Lead in cermaic dinnerware

[lilysmama1124]

okay so I read that there is lead in glazes on ceramic dinnerware from overseas. Then my DH checked into it more and her could only find really expensive lead free ceramic dinnerware. I guess there is a cutoff amount but it still has the potential to leach lead into food. So what do you all use to eat off of? The cheapest I could find wast $60 for a plate,dish, and mug which is too expensive for me. I found some bamboo but that can't go in the microwave and was also expensive.

[DollyX]

fiestaware is lead free (made in the usa) You can find some ok deals on some pieces on ebay! plus it has pretty colors...!

[lilysmama1124]

Thanks! I think new fiestaware is lead free but the old stuff does have it so how do you know what you are getting on ebay? Does it have lead free printed on it somewhere or something like that?

[melissa17s]

Are you in the US? You can buy all sorts of ceramic dinnerware at the box stores and they will not contain lead. Lead used to be used in low-fire glazes, but in the US it is not used on dishes for use with food. You could also go to a local potter, and see what kind of prices they charge for a dinnerware set...
Stonewares and porcelain are usually fired at too high of a temperature for lead to be included in the glazes.

I would not buy antique fiestaware to eat from because it could in fact be glazed with low-fire glazes including lead. The new fiestaware uses different glazes to meet newer standards.

[SleeplessMommy]

I do not think companies are allowed to used lead glazes in eating plates anymore. Here is a Canada link: http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partII/19.../sor175-e.html

If you find a red-decorated plate (usually made in china) marked on the reverse "for decorative purposes only, do not use for food" - that has lead paint.

Vintage Fiesta ware should not be eaten off of. The orange color ("RED") has uranium containing glaze. Some other colors may have lead. If you have it, sell it on eBAY for a few bucks.

New Fiesta ware (post 1976 or so) is marked on the bottom with the words "genuine fiesta lead free" But 99.99% of food-intended dishes sold in the US should be lead free. You can also get a test kit at Lowes or Home Depot, if you want.

Lead in water pipes, paint and soil is a much bigger worry! :

SleeplessMommy

[lilysmama1124]

When we looked online my dh found that the US has a maximum amount of lead that can be in the dinnerware and California has a lower level to prevent long term build up?!

[melissa17s]

So, while I was at my studio today, I was chatting with one of the potter's there and asked if he knew of potters using lead... He could only think of one person in his career that intentionally used lead and it was not for functional pottery. He worked for about 20 years in a ceramics factory setting, and he thought the main lead risk would be from low fire glazes that usually used for detail designs, like logos stamped on to cups, etc.

Also, he said that lead fired into high fire glazes would not leach like low fire glazes. He said the other thing to watch out for is ceramics from China as they do not have the regulation that the US manufacturers have. If you have a pot you suspect has lead in it, then do not eat acidic food out of it, and the risk of exposure will be low. The risk with lead, in his opinion, is more dangerous for the potter than the pottery user.

[Maple Leaf Mama]

So, after reading this thread I went and looked at my dishes. They are martha Stewart, but they are made in China. So, is it all stuff made in China, or just non USA companies?

[melissa17s]

The glazes that would be a problem from China would be ones used to do decorative details on the surface, such as logos, but it would NOT be all pottery from China. Usually they are stoneware with a white or base glaze that have been fired to a high-temp and they a second glazing with the decorations at a low temp. Not all decorative pieces contain lead. I do not know of a specific example of anyone using lead, but this is the style of ceramics could have lead, if done in a poorly maintained factory. I must stress, that I am only using that website as visual aid and not in anyway implying that they use lead.

[reducereuserecycle]

Here is another concern. When a piece of pottery containing lead (or any toxic contaminate for that matter) is fired in a kiln, a certain amount of the toxin will leach to the kiln and for the life of that kiln, it has the potential to release the toxin during the following firings and contaminate pieces that were not actually glazed with lead glazes. So, technically just because a handmade piece of pottery says "lead-free glaze" does not mean that some amounts of lead did not outgas onto it from the kiln during a firing. I am very leary of what I eat off of for this reason. It is hard to determine what is actually safe. The only way to guarentee that a handmade piece of pottery is foodsafe is to know that nothing toxic has EVER been fired in that kiln. Most of my ceramiscist friends would sneak lead-glazed pieces into the kilns even though they were not allowing lead glazes at our university. Our kilns were already contaminated anyhow, but it goes to show that no kiln can be considered safe unless it is used by a small amount of ceramicists that bought/built the kiln new and really have never fired any toxic glazed pieces in it.

[Marni]

On a similar note --- I recall reading in this same forum a few years ago that the porcelain pot in Crock Pots contained lead. I contacted the company and found it to be true, so I tossed it.

[Goddess3_2005]

As a potter I can tell you that lead will leach and that any pottery from Mexico or China runs a very good chance of having lead in them. When glazes are made there are sometimes pretty toxic stuff in them, like baruim. Your best bet is to look for pottery made in the USA, if you really worried search for wood fired pieces that don't use glaze at all.

[Goddess3_2005]

Originally Posted by Marni

On a similar note --- I recall reading in this same forum a few years ago that the porcelain pot in Crock Pots contained lead. I contacted the company and found it to be true, so I tossed it.

: Yeah I made a slip casting of mine and remade my liner with a lead free glaze.

[lilysmama1124]

Thanks mamas! So I bought some Fiestaware and then my dad told me that it has aluminum in the glaze which is also not good. AHH! Am I blowing this issue out of proportion? I have't been able to find any dinnerware actually made in the U.S. that is affordable. It is all from China( I checked on-line, Target, Walmart, and Kohls). What about glass. I found some glass stuff at Walmart that is cheap How about pyrex? If you have any information about specific brands or stores that would be awesome. I could spend about $100 if I had to but prefer to spend as little as possible adn I don't really care what they look like as long as they are safe!

[sbgrace]

I'll tell you what I did. I found glass (clear glass) plates made in the USA by anchor company. I feel pretty safe about those. I have the bowls too and salad plates. They aren't expensive. I store stuff like leftovers in pyrex containers. I got rid of my ceramic dinnerware. I would love to be assured a crock pot is fine but right now I'm not using that either. The PP is right, though, in that others sources are more scary (we had our water tested). Still, I don't want to expose my guys to anything more than the world already does through soil and such.

[jazzharmony]

like sbgrace, we use clear glass dishes and glass storage containers BUT we do have a few plates/mugs that my son and I created at one of those paint your own pottery places. They get glazed and fired. Are they not safe to use?? We were told they were safe to eat/drink out of.

[lilysmama1124]

sbgrace- where did you find the anchor company dishes? I couldn't find them online. Also, what about recycled glass?

[mavery]

I always thought that lead was only used in certain colors, and we have plain white dinnerware. But something I just read said that "most" ceramic dinnerware contains lead in the glaze. Hmmm.

ETA Here is a list I found of names of brands and patterns of china which meet the stricter California standards. (Happily, mine is on this list, so at least I know that much.)

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/...LeadChina4.htm

[DollyX]

just wanna clarify i was saying fiesta ware but i *wasnt* talking about vintage stuff...you can get new fiestaware online ebay for cheap

[reducereuserecycle]

Here is an idea you may have thought you could never afford. Lenox make a beautiful pattern of everyday china that has butterflies on it. If you check with department stores that see this looking for a sale you may be able to find a whole set for less than $150. It is a complete 4 piece place setting I think. My mom saw it in an add and we were talking about what a good deal it is because if you bought each piece seperately it would cost more than twice that.