Lead Database

XRF test results for tiny enamel cloisonné egg on wood stand (San Francisco Chinatown 2023)
XRF readings: Lead: 90 ppm · Cadmium: 43000 ppm · Arsenic: 169 ppm Verdict: Low-elevated: below most adult thresholds + High cadmium This XRF test results for tiny enamel cloisonné egg on wood stand (San Francisco Chinatown 2023) reads 90 ppm lead, above the 90 ppm CPSC limit for children's products. Whether the lead can actually reach food depends on whether it's locked into fired glaze (typically not bioavailable) or sitting on surface paint (typically is). Cadmium reads 43000 ppm, which is also flagged territory. Arsenic reads 169 ppm, worth... Read more...
XRF test results for Portmeirion highball glass with “Sweet Pea” floral design — sent in by Shelly in California: 90 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 90 ppm · Cadmium: 40 ppm · Arsenic: 61 ppm Verdict: Low-elevated, below most adult thresholds 90 ppm lead, above the 90 ppm CPSC children's item threshold but well below levels that cause obvious alarm for adult use. FluoroSpec gives the definitive surface answer: glow = reactive lead present, no glow = not in accessible form. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think... Read more...
Horns Bee metal tobacco grinder with screen
XRF readings: Lead: not measured · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: No readings No numeric XRF data found in this post, may be image-only. FluoroSpec test is the definitive check. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in a drawer is fine, the same tacks loose on the kitchen floor are not. Lead locked in a stable... Read more...
Horns Bee aluminum “stash canister
XRF readings: Lead: not measured · Cadmium: 19 ppm · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Lead-free per XRF No lead detected by XRF. FluoroSpec test will confirm no surface lead reactivity. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in a drawer is fine, the same tacks loose on the kitchen floor are not. Lead locked in a stable fired glaze is... Read more...
Blown glass pipe
XRF readings: Lead: not measured · Cadmium: 54 ppm · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Lead-free per XRF No lead detected by XRF. Cadmium present at 54 ppm, separate concern for colored glazes. FluoroSpec test will confirm no surface lead reactivity. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in a drawer is fine, the same tacks loose on the kitchen floor... Read more...
Horns Bee green blown glass pipe with white stripes
XRF readings: Lead: not measured · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: No readings No numeric XRF data found in this post, may be image-only. FluoroSpec test is the definitive check. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in a drawer is fine, the same tacks loose on the kitchen floor are not. Lead locked in a stable... Read more...
Starbucks White Mug, 2016: 89 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 89 ppm · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Low, probably not a concern 89 ppm lead detected, below the 90 ppm children's safety threshold. At this level, most toxicologists would not flag this as actionable for typical adult use. FluoroSpec test: if it doesn't glow, the lead is not in reactive surface form. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think... Read more...
Vintage Faux Pearls, Off-White Heavy Plastic: 4,687 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 4,687 ppm · Cadmium: 54 ppm · Arsenic: 140 ppm Verdict: High, FluoroSpec test required 4,687 ppm lead detected by XRF. This item is at or above the boundary where ceramic lead can begin to behave differently under acidic conditions. Children should not use this item. FluoroSpec is the actionable test: glow = retire it, no glow = lower risk. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually... Read more...
Vintage faux pearls: 125,700 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 125,700 ppm · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Extreme, do not use 125,700 ppm lead, roughly 12x the CPSC 90 ppm children's limit. At this concentration, even fired ceramic glaze carries leaching risk under acidic food conditions. No food contact under any circumstances. FluoroSpec will glow. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in... Read more...
Is Uranium Glass Safe? XRF Test Results for a Vintage Uranium Glass Piece: 3 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 3 ppm · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Low, probably not a concern 3 ppm lead detected, below the 90 ppm children's safety threshold. At this level, most toxicologists would not flag this as actionable for typical adult use. FluoroSpec test: if it doesn't glow, the lead is not in reactive surface form. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think... Read more...
Maybe Grandma can Keep her Vintage Faux Pearls: 295,900 ppm lead by XRF
XRF readings: Lead: 295,900 ppm · Cadmium: not measured · Arsenic: not measured Verdict: Extreme, do not use 295,900 ppm lead, roughly 29x the CPSC 90 ppm children's limit. At this concentration, even fired ceramic glaze carries leaching risk under acidic food conditions. No food contact under any circumstances. FluoroSpec will glow. There is no safe amount of lead. This number is a starting point, not a verdict on your safety. What matters is whether the lead can actually reach a person. Think of tacks: a box of them in... Read more...
Cream-colored Corelle dish with birdhouses & planters: 303 ppm Cadmium (a known carcinogen) in the painted design
XRF readings: Lead: 1100 ppm · Cadmium: 303 ppm · Arsenic: 0 ppm Verdict: Elevated: likely lower risk in fired ceramic, test to confirm This Cream-colored Corelle dish with birdhouses & planters: 303 ppm Cadmium (a known carcinogen) in the painted design tested at 1100 ppm lead, significantly elevated. The bioavailability question (can this lead reach a person?) depends on whether the lead is locked into a fired matrix or sitting on a painted surface. Cadmium reads 303 ppm, which is also flagged territory. What this XRF reading actually means... Read more...