Post #178674 by spycygrl on Wed, Aug 10, 2005 6:10 PM

I, too, have been wondering about these vintage mugs and whether I should be imbibing from them. I used to work for Williams-Sonoma in the product information dept where we did lead testing on all products before they would be carried by WS. I recommend getting the "swabs" someone else posted about and just checking the lead levels before drinking out of any of your vintage tikis. Especially because acidic foods (like citrus juices) can increase the amount of lead leached from the glaze. Also be wary of those mugs which have crazing on the interior surface.

However, it should be noted that those primarily at risk from increased lead levels are children (who shouldn't be drinking those rum cocktails anyway), the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. In addition, women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant are at a much higher risk because of passage of the lead levels onto the fetus.

For most healthy adults who have the occasional mai tai out of their favorite tiki, even a heightened lead level will probably never lead to illness.

Back at WS, the biggest culprits were:

1. Earthenware from Mexico
2. Green glazes with a "metallic" sheen
3. Mustard-colored glazes

Swabs: http://www.leadcheck.com/lead-summary.shtml#swab