Lead Scare

[DrThunder88]

I went to a free lead testing day put on jointly by the Macomb County Health Dept, WDIV Channel 4 News, and Environmental Testing and Consulting. I went with two items of cookware I have become dubious of since I learned about lead historically being used in glazing.




The first up was my big, enameled, 12 inch Tramontina cast iron skillet (they call it a "Saute Pan", but it weighs 9 pounds!) Item #80131/001, and it only appears to available at Meijer stores. Under the x-ray fluorescence analyzer, the bare cooking surface of the skillet was shown to be lead free, but the enameled exterior did show 0.05% lead by weight. This is well below the EPA's regulatory limit for coatings (0.5%) and just below the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (0.05%). Not a great thing to find out but better than it could have been.





Things get worse when I brought out my 6 inch terra cotta cooker made by De Silva that I bought from TJ Maxx in Auburn Hills, MI (I checked other TJX stores in the area to see how common they were, and the store at Great Lakes Crossing is the only one that had them). I don't have the item number, but I believe the product line is called "Terre D'Umbria." The interior enamel gave a reading of 0.13%, well above both the EPA and CPSC's limits. What's worse is that the exterior was found to have a shocking 6.6%. And to think I brought it as an afterthought!

I think it's only fair to note since much of the lead hysteria these days was generated by Chinese-made goods, that the Tramontina skillet was, in fact, made in China, but the terra cotta cooker was made in Italy, so there's clearly more to the story than country of origin. I urge everyone to take advantage of free lead testing if it's offered in your area. Heck, those of you in Metro Detroit can head out to Freedom Hill today until 7 PM today. I was there at about 7:30 AM, so there was no wait except while the analyzer was doing its thing (30 seconds at the most), but they did have scads of chairs set up in the conference room if needed.

 

[Andy M.]

No worries about the skillet.

Acidic foods can leach lead out of unglazed tc. The interior looks glazed so it is not likely to cause a problem either.

 

[wysiwyg]

DrThunder88,
Thanks a lot for the tip, I don't have items to check but for sure I will use the facility since I live 20 minutes away.
I've seen the "Terre D'Umbria" item you mentioned, TKMaxx stores in Madison Heights and Farmington Hills have some other terracota pots but I opted out of buying them because of the bright red glaze, a potencial sign of Lead's presence.

If I were you, I'd give the pot to my beloved ex Mother-in-Law LOL

 

[kitchenelf]

If I were you, I'd give the pot to my beloved Mother-in-Law LOL

He needs your MIL's address

 

[allwellbeing]

Thanks for the information.

 

[pensacolacarol]

I am so glad I found this website, and this forum! I was googling how to "season" my new De Silva terracotta (glazed) pot from....TJ Maxx....and read the above.... I still have the receipt, and plan on returning it! Thank you!!!!!!

 

[Addie]

Remember the Original Fiestaware dishes that were so popular during WWII and after? They found that the red pieces were loaded with lead and when acidic foods were placed on them, it leached out the lead. So no more red pieces were made. And today if you find original red pieces in antique shops and elsewhere, they can only be sold with a printed warning that they are not to be used for food. Now the red pieces are under lock and key. You can buy a yellow plate for $10. But the red ones can cost more than $100. They are very hard to find. A lot of folks broke the red ones when they got the news. The present day ones they make are safe and made by the same company.

Fiesta (dinnerware) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You also need to be careful of food cooking items from Mexico. They make a lot of their cookware with red clay. And some of it is not glazed. Red clay is notorious for containing lead.

 

[jennyema]

Remember the Original Fiestaware dishes that were so popular during WWII and after? They found that the red pieces were loaded with lead and when acidic foods were placed on them, it leached out the lead. So no more red pieces were made. And today if you find original red pieces in antique shops and elsewhere, they can only be sold with a printed warning that they are not to be used for food. Now the red pieces are under lock and key. You can buy a yellow plate for $10. But the red ones can cost more than $100. They are very hard to find. A lot of folks broke the red ones when they got the news. The present day ones they make are safe and made by the same company.

Fiesta (dinnerware) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You also need to be careful of food cooking items from Mexico. They make a lot of their cookware with red clay. And some of it is not glazed. Red clay is notorious for containing lead.

I have a large original Fiesta Ware serving platter in the radioactive color -- Fiesta Red which actually reddish orange.

I use it all the time. But never with anything acidic.

 

[Addie]

I have a large original Fiesta Ware serving platter in the radioactive color -- Fiesta Red which actually reddish orange.

I use it all the time. But never with anything acidic.

I remember them so well from my childhood. A neighbor had a whole set of them in different colors. I loved them. And still do. The new ones don't have the circles around the edges. The originals are now quite collectible and could cost you a pretty penny. Some folks collect only one color. There are even special shows for the original Fiests dinnerware. The same company also makes the Blue Willow pattern in this country. Thanks for giving me back a memory Jenny.

 

[pengyou]

I also remember the free coffee mugs that Shell gave out in the 1970's with a free fill up...and then the panic to get rid of them when it was found that they were made with lead.

 

[Addie]

I also remember the free coffee mugs that Shell gave out in the 1970's with a free fill up...and then the panic to get rid of them when it was found that they were made with lead.

BK, McD, Taco Bell, etc at one time or another also gave glasses with different hero's of the day on them. Massachusetts has very strong laws regarding lead laden products. When BK first started giving them out, our lead police tested them and had them pulled immediately. As a result, other states were still putting them out, and our parents were hard put to explain to the kids when they saw the commercials why they didn't get one. I had a complete set of 10 oz. glasses sponsored by Pepsi. But they sat on the top shelf until I finally gave them away. I got them with a root beer float.

 

[Mad Cook]

There was a similar fuss in the UK in the 1970s when there was a fashion for red enamel on steel (not Le Creuset stuff) teapots, coffee pots and mugs coming out of China. The red pigment was found to contain cadmium which is highly toxic with the result that strict regulations were introduced covering the use of cadmium

 

[buckytom]

bump.

does anyone get their cookware tested as the op did?

would one of those home lead testing kits work with cookware?

i feel kinda stupid asking this...

time for a sherry. where's ishbel when i need... hey, look, a squirrel.

 

[Addie]

bt, I had a lead testing kit many years ago when Poo was quite small. I was looking for an apartment to rent and brought the kit with me. I would test the paint just below the legal height. If it showed lead paint even under the top coat, I wouldn't rent it. I suppose it would work on other items also. You can get the kit in any hardware store.

 

[buckytom]

i'm guessing the you need a sample of what's being tested, and obtaining a paint chip is easy.

do you need a scraping of metal sample, or can it just be rubbed on to test for cookware?

 

[Addie]

i'm guessing the you need a sample of what's being tested, and obtaining a paint chip is easy.

do you need a scraping of metal sample, or can it just be rubbed on to test for cookware?

It has been almost forty years, and if my memory is correct, the solution will bubble if there is lead and turn a certain color. You put a couple of drops on the area. They may have better kits today. But they do come with directions easy to follow. The guy in the hardware store can give you more information. You might want to Google the subject also.

 

[buckytom]

yeah, i'll do my homework, as always. it's just always good to ask opinions. sort of an angie's list. do you have that up thee in beantown?

 

[Addie]

yeah, i'll do my homework, as always. it's just always good to ask opinions. sort of an angie's list. do you have that up thee in beantown?

Yes we do. BTW, we have very strict laws regarding lead paint. Homes have to be lead free so many feet up both inside and out. Because of the expense of making a home lead free for children, you can't sell your home to a family with small children if it isn't lead free. A lot of landlords and owners won't go through the expense of removing the leaded paint. And you can't do it yourself, you have to hire a licensed technician to do it.

Angie's List now want's to have vendors place their price in their listing. That is not a good idea. For plumbers and electricians and others, the cost depends on how long a job takes.

 

[buckytom]

aka: how long i have to look at their crack problem?

what is it with those people? can they not buy pants AND/OR underwear that stretches? do they know their ass is hanging out? don't they notice the draft?

i feel like i'm channeling seinfeld.

 

[Addie]

aka: how long i have to look at their crack problem?

what is it with those people? can they not buy pants AND/OR underwear that stretches? do they know their ass is hanging out? don't they notice the draft?

i feel like i'm channeling seinfeld.

It is listed as "Required" in the handbook of customer relations for plumbers. :When The Pirate was doing plumber work, he had special pants for the job. angel: