Here’s the general introduction I provide on a lot of my posts, for those who may be new to my work (or have possibly “stumbled upon” my work – while just casually browsing, or conducting more serious research):
Tamara Rubin is a Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. She began testing consumer goods for toxicants in 2009, and was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. She uses XRF testing (a scientific method used by the Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for metallic toxicants (including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic). To read more about the testing methodology employed for the test results reported on this blog, please click this link.
Reading #1) center of the food surface of this dish
60-second test
- Lead (Pb): 187 +/- 10 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Chromium (Cr): 929 +/- 128 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 262 +/- 78 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 968 +/- 54 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 49 +/- 13 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 52,700 +/- 600 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 4,647 +/- 63 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 20 +/- 5 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 4,835 +/- 81 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) logo area (with black print) on the back of this dish
60-second test
- Lead (Pb): 1,508 +/- 29 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect
- Bromine (Br): non-detect
- Chromium (Cr): 1,249 +/- 134 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 252 +/- 79 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,465 +/- 77 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 1,361 +/- 48 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): 536 +/- 35 ppm
- Copper (Cu): 63 +/- 14 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 46,400 +/- 500 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 3,698 +/- 51 ppm
- Tin (Sn): 14 +/- 4 ppm
- Barium (Ba): 4,168 +/- 71 ppm
- No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.
All areas are tested multiple times to confirm the results. Test results are science-based, accurate and replicable. One full set of test results for each component tested is reported in this post.
Will update this post with more details and relevant links shortly.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
I have these dishes and also a grandson with lead poisoning.
Now what? How do I destroy them so as not to impact further contamination?
And do you have suggestions for lead free dishware?
Best Always,
Madge E. Buus-Frank
Hi Madge – given these particular dishes (in this post) are brand new it is unlikely they are contributing to a child’s poisoning, but the older versions of the Mikasa plates are quite suspect and I have found them in several homes of Lead poisoned children (not necessarily a causal relationship – but possible given the very high lead levels of some of the older pieces.) Please look through the Mikasa category of posts here on the blog and make your decision based more on the age of the piece (as it relates to others I have tested) than on the specific design. 10 years old or older is very suspect.
Here’s the link to the Mikasa overview post:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/12/todays-theme-mikasa-click-this-post-to-see-links-to-all-the-posts-i-have-written-about-mikasa-brand-products/
And here’s the post about disposal:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/12/what-should-i-do-with-my-lead-contaminated-dishes-to-toss-or-not-to-toss/
Here’s my post about the overall concern:
https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/
I see “Dartmouth”in your email address! I went to Dartmouth in the summer of 1988 for one semester! My sister graduated Dartmouth in 1990!
Tamara
I just bought these at Homegoods 2021 and 2022. Do I not use for my grandchildren?
Unfortunately I don’t know when they might have stopped using Lead, so it is hard to advise about a specific set of dishes. In general – from a political perspective I recommend avoiding Mikasa entirely.
Tamara
Hi Tamara! You mentioned above that because these are newer they may not be contributing to lead poisoning— does the xfr test measure the amount of lead that’s leaching or the amount used in the glaze? Is it safe to use brand new dishes if the company claims it follows federal guidelines?
Hi Kristi – here’s the overview post discussing the concern:
https://tamararubin.com/topics/does-vintage-and-new-functional-pottery-and-dishware-have-unsafe-levels-of-lead/
Tamara
Hi Tamara, did you test other new Mikasa dinerware that are made in China? We are using Mikasa bone china too, but ours says Made in China. thanks
Hi I just purchased this dinnerware set August 2022 at Costco . Would you say the newer are ok ? Please let me know !