Mergath Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) Or in the glaze, to be specific. I didn't even realize this was something I needed to worry about until I ran across something on the internet today and did further Googling. I mean, I know I've heard vague warnings in the past about cheap pottery from some countries and lead, but I didn't realize until today that pretty much all the dishes in the world have lead and/or cadmium in the glaze. Even the ones that don't have lead seem to have other nasty things- apparently Fiestaware replaced the lead with aluminum. :001_rolleyes: I bought a new set of stoneware dishes online last week. The quality seems decent so far (though dd already scratched one because she can't eat without gouging at her plate :cursing: ), but they were a very affordable brand, so now I'm freaking out that I've poisoned us all. The information on the internet seems to vary from, "Yes, there's lead but hardly any actually leaches into your food so don't worry," to "carve your own wooden plates from organic trees and drink your coffee from glass cups or you're going to DIE." Some news organization did their own testing and found huge quantities of lead in all kinds of dishes, both vintage and new supposed-to-be-safe dishes. The FDA limit is something like 3ppm, and some of these dishes had upwards of 100,000ppm lead in them. (!!!) Has anyone else done much research on this? I'm having trouble sorting out which information is legit and which isn't. And I'd like to be able to eat a meal without side-eyeing my plates and wondering if you can taste lead. ETA: This is one of the articles I read, btw: http://www.wthr.com/story/12465018/13-investigates-lead-in-your-dishes Edited May 15, 2016 by Mergath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I hadn't worried about it myself, but one of my friends had to get rid of some older dishes she loved due to lead contamination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Yes, but only in the last five years or so. Prior to that I never thought much about it. I bought some IKEA dishes and looked into it before the purchase. I don't like to buy anything made in China for the reason that the information is often sketchy and not trustworthy. I think you can find dishes made in the US where lead is non-existent or minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Yes, I worry about lead and about other potential hazards in cookware and dishes. I try to minimize exposure by varying which dishes/pots/pans we use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Lalala, I can't hear you. I'm going back to my blissful ignorance. We have fiesta ware. It's just going to have to be good enough for now. 😜 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) I was concerned enough that I bought this test kit to check my crockpot. (It tested okay.) I haven't checked my dishes, though. I love to buy almost everything used, but I probably wouldn't buy unmarked, cheap-looking, or really old dishes due to concerns about the glazes. Edited May 15, 2016 by MercyA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 Yes, but only in the last five years or so. Prior to that I never thought much about it. I bought some IKEA dishes and looked into it before the purchase. I don't like to buy anything made in China for the reason that the information is often sketchy and not trustworthy. I think you can find dishes made in the US where lead is non-existent or minimal. I found a lot of anecdotal stories about IKEA dishes having low levels of lead (I never realized having your dishes tested for lead was such a common thing before today) but I couldn't find any official info about it on the website. Which is a shame, because all the other lead-free dishware seems to be super pricey. What surprised me when I read articles about the testing was that it didn't seem to make much of a difference where the dishes were made. As far as dishes that are being manufactured currently, the ones made in the US are just as likely to have lead as dishes from most other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 No, because they are pa-lastic. My propensity for dropping and breaking everything has at last paid off. No worries, we never heat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 No, because they are pa-lastic. My propensity for dropping and breaking everything has at last paid off. No worries, we never heat them. Ha! After I read all the stuff today I thought longingly of all the plastic dishes I got rid of during the height of the BPA scare. I just can't win. :P 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 There are glass dishes! That are like a microwave turntable type glass. And stainless steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 No. Lead is too far down the worry list to make it into my brain. My lead-addled brain, most likely. I don't know about Australia, but I've read that in the US average blood lead levels in kids when I was growing up were well above what is considered dangerous now (something like ten times the current average). Those were the days of lead based house paint and leaded gasoline. Probably all our brains are addled from it :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I think Corelle plain white are supposed to be okay. I have absolutely no evidence of that, just something I remember reading, so I bought those for everyday use. I still use my older, family dishes occasionally, but limit use of them. Although, I think I read at the same time that Fiestaware was okay too, so it's quite possible I know nothing! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 There are glass dishes! That are like a microwave turntable type glass. And stainless steel. Stainless steel leaches nickel. Or something like that. It's been awhile since I studied up on what dishes leach what. I do like my Pyrex cookware. As far as dishes to eat off of, I admit to preferring paper. Those doubtless contribute all kinds of unwanted stuff to my food, not to mention overloading the landfills, but not having to wash dishes when I use them is glorious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I don't know about Australia, but I've read that in the US average blood lead levels in kids when I was growing up were well above what is considered dangerous now (something like ten times the current average). Those were the days of lead based house paint and leaded gasoline. Probably all our brains are addled from it :) Yeah, but that was a huge problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 We were well aware of lead poisoning when we moved to the states because of information on lead poisoning from soil and paint at libraries. My youngest who was born here had the blood test done for lead exposure because it is a known problem in the zip code we were staying in. We were also aware of lead in canned food and in glazed dishes because lead in Corningware was discussed in asia where we are from. "Imported food in cans that are sealed with lead solder In 1995 the United States banned the use of lead solder on cans. But lead solder can still be found on cans made in other countries. These cans usually have wide seams, and the silver-gray solder along the seams contains the lead. Cans containing lead may be brought to the United States and sold. Over time the lead gets into the food. This happens faster after the can has been opened. Foods that are acidic cause lead to get into the food faster." https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/sources.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) 1995 seems way later than it should have been to ban lead in food cans, no? Edited May 15, 2016 by OKBud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Polish Pottery is lead-free, so woot woot! Not all our dishes are PP though, but the others are Mikasa Italian Countryside, which is supposedly lead-free as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Do you worry about lead in your dishes? Well, I didn't.... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 no. dudeling has actually been tested for heavy metals. his ND didn't bat at an eye at his lead - mercury . . . she was freaking out trying to figure out where it was coming from. it was the equivalent of swallowing the mercury in an old thermometer. the main culprits for him were: high fructose corn syrup (uses caustic soda to remove sugar from the corn - contains mercury), is added to way too many processed foods. tuna (which is why you shouldn't eat much) the body is equipped to excrete it (provided it's working correctly) - provided you're only getting traces to begin with. we did three months of glutathione injections (I had people commenting on the change in him after a month. they didn't know we were doing anything different.) and retested him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) Well, I needed one more thing about which to worry. Can nothing be simple anymore? (I totally understand your concern, Mergath. Thank you for the heads up. Truly.) ETA: Corrected typo. Edited May 15, 2016 by Reluctant Homeschooler 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Yeah, but that was a huge problem. Very interesting article! And yes, I am sure the high lead levels of a couple of generations have impacted a great many things, didn't mean to imply otherwise. Maybe our grandkids will have even lower levels than our kids :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 We lived in an apartment building with peeling lead paint on the outside when my older kids were young, so lead exposure has been on my mind for a very long time. An area with ridiculous housing prices and very little inventory didn't give us much option :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 6 years ago, kid tested high for lead and heavy metals. We got rid of anything that might contribute. All the old, vintage fiestaware was feecycled in The Purge. Our beautiful antique bed went, too! :) We have new fiesta now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I think Corelle plain white are supposed to be okay. I have absolutely no evidence of that, just something I remember reading, so I bought those for everyday use. I remember reading this, too, and thus our everyday dishes are plain white Corelle. I also recall reading that plain, unpainted porcelain is not likely to contain lead because it is fired at such a high temperature. Thus, our nicer dishes are all simple white porcelain. I have no articles or evidence to cite for this -- I just remember reading about it years ago when I first got our dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) Well, I didn't.... Well, I needed one more thing about which to worry. Can nothing be simple anymore? (I totally understand your concern, Mergath. Thank you for the heads up. Truly.) ETA: Corrected typo. Sorry. :p I kind of wish I could un-know it myself, at this point. I can't find anywhere in my entire state to test my dishes, the home tests are completely unreliable from what I've read and give a lot of false negatives, and I can't really afford any of the official lead/cadmium-free dish sets. I guess I'll just try to be aware in case any of my dishes get a lot of scratches. I wash everything by hand, so that makes me feel better because it sounds like dishwashers are really hard on the glaze. I'm a little concerned about the vintage china we were using for years, but there's not much I can do about it now. I need to put some kind of OCD filter on my computer. So when I'm about to read stuff like this a red screen will pop up and be like, "Warning: You really don't want to know this. You're only going to obsess about it. Go check Facebook instead." Edited May 15, 2016 by Mergath 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Never thought about it. Glad I ate my lunch on a paper plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 We use glassware, heavy stuff so it doesn't break easily.i do have some plain white corelle as well. For cooking I use iron a lot and stainless steel. However, I do use my crockpot once a week. The one fiestaware bowl I own contains a beautiful flower arrangement at present. Now that said I can not claim to be unduly concerned. We are the parents who gave our kids uranium marbles for Christmas and element collectipn contains beryllium, cadmium, gadolinium, mercury, lead, pure sodium, americium, uranium, and a few other dangerous ones. I wonder if our house glows on satellite images! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Ha! After I read all the stuff today I thought longingly of all the plastic dishes I got rid of during the height of the BPA scare. I just can't win. :p I love those old Melmac dishes from the 50's and 60's. I hope they are safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Not until this thread. Thanks. :) We use plain white correlle though, other than our mugs. And the kids don't use the mugs at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Actually, yes, it started to bother me (probably after reading about it here to be honest....) My new dishes are Fiestaware. Which I love BTW. And DH likes them too because they are heavy and oven/microwave safe. Now that my kids are all bigger, I am enjoying having nice things. I had an IKEA set that was given to me as a gift, but they chip SOOOOOO easy that I decided to go with Fiestaware when I replaced them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I'm in the I didn't before this thread camp. To be honest I've hit a point where I nearly sent myself crazy trying to avoid all the bad stuff and now I just don't care and can't be bothered - hopefully we all survive. There are too many things to worry about in life and I can't do stressing about the China as well. More and more my life attitude is becoming "time and chance happens to them all". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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