2005 Pickard (Made in U.S.A.) Katarina pattern hand decorated dish: 75,000 ppm Lead on the food surface in the center of the dish (90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids).

XRF test results for the Pickard Katarina pattern dish pictured here.

Note: I would NOT consider these dishes to be safe for food use. 

Reading #1) White center of food surface of dish
60-second reading

• Lead (Pb): 75,000 +/- 800 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 757 +/- 51 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 4,860 +/- 64 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 149 +/- 23 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

Reading #2) Gold florette on edge of dish
60-second reading

• Lead (Pb): 56,500 +/- 600 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 27 +/- 4 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 657 +/- 51 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 399 +/- 30 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 4,445 +/- 30 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 34 +/- 6 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 40 +/- 22 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 88 +/- 51 ppm
• Gold (Au): 4,896 +/- 78 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

Reading #3) Gold back logo mark of dish
30-second reading

• Lead (Pb): 53,200 +/- 700 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 688 +/- 65 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 4,190 +/- 75 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 129 +/- 63 ppm
• Gold (Au): 2,294 +/- 60 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

Reading #4) Gold band on dish
30-second reading

• Lead (Pb): 58,000 +/- 1,100 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 27 +/- 4 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Bromine (Br): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 198 +/- 67 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 295 +/- 42 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 2,462 +/- 67 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 206 +/- 11 ppm
• Indium (In): 20 +/-9 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 8,217 +/- 229 ppm
• Barium (Ba): 253 +/- 43 ppm
• Gold (Au): 26,100 +/- 500 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 148 +/- 44 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Here’s a statement from this company in response to an e-mail sent by the owner of this dish

“I have received and reviewed your email below.

Please note, all Pickard China patterns from 2005 were fully lead tested by an independent laboratory under all guidance required by the FDA; our Katarina pattern was tested and determined to be food safe under the FDA standard for lead release in 2005.

Please know, Pickard China is a small 4th generation family run business that currently employees 12 people. We take great pride in our customer service. Therefore, if you do not want your Pickard China anymore over the concerns you have with our glaze, I will absolutely honor your request to return your china back to Pickard for a full refund.

Please use the follow address for your return: Pickard China, 782 Pickard Ave, Antioch, IL 60002. We will issue you a full refund upon receipt of your return. Please note the address you would like us to use for the pending refund check that will be issued.”

My response to corporate statements like this is essentially covered in this post (link) but I will also post a response specific to this letter tomorrow (as soon as I have a moment!) I must say that I do love that they are offering the owner a full refund without any other questions asked! They also did not deny the the presence of Lead in their dishes.

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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children. Tamara’s sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in August of 2005. 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. Tamara uses XRF testing (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. Please click through to this link to learn more about the testing methodology used for the test results discussed and reported on this website.