#LeadedDishes

Johnson Brothers Wedgwood Group Blue Willow Earthenware Octagonal Plate: 52,400 ppm Lead [90 is unsafe!]

July 21, 2018August 12, 2019

This is a (c. 1980) Johnson Bros. (“A Member Of The Wedgwood Group” – see image below of back mark) Willow Earthenware octagonal plate, made in England. As with this piece with the same back mark [link]. I have not been able to determine the exact age of the piece, based on the back mark alone. If…

#Leaded: Johnson Brothers Wedgwood Group Willow Earthenware Pasta Bowl

July 21, 2018January 25, 2019

This is a Johnson Bros. (“A Member Of The Wedgwood Group”) Willow Earthenware Pasta Bowl. I have not been able to determine the exact age of the piece based on the back mark. If you have information that could help me with that, please let me know. I would assume that since it does say…

Johnson Bros. Willow pattern china. Post 1912, England. 43,100 ppm Lead in the glaze. 90 ppm (& up) is unsafe.*

July 21, 2018December 1, 2019

2 Comments

This vintage Johnson Bros. blue Willow pattern shallow bowl/ saucer (made in England), was likely made after 1912 (based on the back mark, source.) Related: #AskTamara: What do you use to test for Lead? As with nearly all of the Willow pattern china I have tested, it was positive for very high (unsafe) levels of lead…

Q. Are Blue Willow Dishes Lead Free? A. Mostly No!

July 21, 2018May 31, 2023

50 Comments

Introduction (for those new to this website): Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety…

Vintage La Cartuja De Sevilla Pickman China Soup Cup: 44,800 ppm Lead

July 21, 2018November 4, 2018

1 Comment

When tested with an XRF instrument this vintage La Cartuja De Sevilla Pickman China soup cup (Made in Spain) was positive for the following elements: Lead (Pb): 44,800 ppm +/- 1,400 Barium (Ba): 462 ppm +/- 78 Non-detect (Negative) for: Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As) To learn more about XRF testing, Click Here….

Beatrix Potter 2007 Wedgwood China Peter Rabbit Baby Cup: 36,000 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids)

July 8, 2018January 15, 2024

7 Comments

Beatrix Potter 2007 Wedgwood China Peter Rabbit Baby cup This little Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit Wedgwood China baby cup was purchased new in about 2007 and was tested with an XRF instrument (by me) in 2012. This cup belonged to my friend Chelsea. As with most of these Beatrix Potter cups produced by Wedgwood before the…

2014 Zak Designs Frozen Anna & Elsa Mug: 8,834 ppm Lead (90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe for children)

July 8, 2018February 18, 2024

1 Comment

For those new to the Lead Safe Mama 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). Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC…

Red Vintage Pyrex Food Storage Container With lid: 310,000 ppm Lead + 14,200 ppm Arsenic + 33,200 ppm Cadmium

June 26, 2018January 5, 2024

16 Comments

This is an ad-free article. We have removed advertisements from this article to make it easier for you to read. If you would like to support our independent consumer goods testing by contributing (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free!), click here. Thank you! For those new to the Lead Safe…

#LeadedChristmas

June 25, 2018December 14, 2023

Click the word to any corresponding number to see the article with XRF test results for the item pictured below! One • Two • Three • Four • Five • Six • Seven

Royal Norfolk Ceramic Snowman Christmas Mug: 1007 ppm Lead + 539 ppm Cadmium (90 ppm Lead, 40 ppm Cadmium is unsafe)

June 24, 2018March 10, 2024

3 Comments

This Royal Norfolk “Made in China” snowman mug tested positive for Lead and cadmium at the following levels (note, the year of manufacture is unknown, however, I don’t believe this is very old). Here’s a link to this exact piece on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Qnone7. To see more Royal Norfolk pieces I have tested, click HERE. To…

Functional Ceramic Christmas Snowman Teapot: 30,200 ppm Lead

June 24, 2018December 12, 2023

To see more Christmas items I have tested, click HERE. This little Christmas snowman teapot tested positive for Lead (Pb) at 30,200 +/- 900 ppm. The year of manufacture is unknown. This item was tested in 2018 with an XRF instrument. Full XRF Reading (Toxicants): Lead (Pb): 30,200 +/- 900 ppm Cadmium (Cd): Non-Detect (ND/negative) Arsenic (As): Non-Detect…

Lucerne Foods Holiday Christmas Food Storage Canister: 5,441 ppm Lead in the decorative glazes (90 ppm Lead & up is unsafe for kids).

June 24, 2018August 24, 2021

This Lucerne Foods cookie jar/food storage container was positive for lead at the following levels when tested with an XRF instrument: Outside Glaze: 5,441 +/- 189 ppm lead (Pb) & 150 +/- 16 ppm cadmium (Cd). ~ Inside Glaze: 159 +/- 33 ppm lead (Pb). This piece was non-detect (ND/Negative) for mercury (Hg) and arsenic…

Vintage (Made in Japan) ceramic Santa Claus Christmas mug: As high as 5,077 ppm Lead

June 24, 2018January 2, 2024

1 Comment

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…

Vintage English Johnson Brothers Mill Stream Ceramic Ironstone Plate: 54,700 ppm Lead, 90 ppm is unsafe for kids.

June 23, 2018September 1, 2019

3 Comments

This vintage Johnson Brothers Mill Stream ceramic “Ironstone” dish tested positive for the following levels when tested with an XRF instrument: Lead (Pb): 54,700 +/- 1,700 ppm Barium (Ba): 489 +/- 104 ppm Tin (Sn): 1,261 +/- 78 ppm Zinc (Zn): 3,461 +/- 178 ppm Iron (Fe): 540 +/- 181 ppm For more information about…

Testing Liberty Blue, Johnson Brothers or Homer Laughlin China with A LeadCheck Swab (Video)

June 20, 2018June 20, 2018

6 Comments

Here are some posts related to the 6-minute video (below): Can I test my dishes with a LeadCheck Swab https://tamararubin.com/2017/02/leadcheck-dishware/ Johnson Brothers Posts https://tamararubin.com/category/johnson-bros/ Homer Laughlin Posts https://tamararubin.com/category/homer-laughlin/ Liberty Blue Posts https://tamararubin.com/category/liberty-blue/ Chip In https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/chip-in/ This video was originally filmed as a Facebook Live video (so there may be moments where I am responding to…

English 1976 Liberty Blue saucer with Boston’s Old North Church: 44,100 ppm Lead. This should NOT be used for food!

June 20, 2018March 15, 2022

2 Comments

Published: June 20, 2018 So many families have these dishes! They are truly works of art, and a piece of history (even though they were mass-manufactured only about 40 years ago.) My understanding, from doing a little online research, is that this line with the “Historical Colonial Scenes” was manufactured in 1976 for the United…

Do Franciscan Potteries vintage dishes have unsafe levels of lead? Does Mexican pottery that is marked lead-free have unsafe levels of lead? (video)

June 19, 2018April 23, 2020

5 Comments

Here are the blog posts related to the video below: Franciscan Ivy. Franciscan Desert Rose. Mexican “Lead-Free” Pottery. Comments to the “viewers” in this are from the original posting of the video as a Facebook Live video! Video is about 6 minutes long, and also shows you how to stretch one LeadCheck swab out to…

Franciscan Desert Rose Earthenware China — c. 1941, Made in USA: 122,200 ppm Lead! (90 ppm is unsafe in kids’ items)

June 14, 2018September 24, 2023

39 Comments

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…

Franciscan Ware Potteries (c. 1948) Franciscan Ivy Pattern Serving Tray: 304,000 ppm Lead [90 ppm is unsafe]

June 14, 2018September 1, 2019

4 Comments

This is a Franciscan Potteries vintage “Ivy” pattern serving tray that I got at the Good Will Bins a while back (to add to my “Museum of Lead” collection!) The interesting thing about glazes (especially on pieces that are handmade or hand-painted) is that the levels of lead can vary significantly across the surface of…

Made In Mexico Ceramic Glazed Bowl Marked “Lead Free”: Positive for more than 300,000 ppm Lead [that’s 30%!]

June 13, 2018March 26, 2021

2 Comments

Mexican pottery bowl purchased new c. 2007. Marked “Lead Free.” This bowl tested positive for more than 300,000 ppm Lead in the glaze when tested with an XRF instrument. Most of the Mexican pottery that I have tested that has been labeled “Lead Free” has tested positive for at least 1,000 ppm lead. This piece was unique,…

Vintage Spring Blossom Green “Crazy Daisy” Pyrex cup: 39,300 ppm Lead + 833 ppm Cadmium (90 ppm Pb is unsafe for kids!)

May 5, 2018January 5, 2024

7 Comments

Vintage Pyrex Spring Blossom Green “Crazy Daisy” patterned cups 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…

Vintage Shenandoah Cinderella Pyrex Mixing Bowl: 85,600 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm Lead (& up) is unsafe for kids.

May 5, 2018May 15, 2020

1 Comment

Vintage Pyrex Cinderella Style Shenandoah Pattern Mixing Bowl: The paint on this bowl tested positive for the following elements at the following levels (with a one-minute test, using an XRF instrument): Lead (Pb): 85,600 +/- 4,100 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 1,194 +/- 99 ppm Arsenic (As): ND Mercury (Hg): ND Gold (Au): 589 +/- 226…

#Leaded: 2017 Moscow Mule Copper Mug With Leaded Brass Handle

April 28, 2018September 19, 2018

Moscow Mule Mug: As high as 43,400 +/- 1,600 ppm lead in the brass handle. Solid lead attachment solder points for the handle too! Tested positive for lead with an XRF instrument and a LeadCheck swab! Here’s an affiliate link to purchase LeadCheck swabs to test your own Moscow mule mug at home: https://amzn.to/2L1QBs5 – but…

A short story of a small vintage ceramic bowl and a boy from Wisconsin who was poisoned.

April 23, 2018April 26, 2018

15 Comments

I originally shared this in October of 2013, but given how much we have learned about dishware and lead since then, I thought it was an important one to re-share! I have quite a few friends in Wisconsin and have been invited several times to present to groups there (including presentations in Milwaukee, Madison and…