XRF test results for Contemporary Chateau hand-painted, “Made in Japan” stoneware dish sent in by Vida in Minnesota
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).
Published: July 13, 2023 — Thursday
Below are the full XRF test results for the dish pictured above (additional photos are below as well). These Contemporary Chateau pattern dishes (hand-painted and Made in Japan) are safe by all standards, including standards for the total content of toxicants (specifically Cadmium and Lead) implemented for items intended for children’s use.
Reading #1) Center of food surface on the dish (cream-colored speckled glaze)
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)
- Lead (Pb): 46 +/- 10 ppm (safe by all standards)
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect / negative
- Tin (Sn): 11 +/- 8 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
- Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
- Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
- Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
- Chromium (Cr): non-detect / negative
- Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
- Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
- Copper (Cu): 43 +/- 21 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 25,100 +/- 500 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 586 +/- 17 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 2,317 +/- 145 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): non-detect / negative
- Bismuth (Bi): non-detect / negative
- Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #2) Blue band on the edge of the dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)
- Lead (Pb): 44 +/- 12 ppm (safe by all standards)
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect / negative
- Tin (Sn): non-detect / negative
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
- Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
- Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
- Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
- Chromium (Cr): 449 +/- 227 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
- Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
- Copper (Cu): 98 +/- 29 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 27,200 +/- 600 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 8,812 +/- 213 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 1,956 +/- 150 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): 197 +/- 83 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 22,100 +/- 500 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): non-detect / negative
- Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #3) Brown band on edge of the dish
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)
- Lead (Pb): 45 +/- 10 ppm (safe by all standards)
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect / negative
- Tin (Sn): 16 +/- 8 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
- Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
- Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
- Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
- Chromium (Cr): 1,138 +/- 255 ppm
- Antimony (Sb): 21 +/- 12 ppm
- Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
- Copper (Cu): 55 +/- 24 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 25,900 +/- 500 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 2,018 +/- 205 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 1,396 +/- 35 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 6,324 +/- 250 ppm
- Cobalt (Co): 836 +/- 93 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): non-detect / negative
- Bismuth (Bi): non-detect / negative
- Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Reading #4) Logo/back mark on the back of the dish (brown)
60-second test (repeated multiple times to confirm results)
- Lead (Pb): 43 +/- 10 ppm (safe by all standards)
- Cadmium (Cd): non-detect / negative
- Tin (Sn): 12 +/- 8 ppm
- Mercury (Hg): non-detect / negative
- Selenium (Se): non-detect / negative
- Barium (Ba): non-detect / negative
- Arsenic (As): non-detect / negative
- Chromium (Cr): 1,417 +/- 255
- Antimony (Sb): non-detect / negative
- Nickel (Ni): non-detect / negative
- Copper (Cu): 55 +/- 23 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 30,600 +/- 600 ppm
- Zirconium (Zr): 628 +/- 18 ppm
- Indium (In): 17 +/- 7 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 4,411 +/- 197 ppm
- Platinum (Pt): non-detect / negative
- Bismuth (Bi): non-detect / negative
- Chlorine (Cl): non-detect / negative
- No other metals were detected in consumer goods mode.
Some additional reading that may be of interest
- An overview article about the concern for Lead in pottery/ceramics
- The link to the “Menu” for this website
~ End ~
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Should I be worried about the cobalt and antimony on these Chateau Contemporary dishes?