Made in U.S.A. Pfaltzgraff floral print (vintage Tea Rose pattern) creme glazed ceramic dish: as high as 3,711 ppm Lead on the food surface. [90 ppm & up is unsafe for kids.]

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March 18, 2023 – Saturday

XRF Test Results For the Dish Pictured
Sent in by a Lead Safe Mama Reader (from Indiana) for Testing 

Context: Total Lead-content (as detectable with an XRF instrument) in the paint, glaze or coating of an item manufactured for use by adults is not regulated in any way. Dishes are considered to be “items intended for use by adults” (not items intended for use by kids, even though kids use dishes), unless they have been expressly manufactured and sold as children’s dishes (for example – dishes sold as baby dishes by Bunnykins/Royal Doulton [link], Tiffany & Co [link] or Wedgwood/Beatrix Potter [link].) Modern children’s items (made today) are not legally allowed to have Lead levels in the paint, glaze or coating above 90 ppm.

Most Important Consideration: Vintage dishware was often manufactured before modern leach-testing standards were in place (regardless of whether or not there were relevant total-content standards in place at the time of manufacture.) Given it is rare for a set of dishes to be marked with the date of manufacture, users of these products often have no idea of the actual age of the product (as that relates to whether or not they may have been leach tested at the time of manufacture.) In addition to this concern, even if vintage dishes were manufactured after modern leach-testing standards were in place – those standards are only relevant at the time of manufacture (when the dishes were new.) If a product is compliant with leach-testing regulatory limits at the time of manufacture yet still has high levels of Lead in the glaze – it may leach Lead at some point in the future (especially after years  – or even decades) of daily use in a home.  It is for this reason we recommend never using vintage dishware that tests positive for any amount of Lead (and especially for levels of Lead at 90 ppm or higher) on the food-contact surface of the dish.

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Some additional reading:

• To read more about the concern for Lead in pottery, click here.
• For the menu to the website (to look through different categories of items tested by Lead Safe Mama, LLC) – click here.
• To see XRF test results for more Pfaltzgraff pieces we have tested, click here.
• To learn more about sending in an item from your home for testing by Lead Safe Mama, LLC – click here.

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Color-Code Key to XRF Readings Below

Metals noted in RED are considered toxic heavy metals in most applications.
Metals noted in BLUE are not considered toxic in this application.
Metals noted in GRAY were not found to be present (with the low threshold of detection for the XRF instrument normally falling in the single or double digit ppm for most metals.)

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Reading #1) Creme Colored Center Of Food Surface of Dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 70 +/- 11 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): 44 +/- 29 ppm
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 144 +/- 28 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 36 +/- 13 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 3,829 +/- 82 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,033 +/- 128 ppm
• Vanadium (V): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): 64 +/- 29 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): non-detect
• Bismuth (Bi): 36 +/- 9 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #2) Pink Floral Design on Food Surface of Dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 1,528 +/- 54 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 15 +/- 4 ppm
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): 35 +/- 17 ppm
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 97 +/- 29 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 75 +/- 17 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 2,964 +/- 70 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 946 +/- 136 ppm
• Vanadium (V): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): 110 +/- 40 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): non-detect
• Bismuth (Bi): 24 +/- 13 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #3) Blue Floral Design on Food Surface of Dish 
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 3,711 +/- 93 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): 79 +/- 7 ppm
• Tin (Sn): 50 +/- 9 ppm
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): 1,221 +/- 327 ppm
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 131 +/- 29 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 349 +/- 30 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 3,415 +/- 78 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,040 +/- 132 ppm
• Vanadium (V): 3,354 +/- 664 ppm
• Platinum (Pt): 1467 +/- 44 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 427 +/- 72 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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Reading #4) Logo Area on Back of Dish 
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)

• Lead (Pb): 45 +/- 12 ppm
• Cadmium (Cd): non-detect
• Tin (Sn): non-detect
• Mercury (Hg): non-detect
• Selenium (Se): non-detect
• Barium (Ba): non-detect
• Chromium (Cr): non-detect
• Antimony (Sb): non-detect
• Copper (Cu): 165 +/- 30 ppm
• Zinc (Zn): 789 +/- 43 ppm
• Zirconium (Zr): 3,865 +/- 83 ppm
• Iron (Fe): 1,170 +/- 132 ppm
• Vanadium (V): non-detect
• Platinum (Pt): 98 +/- 34 ppm
• Cobalt (Co): 2,338 +/- 132 ppm
• Bismuth (Bi): 270 +/- 18 ppm
• No other metals detected in consumer goods mode.

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In Conclusion

If you have these dishes and have been using them as your every day china you may want to consider asking your doctor about getting a Blood Lead Level (BLL) test to rule out any potential exposure. Here’s a link with more information about BLL testing. Given BLL testing tends to show immediate recent exposure (there is a 30 to 45 day half-life of Lead in the blood), if you are concerned more about long-term exposure ask your doctor about the possibility of getting a hair test or a urine test. Here’s a link with more information about those types of testing. If you are looking for examples of Lead-free dishes to use as alternatives, please check out this link.

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For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate and activist, and a documentary filmmaker. She is the owner and founder of Lead Safe Mama, LLC  – a woman-owned small business for consumer goods safety and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children, the inspiration for her work [Tamara’s sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in August of 2005]. She was trained and certified to use XRF technology in 2009  – specifically with the focus of testing consumer goods for toxicants.

• Tamara was the parent-advocate responsible for finding Lead in the popular fidget spinner toys in 2017. 
• In 2022 her work was also responsible for three CPSC product recalls — the Jumping Jumperoo recall (June, 2022); the Lead painted NUK baby bottle recall (July, 2022); and the Leaded Green Sprouts Insulated Stainless Steel Baby Bottles (November, 2022).
• In 2023, her work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine (link) and has already (as of the date of publishing this article) precipitated one product recall, one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” the Bindle Bottle insulated stainless steel water bottle.
• To see a summary of violation reports filed by Lead Safe Mama, LLC – as well as recent press coverage of our work please click this link.

The XRF instrument Tamara uses is the same instrument (and same scientific method) used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals), including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic. All test results reported on this website (LeadSafeMama.com / TamaraRubin.com) 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.

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