Getting the lead out

You might find that unsettling, considering that the majority of
dinnerware that’s sold in the U.S. is not made in the U.S. Much of
the everyday dinnerware comes from China, which doesn’t have a good
track record with lead paint these days. And if that isn’t enough
cause for concern, the stores are ablaze this season in dishes
sporting bright reds, oranges and yellows. Those big colors are
often indicative of lead or cadmium, another potentially toxic
metallic chemical element.

So we set off to find out
exactly how much lead or cadmium is present in a sampling of nearly
two dozen plates, bowls, mugs and serving pieces purchased from 10
major retailers — Target, Wal-Mart, Pier 1 Imports, Crate and
Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and Macy’s, among them.

The bottom line: The colorful dinnerware you bought at your
favorite mass merchant last week might have lead in it, all right.
But it’s not likely to leach enough into your food or drink to hurt
you.

During our shopping/sampling spree, we focused on ceramic ware that
is less precious than porcelain, because earthenware (in
particular) can be fired at low temperatures. Generally speaking,
that means more factories and small-scale operations could produce
earthenware relatively easily. And in some countries, that could
spell quality control issues.

We focused on colorful pieces and particularly the reds, oranges
and yellows — again, because they’re more likely to contain lead
and cadmium.

We focused on items made in China, although we bought dinnerware
made in Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Japan, Tunisia and Thailand as
well.

And we focused on mainstream retailers and did not look at the
smaller shops in ethnic neighborhoods. If toys tainted with
excessive amounts of lead could come from Mattel and be in
mainstream toy stores all over the country, could the same slip-ups
befall mass merchants of dinnerware?

In total, we brought 21 pieces to a local lab for a lead and
cadmium leaching test, which is the test recognized by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration.

And when all was said and done, none of the items we tested leached
significant amounts of either metal. In fact, all of the dinnerware
tested far below the lead and cadmium leachable limit set by the
FDA — a limit that has been tightened twice since 1970 when these
standards were first set.

Passing standards

All but one of the 21 pieces we tested also passed California’s
more rigorous leachable limits set (in 1993) by Proposition 65,
which has reduced the tolerance for leachable lead and cadmium in
dinnerware to even smaller amounts.

Still, that one red bowl that we tested that did not meet the Prop
65 standard for leachable lead could be sold in California stores,
but with a warning sign.

The FDA has been “hammering on these people [the dinnerware
industry] for a long time,” says Richard Goldblatt, lab director at
Chicago Spectro Service Laboratory on the southwest side of the
city. (It regularly tests dinnerware for importers and retailers of
the product and ran the leaching tests for the products we brought
in.) Dinnerware-makers and importers, he continues, “got a
preemptive strike 20 or 25 years ago.”

That’s when this industry had a moment of shame.

In 1986 and 1987, some 20,000 pieces of earthenware from Spain and
Italy were recalled from venerable stores (including Pier 1 Imports
and Williams-Sonoma) because they leached excessive amounts of
lead.

And the FDA itself was criticized not only for allowing these
products to find their way onto store shelves but for maintaining a
standard that some people argued was contradictory. Lead-poisoning
victims, members of the medical community and other advocates for
lower lead limits argued that the FDA standard allowed too much
leachable lead in dinnerware and that with regular use, dinnerware
that just barely passed FDA limits could be highly toxic, spiking a
user’s food or drink with repeated doses of lead.

These days, says Goldblatt, it’s “much rarer than it was 20 years
ago” for his lab to turn up toxic tableware, which was redefined by
the FDA with stricter standards following the episodes in the
mid-1980s.

‘Safer today than ever’

So, should consumers feel good about the state of dinnerware on
store shelves today?

Dr. Mark Mycyk, medical director of clinical toxicology and
toxicological research with Northwestern University Feinberg School
of Medicine, thinks so.

“If people are using dinnerware that has a lead content within FDA
safe limits, they will be fine,” says Mycyk, noting that the single
biggest reducer of Americans’ exposure to lead was the phasing
out/banning of leaded gasoline, a decades-long process that started
in the 1970s.

“The people who are getting sick from lead in 2007 are people who
are working in lead industries or kids eating paint chips or dirt
around the house. Poisoning from dinnerware is exceptionally
uncommon.”

And Richard Jacobs, a toxic element specialist with the FDA in San
Francisco, which found many of the historically problematic
dinnerware from all over the world, says, “Absolutely.” Dinnerware
in U.S. stores is “safer today than it’s ever been,” Jacobs
says.

Cautionary tale

He offers a couple of caveats, though.

“Many of the Chinese traditional wares [with ornate traditional
patterns such as “red long life”] are still a problem today [for
lead], and consumers should be aware that they are out there and
should be avoided,” Jacobs says.

Chinese traditional wares often are found in small shops in ethnic
neighborhoods or on the Internet, says Jacobs, and often are
brought into U.S. mislabeled as “housewares” or are first shipped
to Singapore and then to the U.S. to avoid FDA scrutiny.

“The other things that stand out are the terra-cotta items from
Mexico and Central and South America,” says Jacobs, noting that
they, too, could leach high amounts of lead. Again, they could be
found in small ethnic stores that might not have the resources to
do testing, or on the Internet.

“It’s not the Talavera stuff with the fine glazing that is made for
export,” Jacobs says. “It’s the village-made stuff [terra cotta] that is rough and porous and has a very primitive appearance.”

Again, these troublesome terra-cotta pieces could find their way
into the U.S. labeled as decorative items, which might not get
conveyed to the consumer, Jacobs says.

Memo of Understanding

Still, Jacobs believes that the bulk of dinnerware sold in the U.S.
today is safe when it comes to leaching lead and cadmium. And he
attributes that to two developments over the last 15 years: keen
dealings with the Chinese forged years ago and California’s
loved-and-hated Prop 65.

After an outbreak of problems with those (still problematic)
hand-painted traditional wares from China in the mid-1990s (well
before China was the powerhouse of manufacturing that it is today),
the FDA and a regulatory body within the Chinese government worked
out a formal agreement (called a Memorandum of Understanding) to
certify Chinese factories. To get on the FDA’s coveted list of
certified factories, a ceramics-maker “must prove that they can
make their wares satisfactorily, to FDA standards,” Jacobs
says.

To meet those standards, many Chinese factories have eliminated
hand-painted ceramic wares (at least for the export market) and
have developed more modern manufacturing techniques such as printed
decals.

But “the real powerful thing is that we made the list of certified
factories available to U.S. retailers,” Jacobs says. “Most all of
the people [retailers, importers] that I have talked to in this
country buy from that list of certified factories.”

Any infraction and a certified factory goes into FDA detention —
and a complex process of regaining its certified status. Shipments
from factories on detention are inspected more rigorously.
(Shipments from non-certified factories are not banned from the
U.S., but also are subjected to more rigorous inspections.)
Currently, more than 600 Chinese factories are certified.

And then there’s Prop 65. In effect, it has lowered the leachable
limits for lead and cadmium in dinnerware not just in California
but across the country (save for cadmium in plates; its limit is
higher than that allowed by the FDA), according to Jacobs. Large
retailers and importers want to be able to sell their wares in
California stores — and none of them want lead warning signs
emblazoning their dinnerware, which is required if a product does
not pass Prop 65 limits.

Why any lead at all?

Still, neither Jacobs at the FDA nor Goldblatt at Chicago Spectro
denies that lead and cadmium are still used in dinnerware
today.

Cadmium is a carcinogen. Lead can cause neuro-cognitive problems in
children and chronic lead exposure in adults can result in
hypertension and renal disease, Mycyk says. So, why should any lead
or cadmium be allowed in our eating and drinking vessels?

They’re there “for the durability of the colors,” explains Andrew
Bopp, director of public affairs for the Ohio-based Society of
Glass and Ceramic Decorators, a trade association representing
companies that decorate glass and ceramic items and primarily
dinnerware.

Many ceramics manufacturers and artisans have stopped using
lead-based glazes, which is the shiny solid coating on dinnerware,
Bopp says. They have been able to achieve a broad spectrum of
colors without the addition of lead.

But to get certain colors in a pattern or decoration that’s printed
or hand-painted (and then fired) atop the glaze, lead and cadmium
are necessary, Bopp says. Without them, the color in the decal or
pattern would scrape off with daily abrasion or fade in the
dishwasher.

If ceramic ware has been fired correctly, the lead and cadmium that
might be in a glaze or decoration will remain stable and not leach
into a food or drink. (Along with under-firing, the addition of
certain other substances to a lead glaze can make the lead more
likely to leach. Copper is one of those substances.)

“The key is not what’s there [in the dinnerware], but what comes
out of the plate” or bowl or mug or pitcher, says Jacobs.

– – –

What we tested — and how

Here’s what we tested. “Pass” means the piece is safe as far as
leachable lead and cadmium are concerned. These items tested below
the leachable limits set by the FDA and by the more rigorous Prop
65 in California.

— Karen Klages

Turquoise rice bowl. Made in Japan, $8.95 at Sur La Table.
Passed.

HomeTrends brand Serene/Natural Serenity olive/black mug. Made in
China, $2.37 at Wal-Mart. Passed.

Thomas O’Brien’s Vintage Modern blue stoneware mug. Made in China,
$7.99 for set of two mugs at Target. Passed.

Joseph Abboud’s Ventana Rust salad plate. Made in China, $10, on
sale for $7.99, at Bloomingdale’s. Passed.

Tabletops Lifestyles’ Celebration salad plate. Made in China, $11,
on sale for $9.10, at Macy’s. Passed.

Magnolia Dessert Bowl. (No country of origin on back), $16, on sale
for $12.80, at Macy’s. Passed.

Sanctuary stoneware bowl. Made in China, $5 at Pier 1 Imports.
Passed.

Joseph Abboud’s Crisscross Brown square dinner plate. Made in
China, $12, on sale for $2.99, at Bloomingdale’s. Passed.

Kona mug. Made in Thailand, $6.95 at Crate and Barrel. Passed.

Small (6 1/2 inches) decorated ceramic plate. Made in Mexico, $9.95
at Sur La Table. Passed.

Urban Dot hand-painted earthenware plate. Made in China, $8 at Pier
1Imports. Passed.

Tuscan Landscape small dipping bowl. Made in Portugal, $29 for set
of four at Williams-Sonoma. Passed.

HomeTrends brand Italian Villa dinner plate. Made in China, $2.57
at Wal-Mart. Passed.

Laurie Gates’ Bloom platter. Made in China, $26.95 at Crate and
Barrel. Passed.

Autumn Harvest earthenware bowls. Made in China, $59 for set of
four at Williams-Sonoma. Passed.

Thira mahogany-colored stoneware dinner plate. Made in China,
$19.99 for set of four at Target. Passed.

Laurie Gates’ Red Soleil mug. (No country of origin on back), $7,
on sale for $5.25, at Macy’s. Passed.

Small red bowl. Made in Italy, $4.99 at Marshall’s. Passed FDA
standards; exceeded California’s Prop 65 limit for leachable lead
(in California, it would have to carry a warning sign that it
exposes users to lead.)

Golden Harvest square plate. Made in China, $2.99 at Marshall’s.
Passed.

Black-and-white salad plate. Made in Tunisia, $9.95 at Sur La
Table. Passed.

Martha Stewart Everyday ebony-colored dinner plate. Made in China,
$15.99 for set of four at Kmart. Passed.

How we had dinnerware tested

We brought 21 pieces of dinnerware purchased at popular
Chicago-area stores to Chicago Spectro Service Laboratory on the
Southwest Side of the city for a lead and cadmium leaching test —
and all tested well below the FDA leaching limits.

One of those 21 pieces did not meet the intensely rigorous standard
for leaching lead set by Proposition 65 in California. If sold in
that state, that one red bowl would have to bear a warning sign for
lead.

Pieces were filled with or immersed in 4 percent acetic acid at
room temperature for 24 hours after which the acid was tested for
the amount of lead and cadmium that leached out of the plate or
bowl or mug. The test is meant to mimic a situation where someone
leaves orange juice or wine or a vinaigrette in a bowl or cup for a
day and then drinks or eats it, says Chicago Spectro lab director
Richard Goldblatt

— Karen Klages

Lead standards for dinnerware

To pass today’s FDA standard, small holloware (dishes and bowls
with a capacity of less than 1.1 liters — or 1.166 quarts — and a
depth of 1 inch or greater) can leach no more than 2 parts per
million of lead and 0.5 parts per million of cadmium. Large
holloware pieces (with a capacity of 1.1 liter — or 1.166 quarts
— or more) can leach no more than 1 part per million of lead and
0.25 parts per million of cadmium. Flatware (plates) can leach no
more than 3 parts per million of lead and 0.5 parts per million of
cadmium. The FDA leachable lead limit for cups, mugs, tumblers and
pitchers is 0.5 parts per million.

California has more rigorous leachable limits (set in 1993 by
Proposition 65), which has reduced the tolerance for leachable lead
and cadmium in dinnerware to even smaller amounts — 0.10 parts per
million of leaching lead for small and large holloware pieces as
well as cups, mugs and pitchers. For plates, the leachable lead
limit is 0.226 parts per million. The leachable limit for cadmium
is 1.85 parts per million for flatware (plates); 0.188 parts per
million for small holloware and 0.049 parts per million for large
holloware pieces.

— K.K.

– – –

Travelers beware

The real danger posed by dinnerware today is products people buy in
their travels in foreign countries, such as China or Mexico or even
Italy, says Richard Jacobs, a toxic element specialist with the FDA
in San Francisco. These products may not have been meant for the
export market and may contain excessive amounts of leachable lead
and/or cadmium.

Dinnerware made pre-1970 (before the FDA established leachable
limits) is also suspect. That means dinnerware of unknown vintage
found at flea markets, antiques stores and on the Internet. Don’t
use it everyday, Jacobs says. Don’t put acidic foods or liquids in
it. And get yourself a home lead check kit (LeadCheck Swab is one
brand) found at hardware and home-center stores, Jacobs says.

Chinese traditional wares and primitive-looking terra cotta from
Mexico, Central and South America could be problematic. These
pieces often are found in small stores in ethnic neighborhoods and
on the Internet.

And finally, dinnerware items bought from artisans at craft shows
should be scrutinized. Ask the artisan if he uses lead in his
glazes or paints and/or check it yourself with a home lead test
kit.

If consumers have concerns about new dinnerware (and/or find
leachable amounts of lead from a home test) call the FDA’s Consumer
Complaint Coordinators for Illinois at 312-353-7840 or visithttp://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.
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— Karen Klages

kklages@tribune.com