Question from J.F.
I know we are supposed to avoid buying pans etc with lead glaze in their paint. But how do we know if there is lead in the paint without driving ourselves crazy! For example, I called sur la table and the sales-person who answered the phone said we don’t use lead in our paint (she did not check with a supervisor), so is this really sufficient or should I go a step further? What confuses me is that for example, Le Creuset Dutch ovens are painted; even corning ware white collection is painted white? But you seem to recommend both those products. However, it would seem that even if le creuset does not have lead in their paint, that over the years the pain would chip nonetheless and get into our food.
Lastly, when I go to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond, for example, they always have cute, fun designed cereal bowls or mugs. Would you suggest just avoiding these products because they could be made with lead? Thanks so much!
Debra’s Answer
At this point in time, I don’t trust what salespeople say. I’ve run into too many who really don’t know the facts.
I just want to comment first on what you said. You said, “I know we are supposed to avoid buying pans etc with lead glaze in their paint.” That’s confusing right there.
There is lead in paint and lead in glaze, and those are two very different things. Lead is no longer sold in paint, but there may be old lead paint on walls in older buildings. There may still be lead in glaze on pottery items sold today.
So for you to ask the woman at Sur La Table “is there lead in the paint?”…the paint of what? You should be asking her specifically is there lead in the glaze of a specific item.
There is no “paint” on Le Creuset of the type that used to contain lead. Le Creuset has a baked-on enamel finish. Corningware is not painted white. The white is a pigment within the glass. It is not applied on top.
Lead in glaze has been an issue for many years. Still, one cannot assume that anything glazed is 100% free from lead–it may meet a federal or California standard which allows a very small amount of lead. Since there is no safe level for lead, and this is well known, to me no anything that comes in contact with food should be allowed to have any amount of lead in it.
