Living Art china, Panama pattern “Hand Painted” (made in China): 52,600 ppm Lead
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).
Food surface of dish (on orange in center):
- Lead (Pb): 52,600 +/- 1,200 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 439 +/- 76 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 4,429 +/- 147 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 274 +/- 36 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 83 +/- 38 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,952 +/- 200 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 449 +/- 100 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,104 +/- 176 ppm
Food surface of dish (on yellow):
- Lead (Pb): 46,300 +/- 900 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 337 +/- 63 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 3,632 +/- 105 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 335 +/- 34 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 88 +/- 33 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 913 +/- 138 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 547 +/- 102 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 994 +/- 159 ppm
Food surface of dish (on blue):
- Lead (Pb): 40,000 +/- 800 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 286 +/- 62 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 5,197 +/- 167 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 4,125 +/- 208 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,469 +/- 165 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 338 +/- 84 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 854 +/- 147 ppm
Plain white area on back of dish:
- Lead (Pb): 49,700 +/- 1,000 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 452 +/- 68 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 266 +/- 33 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 925 +/- 145 ppm
- Vanadium (V): 502 +/- 96 ppm
- Titanium (Ti): 1,062 +/- 160 ppm
Thank you for reading and sharing this work!
This article was published the weekend of June 4-6, 2021.
With the articles I am writing this weekend, I am doing my best to write up and publish as many test result sets as possible as quickly as possible (because I am over a YEAR behind in my writing as a result of having absolutely no childcare for most of the pandemic [no childcare since about two weeks before the pandemic actually… as my kids were already out sick with various illnesses when the pandemic started])!
Yup, that’s right — some people have been waiting (ever so patiently) for more than a year for the test results for their items because of the impact the pandemic has had on my ability to test consumer goods, coherently write about them, and also take the time to document each item with photographs.
To this end, in the articles this weekend I am simply including photos of the items tested along with the XRF test results and will not be writing more specifically about each of these products — like I usually do — at this time (in the interest of getting as much information out to my readers as quickly as possible).
THAT SAID, if you are new here, below are EIGHT LINKS with some important background information:
- This link discusses the testing I report here on the website.
- This link has a short video that shows you how to efficiently search the more than 3,000 articles and pages here on the Lead Safe Mama website.
- This link has info about my background as well as rates to hire me for an event, a private home consultation, or as a consultant.
- This link has information about my October United States travel schedule and my current calendar for scheduling in-person home consultations with me this year.
- This link has information about hiring me for a Zoom consult, to teach a class, or to be a speaker at a Zoom event.
- This is the link to the documentary feature film I directed and produced on childhood Lead poisoning. I encourage you to watch it if you have not yet seen it. It is 92 minutes, so grab some popcorn… it is up on YouTube free of charge.
- This is the link to our new “Shop Lead Safe Mama” website, which lists only products (in various categories) that we have found to be consistently Lead-free (when tested with an XRF instrument).
- This is the link that explains how to have something of yours tested with the test results reported here on the site.
I think that’s it! Let me know if you have any questions about this particular item by commenting at the bottom of this article. Thanks again for being here!
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
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Hi have these dishes, the Living Art Panama hand painted design, and was looking to buy more as I have broken a few and they need to be replaced. Is the amount of lead on these dishes acceptable. I am unable to figure this out and was hoping you could give me some informed information. Thanks so much for your time.
Randy
Hi Randy – thank you for commenting. The amount of Lead is very high. Anything over 90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe by modern standards that are applicable to use by children. There are no similar safety standards to protect adults (as far as total content standards for Lead in dishware.)
Here’s the concern discussed in more detail: https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/
Tamara
Thank you for this information. It is very concerning as I recently paid attention to a similar bowl from the same brand apparently: Living Art Melodia. I don’t suppose you have tested this one too?