Pottery Barn Great White bowl “Made in China” positive for trace Lead, Cadmium, & Antimony (safe by all standards).

October 15, 2022 – Saturday
XRF test results for the bowl pictured are below

While this particular Pottery Barn dish is “safe by all standards” (both U.S. and international standards, with regards to any exposure to heavy metals), I generally do not like/trust this brand – and my recommendation across the board is that you should not purchase products from this store.

Pottery Barn has been long regarded by many as a “trusted brand” — but based on a decade of testing experience, my view is that that trust is misplaced. Pottery Barn has a long history – right up through many of their current tableware and home goods offerings – of making toxic products…and what is even worse: have done nothing to apologize or repair that issue with their customers! [In fact, when one of my readers contacted them about getting a refund for a Leaded product she unknowingly bought from them (she had assumed it was Lead-free – because of their heavy emphasis on greenwashing in their advertising)…instead of simply refunding her money, they had their LAWYERS get in touch with her to handle the issue — when all she had asked them for was a refund or a credit for having unknowingly purchased a product made with highly-Leaded components [this product, see link]! 

To see more Pottery Barn pieces that I have tested and reported on, click here.

To learn more about the concern for Lead (and other toxicants) in pottery and dishware, click here.

Reading #1) With a focus on the white food surface of the dish
60-second reading
Readings repeated multiple times to confirm the results

• Lead (Pb): 95 +/- 11 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Tin (Sn): 16 +/- 7 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): non-detect
• Zinc (Zn): 36 +/- 11 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): 212 +/- 140 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 3,629 +/- 184 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 121 +/- 11 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): non-detect
• Niobium (Nb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

Reading #2) With a focus on the black bottom mark / logo area of the dish
60-second reading
Readings repeated multiple times to confirm the results

• Lead (Pb): 103 +/- 13 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 12 +/- 5 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 18 +/- 8 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Arsenic (As): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): 6,241 +/- 451 ppm
• Antimony (Sb): 16 +/- 11 ppm
• Copper (Cu): non-detect
• Nickel (Ni): 518 +/- 66 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 44 +/- 13 ppm
• Manganese (Mn): non-detect
• Iron (Fe): 5,332 +/- 244 ppm
• Cobalt (Co):1,310 +/- 111 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 120 +/- 12 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): non-detect
• Niobium (Nb): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): non-detect
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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. Her work was also responsible for two CPSC product recalls in the summer of 2022, the Jumping Jumperoo recall (June 2022) and the Lead painted NUK baby bottle recall (July 2022) and was featured in an NPR story about Lead in consumer goods in August of 2022. 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 and reported on. Please click through to this link to learn more about the testing methodology used for the test results discussed and reported on this website.