Glass Storage Question

[CuckooMamma]

Trying to change over from using plastic storage containers to all glass. I just found a set that seemed nice at Costco, but they're made in Korea. Does it matter where glass is made? Is it something to be concerned about?

TIA

[Ruthla]

Glass is an inert material- there's nothing reactive in it whatsoever. Any glass should be completely safe for food storage. I generally just save glass jars that I buy with food in them, and re-use them for storage.

[serenbat]

Glass is an inert material- there's nothing reactive in it whatsoever. Any glass should be completely safe for food storage.

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sorry but this is far from true

with glass you have to be very concerned about the lead level and it is very questionable when it is coming from an overseas country

items can pick up lead just by being in the object- very good glass (the better the glass the higher the lead) and so does cheaply made objects

it is best to buy from a well know company with a track record

www.glassonweb.com/news/index/7105/

www.nytimes.com/2003/08/19/science/19QNA.html

there is tons of info on lead in glass, there are many US companies making glass storage containers that are better checked- many here -
www.greenfeet.com/items.asp?Cc=GLASS_FOOD_STG

[sunnysandiegan]

Thanks for the above links. I have a question. In the above two links, the only lead mentioned is found in lead crystal. I have handblown glass/crystal for our stemware, which we don't store anything in...just drink out of once in a while. What is the scoop for the type of glass most of us are using for food/drink storage?

[BedHead]

I know there's food grade glass as opposed to non food grade, and that a whole host of different things can be added to glass when it's made depending on what properties one wants the end product to have, but I do not know about overseas vs non overseas manufacturers. I also use glass jars from things I buy in glass jars for a lot of stuff at home, and I've bought glass storage dishes with plastic lids from a few different paces without even looking at where it was made.

[serenbat]

The other poster did mention the difference in grades and I would really question getting stuff from overseas like I said.

It is one thing to have a "lead" drinking glass (wine etc) the real worry come into stuff as simple as a candy dish, or a nice cut glass dish used for pickles, etc this time of year- thing is most people have no clue about lead in glass.
I know someone who had a very $$ Waterford decanter and kept liquor in it and it tested super high for lead! It doesn't take long for an item to absorb the lead.

[DaughterOfKali]

I use glass that I bought from Pampered Chef. It's tempered glass. It's one of the first things I bought when I became a Pampered Chef consultant. I love how they come with lids and also have measurement marks.

I haven't heard anything about lead in PC glass products.

[CuckooMamma]

Thanks for those links. I was already aware that lead crystal poses a real problem. I don't remember the link I read, but it didn't take very long, maybe a month, for the liquid stored in a lead decanter to reach alarmingly high levels of lead. Now I have more room in our china cabinet :-)

I'm concerned with glass storage dishes for leftovers, soups and tomato sauce. I currently use plastic, and that just has to go! I've gotten rid of anything made in China except the large cooking utensils (couldn't find US made when I looked). As I said, I really don't want to invest in more containers that I'm just going to have to get rid of.

I did notice that in one of the articles it mentioned ceramic mugs. Interestingly, I called the producer of the clear glaze used on pottery that you can make and found out that they only pulled the lead from the glaze THREE years ago! And that's used on things made here in the USA. Just has me super freaked out as to what's safe/what's not. Unless they specifically say that they don't use lead in their product, I don't believe any of them. It's not in their best interests to advertise that their product contains lead.

My question really is whether or not lead is used in the production of glass other than lead crystal.

Thanks for all your many responses!