claybair on sun 21 dec 03
Hi All,
I just received this email from Monona
and am forwarding it to you all in it's entirety.
I think we have an opportunity as 3000+ in the clay community to
take this bull by the horns.....
Duncan are you reading this?????
Are you going to act responsibly???
If not..... we will!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: ACTSNYC@cs.com [mailto:ACTSNYC@cs.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2003 6:16 AM
To: gayle@claybair.com
Subject: Re: Duncan glaze with encapsulated lead... food safety issue
Gayle,
Clayart is a brilliant idea! Let me rewrite what I said to you in a
clearer and more detailed way in this e-mail and then forward this to them.
There will be a bunch of people who will agree with us there. And maybe
someone has an idea how to salvage these empty bowl fund raisers. They are
held all over the country and I run into them all the time doing things as
badly as these people are. Send them the following:
Dear Gayle Bair,
I have the following comments in response to your questions about food
safe, lead-encapsulated Duncan glazes used for an Empty Bowls fund raising
project:
MEETS CALIFORNIA LAW. You said that the person you talked to at Duncan
said that their glazes meet California laws. If by this Duncan mean there
is a Proposition 65 lead warning on the label, this is irrelevant in regard
to the hazards of the finished ware--after the glaze is fired.
The only way the amount of lead leaching from the finished ware can be
determined is by testing. And California law specifies the test for
finished ware (ASTM C 738).
Even if Duncan ran this test on some finished made with their glaze,
they still cannot know if the pot you made will pass. Not all finished pots
made with a 26% lead glaze, no matter how well formulated, are going to pass
if you have different application, kilns, and firing cycles involved. Kilns
that fire lead can also redeposit lead fume on ware which is another factor.
That's why good ceramic glaze labels will tell users that food ware should
be tested.
ENCAPSULATED. The Duncan representative also claimed that the lead in
the raw glaze was "encapsulated" which is a term usually used for cadmium
and other toxic metal pigments that have been incorporated into zircon or
other crystals. In fact, a better term for this in "inclusion" pigments.
This process can reduce the amount of cadmium used for a color, but
doesn't necessarily make the encapsulated metal less bioavailable. In fact,
the last time I called and talked to Degussa and Cerdec (major
manufacturer/distributor of these pigments) they told me they had never
tested their encapsulated/inclusion pigments for bioavailability.
LEAD FRIT ENCAPSULATION. Applying the term "encapsulated" to lead in a
frit doesn't make any sense at all. The frit is a glass, not a crystal. And
even if there was a way to put something insoluble around the lead, it is
irrelevant to final glaze when the frit has been remelted.
This sounds like a new version the old "acid insoluble" frit argument in
which acid insoluble frits were considered "nontoxic." This was shown to be
false after people in nursing homes were "poisoned" by ingestion of
"nontoxic" lead glazes. It was further established to be false in pretrial
depositions for two law suits brought on behalf of children allegedly brain
damaged from their mother's exposure to lead glazes. Duncan was one of the
defendants in both of these cases. The toxicologist, Dr. Stopford, who
certified such glazes as "nontoxic," testified that he now knew that the
acid solubility of the frit did not protect people. ( I was an expert
witness in these cases and this was a major victory for me because I had
been saying this for many years prior to these lawsuits.)
LEAD FRITS AND THE LAW. Under the OSHA and CalOSHA regulations, there
is no distinction made between raw lead compounds and lead frits. They are
treated as equally toxic, and rightfully so.
FRIT SOLUBILITY & GLAZE SOLUBILITY. Even more important for the
purposes of the Empty Bowls project, the acid solubility of the lead in the
glaze frit is irrelevant to the performance of the final glaze since that
frit has been remelted and fused with other materials.
SAVING EMPTY BOWLS FROM THEMSELVES. I run into Empty Bowls fund raising
projects all over the country. Clayarters might want to consider how they
can help these right-minded, but wrong-headed, people to produce products
for auction that are uncompromisingly safe.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A.,
industrial hygienist
Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
181 Thompson St., #23
New York NY 10012-2586 212/777-0062
Monona
In a message dated 12/20/03 2:20:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,
gayle@claybair.com writes:
Monona,
Thank you, Thank you!!!!
I am writing about this on Clayart.
May I quote you?
I figure going public on Clayart
about this might help Duncan see the light!
Clayart has quite a presence and over 3000
members worldwide.
If I recall correctly you used to post on it and I know that you are
very respected. However if it's a problem I will just disseminate
the material you send me.
Thanks again,
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: ACTSNYC@cs.com [mailto:ACTSNYC@cs.com]
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 9:40 PM
To: gayle@claybair.com
Subject: Re: Duncan glaze with encapsulated lead... food safety
issue
In a message dated 12/19/03 7:49:29 PM Eastern Standard Time,
gayle@claybair.com writes:
Hi Monona,
I am a potter in need of your expert opinion.
Recently I was asked to participate in an "empty Bowls" project
here on
Bainbridge Island. I found out afterwards that bisque,
underglazes and glaze were to be provided. It turns out they are using
Duncan underglazes and a low fire ^06 ox Duncan glaze called Diamond Clear
(GL612).
It also turns out this glaze has encapsulated lead in it. These
pieces will
be sold locally and I am concerned about their actual food safety.
I called Duncan and they assured me that IF they are fired to 06
they are
food safe. The potter firing these pieces assured me they will go
to ^06.
It is impossible for Duncan to know this. They do not know how well
it was applied, how well it was fired, etc. All the other glazes will say
on the label that food ware should be tested.
I called Duncan back and found out it has 26% lead per weight.
I've been
told repeatedly that if it is acceptable in Calif. it is ok.
I do not believe even the labels I saw on the containers meet
California's Proposition 65. There should be a warning on the product that
it contains lead, a substance known to the state of California to cause
birth birth defects, etc.
And there is no "encapsulation" of lead in a frit. OSHA makes
absolutely no distinction between raw lead compounds and lead frits. They
regulate them the same. And they do this with good reason--there is no
significant differences in the hazards either by ingestion or inhalation.
I'm sending you some information to back this contention.
I pissed off several people already for expressing my reluctance
to sign a
piece with my name without also stating it is not food safe. I was
not able
to access their MSDS online though I think it is on their web site
so I had
someone at Duncan call me with the lead %.
HA.... now that I have spoken to you I feel vindicated but very
sad that
clay suppliers and all these little shops are using this stuff
thinking it
is ok!
Thanks,
I'm going to put in the mail a bunch of stuff that should help.
After you read it, we'll figure out who to write to. The stuff is in the
mail to:
G
ayle Bair
13251 Millstone Pl. NE
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Ph 206-855-0595
http://claybair.com
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A.,
industrial hygienist
Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
and
Safety Officer,
United Scenic Artist's, Local 829
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes (IATSE)
181 Thompson St., #23
New York NY 10012-2586 212/777-0062
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