Mexican Pottery

NEW VIDEO: Testing “Lead-Free” Mexican Pottery for Lead (guess what … NOT Lead-free!)

April 9, 2021November 8, 2023

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…

Click to see all the links to pieces I’ve written about Mexican pottery: Bowls, tile, cups, plates (with XRF test results)

May 13, 2020October 16, 2023

#MexicanPottery | Mexican Pottery | Pottery from Mexico | Summary Article by Theme 2020

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…

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 25,800 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019February 23, 2021

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When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 25,800 +/- 1,000 ppm Barium (Ba): 538 +/- 130 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Antimony (Sb), Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg) and Selenium (Se). XRF-detectable Lead content in tile is not regulated…

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 28,500 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019February 23, 2021

When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 28,500 +/- 900 ppm Barium (Ba): 700 +/- 115 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Chromium (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Antimony (Sb) and Selenium (Se). XRF-detectable Lead content in tile is not regulated…

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 57,900 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019February 23, 2021

When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 57,900 +/- 2,600 ppm Barium (Ba): 4,614 +/- 448 ppm Chromium (Cr): 7,268 +/- 1,069 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Antimony (Sb) and Selenium (Se). XRF-detectable Lead content in…

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 46,200 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019February 23, 2021

When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 46,200 +/- 2,300 ppm Barium (Ba): 3,011 +/- 366 ppm Chromium (Cr): 6,308 +/- 1,185 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Antimony (Sb) and Selenium (Se). XRF-detectable Lead content in…

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 74,000 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019

When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 74,000 +/- 3,200 ppm Barium (Ba): 2,522 +/- 281 ppm Chromium (Cr): 5,608 +/- 914 ppm Antimony (Sb): 2,438 +/- 210 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg) and Selenium (Se)….

Mexican tiles often have unsafe levels of Lead. Tile pictured: 49,100 ppm Lead. > 90 ppm is illegal in modern house paint.

July 9, 2019February 23, 2021

When tested with an XRF instrument, the hand-painted Mexican tile pictured here had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 49,100 +/- 2,100 ppm Barium (Ba): 3,765 +/- 367 ppm Chromium (Cr): 5,400 +/- 947 ppm This tile was non-detect (negative) for: Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Antimony (Sb) and Selenium (Se). XRF-detectable Lead content in…

Glazed Ceramic Bowl, Made In Mexico: 11,300 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm is illegal in new children’s items).

February 10, 2019February 10, 2019

I tested this glazed ceramic (made in Mexico) bowl with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 11,300 ppm For context, the amount of Lead that is considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher in the paint, glaze, or…

Glazed Ceramic Mug from Cuernavaca, Mexico: 86,600 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm is illegal in children’s items).

February 10, 2019February 10, 2019

I tested this glazed ceramic (made in Cuernavaca Mexico) mug with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 86,600 ppm This amount of Lead is specially dangerous in an item like a ceramic coffee mug given mugs are often used on a daily basis (by the same person) for acidic…

Rancho Gordo Tehuacan Clay Bean Pot (Unglazed) from Puebla, Mexico: Lead Free!

February 10, 2019July 12, 2021

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This is a rare find. A piece of Mexican pottery that is marked and sold as Lead-free that is ACTUALLY Lead-free. The reason for this is that it is entirely unglazed. I think this is a terrific option if you are looking for a bean pot or cooking vessel of this type and if I…

Made In Mexico Vintage / Antique Glazed Ceramic Mug: 79,100 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm is illegal in children’s items).

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

I tested this vintage / antique glazed ceramic (made in Mexico) mug with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 79,100 ppm This amount of Lead is specially dangerous in an item like a ceramic coffee mug given mugs are often used on a daily basis (by the same person) for…

Made In Mexico Vintage / Antique Glazed Ceramic Mug: 122,200 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm is illegal in new items for children).

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

I tested this vintage / antique glazed ceramic (made in Mexico) mug with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 122,200 ppm This amount of Lead is specially dangerous in an item like a ceramic coffee mug given mugs are often used on a daily basis (by the same person) for…

Made In Mexico Blue & White Ceramic Shallow Soup Bowl: 50,500 ppm Lead (Context: 90 ppm is illegal in new items for children).

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

I tested this blue and white glazed made in Mexico shallow ceramic soup bowl with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 50,500 ppm For context, the amount of Lead that is considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item intended for use by children is anything 90 ppm Lead or higher…

Made In Mexico Blue Glazed Ceramic Bowl: 39,596 ppm Lead, 25,137 ppm Arsenic, & more than 100,000 ppm Mercury.

February 9, 2019

I tested this blue glazed made in Mexico ceramic bowl with an XRF instrument, and it had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 39,596 ppm Arsenic (As): 25,137 ppm Mercury (Hg): 100,000 ppm For context, the amount of Lead that is considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item intended for use by children is anything…

Made In Mexico Green & White Glazed Ceramic Plate: 554,400 ppm Lead. [Context; 90 ppm Lead is unsafe in kids’ toys.]

February 9, 2019

I tested this green and white glazed made in “Mexico” ceramic plate with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 554,400 ppm 554,400 ppm Lead is the same as 55.4% Lead in the glaze. For context, the amount of Lead that is considered unsafe in a newly manufactured item intended for…

Made In Mexico Blue And White Glazed Ceramic Plate: 95,000 ppm Lead. [For context; 90 ppm Lead is unsafe in kids’ toys.]

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

When I was visiting New Orleans in May of 2014, I tested this blue and white glazed “Made in Mexico” ceramic plate with an XRF instrument, and it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 95,000 ppm 95,000 ppm Lead is the same as 9.5% Lead in the glaze. For context, the amount of Lead that…

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…

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,…