Modern White Fiestaware Tea Cup: 40 ppm Lead when tested with an XRF instrument (safe by all standards).
When this newer modern white Fiestaware tea cup (purchased c. October 2014) was tested with an XRF instrument it had the following reading: Lead (Pb): 40 +/- 14 ppm The amount of lead considered unsafe in items intended for children is 90 ppm lead or higher in the paint or coating or 100 ppm or higher…
Newer (c. 2012?) Fiestaware Pitchers: 240 ppm Cadmium (in the orange) + 52 ppm Lead (in the yellow).
Fiestaware pitchers (newer): Yellow pitcher: 52 ppm Lead. Newer orange pitcher: 240 ppm Cadmium (no lead.) • • • Almost lead-free / but not quite! The company probably did leach testing and it did not leach any lead. Please read about my concerns for cadmium here. Tested with an XRF The amount of lead considered…
Cadmium Concerns
Finding Lead in dishware is one thing, however I have also recently posted several posts where dishes have tested positive for Cadmium. While I will go in to more specifics below, I think we really ought to be questioning an industry that uses Cadmium at all (regardless of whether or not they test their items…
Newer white Fiestaware dishes (c. 2016): 33 ppm Lead. This is considered safe by all standards.
“Lead Free” Fiestaware small white ceramic plate: 33 ppm Lead. Almost Lead-free / but not quite! The company probably did leach testing and it did not leach any lead. I would feel safe eating off of these plates if I visited your home, but would not choose to own them personally. Tested with an XRF The…
#LeadSafeDishes; Target Home White Plate
Target Home White Ceramic Plate – 74 ppm lead (within “safe” range.) Tested with an XRF The amount of lead considered unsafe in items intended for children is 90 ppm lead or higher. (So this plate WOULD be considered lead-safe by all available standards, even though technically there is not a a standard for total…
#LeadedDishes: Vintage Metal Toy Plate
Vintage toy metal plate with owl: 465 ppm lead • 343 ppm arsenic Tested with an XRF The amount of lead considered unsafe in items manufactured today as intended for children is 90 ppm lead or higher. (so this would NOT be considered lead-safe.) Dishes are not sold as “intended for children” so total lead…
1970s Yellow Plastic “Ingrid” – Made In Chicago Dishes: 4,002 ppm Lead + 1,025 ppm Arsenic
Vintage – made in Chicago by “Ingrid” • 1970s plastic cup and plate. When tested with an XRF instrument this set had the following readings: Yellow Plastic Plate: Lead (Pb): 4,002 ppm Arsenic (As): 1,025 ppm Yellow Plastic Cup: Lead (Pb): 3,235 ppm Arsenic (As): 848 ppm The amount of lead considered unsafe in items manufactured…
#LeadFree: White Crate & Barrel Dishes
Newer Crate & Barrel plate : Negative (non-detect) for lead and arsenic. Tested with an XRF instrument #XRFTesting Please note: not all Crate & Barrel dishware is negative for lead (when tested with an XRF.) The owner of this particular dish told me that it was purchased “recently” as of January 2016. Also please note…
Vintage Arcoroc Glass Plate: 256 ppm Lead. For context: 90 ppm is unsafe in items intended for use by children.
Vintage Arcoroc Clear Glass Plate (year unknown), Made in France. When tested with an XRF instrument the dish pictured here was positive at the following level: 256 ppm Lead. This is common with vintage clear glass (and especially vintage clear glass that was made in France.) Most new clear glass will be Lead-free or at least…
#LeadFreeDishes: Ikea (blue)
Ikea Blue Ceramic Plate: No lead! (non-detect for lead with an XRF) (No Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, or Chromium either!) Tested with an XRF instrument #XRFTesting #LeadedDishes For more lead-safe dishware options, click here.
#LeadSafeDishes: Red & White Plate
Red & White Ceramic Plate: 83 ppm lead (on white) • 331 ppm Cadmium (on red) —- Tested with an XRF The amount of lead considered unsafe in items intended for children is 90 ppm lead or higher. (so this would be considered lead-safe.) Dishes are not sold as “intended for children” so total lead…
Door Handles / Door Knobs – Newish, c. 2015: 28,200 ppm Lead (on a home in Maine).
When tested with an XRF instrument these “Iron”* door pulls had the following readings: Curved handle: 9,500 ppm Lead Thumb latch (worn): 11,100 ppm Lead Flat back plate: 28,200 ppm Lead. *Please note, these are not actually Iron, they are in fact leaded brass finished to look like iron with a “rubbed bronze”…
Speaking Engagements
Introductions! First and foremost I am a mother of four sons. My boys are currently 11, 14, 17 and 23 years old. In 2005 we hired a painting contractor to repaint the exterior of our historic home and he used unsafe and illegal paint removal methods that led to the poisoning of my children (my…
Lead-Free Measuring Cup Choices
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 four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama,…
#LeadFree: Handmade Ceramic Mug
Handmade ceramic mug No Lead No Mercury 54 ppm Cadmium Tested with an XRF Instrument by an operator trained & certified in using the instrument. Many handmade modern pieces are low-lead or lead-free! As your local potter if they use lead in their glazes, some may even be marked as lead-free (look on the bottom…
Lead-Safe Handmade Mug
Purple handmade mug Dark purple: 101 ppm lead White part: 62 ppm Arsenic Tested with an XRF Instrument by an operator trained & certified in using the instrument. Many handmade modern pieces are low-lead or lead-free! As your local potter if they use lead in their glazes, some may even be marked as lead-free (look…
#LeadFree: Irish Coffee Mugs
Lead-Free Handmade Irish Coffee Mugs Tested with an XRF Instrument by an operator trained & certified in using the instrument. Many handmade modern pieces are lead-free! As your local potter if they use lead in their glazes, some may even be marked as lead-free (look on the bottom of the piece or on the tag…
Vintage (c. 1957-1966) Pyrex Cinderella Mixing Bowl in Black & White “Gooseberry” Pattern: 35,500 ppm Lead. [90 is unsafe]
Small vintage “Gooseberry” pattern Pyrex Cinderella style mixing bowl- white glass with black paint. When tested with an XRF instrument this bowl had the following readings: Black painted pattern: 35,500 parts per million (ppm) Lead. Unpainted white milk glass: 183 ppm Lead. Read more about lead-in-Pyrex here. Thank you for reading and for sharing my…
Vintage Pyrex Teacup & Saucer with Pink Stripe & Gold Edge: 79,800 ppm Lead (90 is unsafe) + Cadmium
Made in USA: Pyrex cup & saucer: 79,800 ppm Lead (Pb) & 1,962 ppm Cadmium (Cd) Most ceramics or glass items that are tinted pink or red have some level of cadmium in them. This is especially true for vintage or antique items. To learn more about the concern for Cadmium (Cd) toxicity, click HERE. #XRFTesting •…
How worn is your vintage Pyrex? Even with very worn paint, this piece is still positive for a high level of Lead (Pb) at 23,000 ppm.
Above is a reddish orange vintage Pyrex refrigerator dish with most of the paint worn off. When tested with an XRF instrument, this piece had the following reading for Lead: Lead (Pb): 23,000 ppm. This is a great example of how the colors on these pieces wear. The question is… where does that Leaded color…
“Orange Fiesta” pattern vintage Pyrex casserole dish with lid, 1971: 55,000 ppm Lead in the paint (90 ppm is unsafe for kids)
Above is the Vintage Pyrex “Orange Fiesta” pattern casserole with fruit images on lid from 1971. When tested with an XRF instrument, this vintage cookware piece had the following readings: Solid orange of base: 55,000 ppm Lead It also tested positive for: 3,783 ppm Cadmium, 83 ppm Barium, 79 ppm Chromium, 47 ppm Bromine, And,…
Red vintage Pyrex refrigerator dish: 53,900 ppm Lead. [90 ppm Lead is unsafe for kids.]
Small vintage / antique red Pyrex dish • 53,900 ppm lead The current federal hazard level for an item intended for children [The level at which an item is considered unsafe] is 90 ppm lead and higher. Not 900. Not 9,000. Definitely not 53,900. Given the amount of wear on the coating on vintage dishware…
Vintage Green Pyrex Mixing Bowl: 36,599 ppm lead [Context: 90 ppm Lead is considered unsafe for kids in newly made items.]
Vintage Olive Green Pyrex Mixing Bowl. When tested with an XRF instrument the exterior paint on the mixing bowl pictured here was positive for the following elemental heavy metals at the following levels: Lead (Pb): 36,599 ppm Arsenic (As): 12,910 ppm Cadmium (Cd): 615 ppm For Context: The current toxicity level for lead in newly…
Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup (c. 2004): Positive for 31,300 ppm Lead in the Red Exterior Writing. 90 ppm is unsafe.
Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup. Purchased new circa 2004. When tested with an XRF instrument the exterior red writing on this measuring cup was positive for Lead (Pb) at the following level: 31,300 ppm For context: the amount of Lead (Pb) that is considered toxic in an item intended to be used by children is anything 90 ppm…