NEW VIDEO: Testing "Lead-Free" Mexican Pottery for Lead (guess what ... NOT Lead-free!)

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).

Friday: April 9, 2021
New Video (scroll to the bottom of the article):

As anticipated — the appetizer dish set in this video tested positive for Lead (at extremely high levels) using XRF technology, yet did not result in a definitive positive test result for Lead using a Lead Check® chemical reagent swab. Chemical reagent swabs are NOT designed to test dishes (or any glazed ceramics) for the presence of Lead — they are designed to test for Lead in house paint, and this is a good illustration of that. So a ceramic dish (like this one) can have VERY high Lead content in the glaze, but still appear to test “negative” with a chemical reagent swab; I have several articles related to this:

#1.) Testing dishes/ Why you cannot test dishes with a chemical regent swab: https://tamararubin.com/2017/02/ask-tamara-q-can-i-test-my-dishes-for-lead-with-a-leadcheck-swab-a-sometimes-but-not-always-click-to-read-more/

#1.a.) Things you CAN test with a chemical reagent swab: https://tamararubin.com/2017/11/where/

#2) The concern for Lead in pottery and dishware: https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/

#3) The methods I use for testing:

https://tamararubin.com/2016/12/ask-tamara-what-do-you-use-to-test-for-lead/

#4) XRF test results for a similar piece of Mexican Pottery (also marked “Lead-Free” on the website): https://tamararubin.com/2018/06/leaded-mexican-pottery-marked-lead-free/

#5) My overview linking all of the Mexican Pottery examples on the site: https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/this-post-has-all-of-the-links-to-pieces-i-have-written-about-mexican-pottery-bowls-cups-platters-new-vintage-with-xrf-test-results/

#6) The new navigation menu for Lead Safe Mama dot com (!): https://tamararubin.com/instagram/

#7) More items that were marketed or labeled as being “Lead-Free,” but tested positive for Lead: https://tamararubin.com/category/lead-free-items-with-lead/

Here’s an Amazon affiliate link for LeadCheck® swabs, too, if you are so inclined: https://amzn.to/3t6dJb5

Thanks for watching and reading!

Tamara Rubin

#LeadSafeMama

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of our affiliate links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost.

Comments

Chi says

April 29, 2021 at 10:01 pm

Hi Tamara,

I see you are handling these leaded products without gloves. Is lead transferring to your skin not a concern? The CDC seems to suggest that washing skin with standard soap and water is not enough to remove lead residues, so how do you decontaminate after touching leaded items?

For those new to this website:

Friday: April 9, 2021 New Video (scroll to the bottom of the article):

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of our affiliate links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a small percentage of what you spend at no extra cost.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Don’t Miss Out!

Friday: April 9, 2021
New Video (scroll to the bottom of the article):