Lili Krakowski on tue 22 may 07
Lead poisoning was a scourge among many "industrial" scourges. Lead
poisoning was a major factor in the short life-expectancy of workers. We do
not live longer nowadays, we only do not get killed off as young.
The effort to get rid of lead goes back at least 150 years. Bristol glazes
were intended as replacements for lead glazes. Nevertheless lead remained
in the studio till fairly recently...I still used raw leads in school, as
did several otters on this list, and then switched "for safety" to frits.
Lead frits are safer for the person handling them as a raw material. But
once in a glaze their special safety disappears. While indeed they
contribute towards a stable, glaze that will not leach, they only
contribute....one all too easily can construct a glaze that has frit in it
and leaches. In this country, as in many other industrialized nations,
there are controls about these materials--if no one else, the insurance
companies are interested in the people they insure for liability not
flinging the plumbum around.
BUT this seems not to apply to imported tzatzkes. I have seen many a
souvenir from Mexico, from Guatemala etc that came in with a tourist and
definitely is made by application of a very soft lead glaze to red
earthenware. Recently a young friend bought a set of dinnerware as a gift,
noticed the box said" Glaze contains lead...." The set had been made
abroad.
Might the set, theoretically, be safe to use? Possibly. But what bride has
nothing better to do than shipping her new dinnerware to Alfred?
A couple of years ago--and I know I am repeating a story I told before--I
noticed in a catalog THE most gorgeous toy firetruck ever! But is was a
bright bright red. So I called the company, and the young man I spoke to
about lead and cadmium and like that was most pleasant. The truck had come
from Central Europe and the paperwork was in Their Language. A day or so
later, as promised, he called me.....They had gotten a translation from the
other end--lead, cadmium alright. NOT what I want my
great nephew to munch on.
The terrible pet poisoning that just killed many dogs and cats was clear
proof that stuff is not inspected as it should be....Wasn't there just now
an alert that melamine was in some chicken feed, but was not going to hurt
the people who ate the chicken?
There is some sort of irony that the customs people who, I am told --I do
not travel--go through luggage with a fine tooth comb to make sure people do
not have "controlled substances" would not blink at a set of galena glazed
salad bowls or coffee mugs!
KEEP THE STUFF OUT! Out of your studio, school, home, baggage. And, as
far as I am concerned it should be kept totally out of all commercially
sold, prepared products such as glazes, under and so on. Caveat emptor is
swell; but Emptor does not always have time to read the fine print.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
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