Isak Isaksson on tue 14 apr 98
-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Fren: Sylvia See
Till: Multiple recipients of list CLAYART
Datum: den 13 april 1998 16:06
Dmne: re "..glaze tested by govt....."
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi all; Interesting post of government inspection. I live in Canada and a
>few years ago I had a person from Dept. of Health contact me over a few
>pieces of Raku I had on display in the window of a local shop. They had me
>take the pieces out of the store because they could be used to hold food. I
>contacted the department of Health for guidelines on Raku and was informed
>I had to mark each piece of Raku with my name, address and not food safe in
>both English and French. This had to be readible and marked in such a way
>that it was permanent. That is alot of information to put on the bottom of
>a small vase but they were particularly concerned with vases that the
>general public could use for juice or drinks. They had a case in Quebec of
>a woman who used a vase for her son's orange juice because it fit so well
>in the fridge and she killed her son. They said the pottery had come from
>Mexico and contained lead but they were now checking all pottery for
>food-safe including Raku and primitive. I started rendering all my Raku
>ware unfunctional by putting a design near the bottom with 2 holes in the
>design.
>I stopped doing that last year as I was sure I was the only one in the
>country doing so, and well-known potters in our area are making Raku bowls
>etc, that the public have every right to assume are food-safe, and they not
>only disbelieve my story, but continue to make obvious food containers in
>Raku. However, after reading this post, I will return to my design. I
>questioned the fact that they they only questioned me, and I am the only
>one in the area with a business license. they said they were going to start
>checking craft fairs, garage sales, flea markets, etc. But I see no
>evidence of that ever happening and it has been well over 5 years since
>they approached me. I did however receive information from the government
>regarding the new legislation concerning lead and cadmium. On a personal
>note, I agree that they should be inspecting some of the Raku ware out
>there as well as the lead and cadmium. We are responsible for the health
>safety of our products, and I disagree with the well-known potters out
>there who are selling bowls etc with wonderful Raku glazes and patterns on
>them, who think saying well who would want to eat of a lovely bowel like
>this anyway, cuts the mustard. I paid alot of money for a very nice large
>bowel with chattered rim and multi-colored sand glaze inside bottom of
>bowel and leaf decoration on unglazed smoked rim. I know better than to eat
>out this bowel, but can we really expect the general public to know that.
>In fact, we have a famous lady in our small community who is an
>internationally known chef and on one of her TV programs she served one of
>the dishes she made in a beautiful rakued bowel, not knowing any better.
>She even has the picture of the food in this Rakued bowel in her cookbook.
>I have done enough Raku to know, I sure as heck wouldn't eat out it, and am
>amazed the potters who make themselves Rakued dinner sets. If they don't
>care about their own family, they sure don't care about the general public,
>and yes I am aware that we can possibly get a good foodsafe glaze on Raku,
>but I sure don't see any on the pottery in this area.
> It has been so long ago since I was approached, this post surprised
me. I
>thought maybe the gov't had stopped worring about the safety of our
>products. I do however, still hold that if they are going to do an
>inspection, okay, then hit the places where alot of the pottery is sold.
>Fairs, etc. There are a ton of unlicensed potters out there selling in
>fairs, flea markets, garage sales, and rented stalls in craft stores. They
>should be checked as well as the licensed potters.
>Sylvia See Claresholm, Alberta sylviac@telusplanet.net
Answer from Sweden
Interesting to read about the `toxic-problem`.
Glazetests by the goverment is unusally here in Sweden. My things has been
tested twice in 25 years. The gov. bought it! (thank you, bye more!!) I have
a friend that works as a `cemistanalyst`. I maked a tepot with a
leadsilikatglaze, fired it to 1020 C and he tested it. Result: you will be
leadpoisened if you drink 3 cups/day with tea out of this, and it will take
about 200-300 years! BUT if you are 8 years old and live in the middle of a
town you will be doubble-exposed with lead. The tea from the leadglaze and
the lead from cars. I don`t say that glazes are nontoxic, i agree with Tony
Hansen, you should always know what you are doing!
We had an other problem here in S. That is our famous crystalglass. The
crystalglass
contains sometimes over 30% lead. Put some vine in a crystalurn/vase and
test it.
I promisse that our glazes are like a sommerbreeze comparing to that.
(Swedish glassworkers has now change there crystalglass to nonlead glass.)
isak@saah.com
www.saah.com
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