Discounted Dishes Could be Dangerous For Your Health

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Could you be poisoning your family every time you serve dinner? It's an I-Team science project that will have you pulling all of the dishes out of your cabinets. Experts on lead poisoning are really concerned about lead tainted-dishes.

Here's why. These pots are meant just for decoration because they contain lead. But people cook in them. Much smaller clay pots come with candy inside. These exact pots have poisoned children, and similar ones can be bought all over the valley.

But there are other dishes that also contain lead. They can be found at local discount stores. The I-Team bought 34 plates, bowls and mugs from stores like Wal-Mart, Family Dollar, 99 Cents Only Store, K-Mart and the Dollar Discount Center. Then, partnering with UNLV's new lead testing lab director, they were checked to see if they were tainted with lead. Could a discount be a dangerous deal?Under California law, any lead-tainted dishes manufactured or shipped through the Golden State must have a warning label. Only a few of the dishes did.

But at UNLV'S Environmental Occupational Health Department, Data Director Ann Rothweiler can use an XRF -- that's X-ray fluorescence device -- to determine if pottery is tainted with lead. "There's no Nevada law that says you have to have that kind of sticker or even that kind of testing."

It takes just a few seconds to check, and the XRF says which plates and mugs have lead in them.

Dr. Sean Gerstenberger leads the lead testing charge. As chair of the department, he has made poisonous pottery and candy his main focus.

"One of the issues that we like to look at here is, do those glazes, or does that clay itself contain lead," said Gerstenberger.

Two month's ago, his department opened with the new technology that lets them check for lead tainted products.

Gerstenberger said, "You can't tell by looking at it; that's the wonder of lead."

Of the 34 plates and mugs bought, nearly half have lead in them. The 99 Cents Only Store, Dollar Discount Center, 99 Cent Plus Super Store, Family Dollar and Wal-Mart all had at least one dish tainted with lead. The six dishes we tested from Dollar Tree and K-Mart did not.

But the problem isn't if the dishes have clay, paint or a glaze tainted with lead; it's the potential of lead dust being ingested if a dish is chipped or cracked.

And there are concerns that the microwave, and even certain highly acidic foods like salad dressing and tomato paste can cause the lead to seep into the food.

Dishes that are properly glazed and fired can keep lead from leaking into food. But the precise steps it takes to ensure that won't happen, make up a recipe not all manufacturers are willing to follow.

The I-Team reached a few of the companies with dishes that tested positive. A representative from the 99 Cents Only Store said they have their vendors sign contracts stating their dishes do not have lead. They are going to look further into this situation.

The owners of the 99 Cent Plus Super Store refused to believe the dishes had been bought from them. But they said they would contact their distributor and return all of the dishes similar to the ones bought.

Dave, a manager with the Dollar Discount Center refused to comment, and responses from Wal-Mart and Family Dollar still haven't come back.

So how can people check their dishes? There are lead testing kits all over the Internet and Home Depot carries some.

 

 

 

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