them.