For those new to this website:
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Glass Teapot Manufacturers in China.
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead-poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in ). Since , Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals &#; including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara&#;s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of (March print edition).
Originally published: January 8,
Updated: November 24,
In response to these articles (tea kettles that have tested positive for things like Lead and cadmium), I wanted to share the following!
Lead Safe Mama&#;s guidelines for choosing a safer tea kettle:
A kettle is something you probably use every day for boiling water. At least it is what we do in our house. As a result, it totally makes sense to invest in one that is as free of toxicants as possible (Lead-free, mercury-free, arsenic-free, cadmium-free &#; and plastics-free to the extent possible)! It is for this reason I avoid any kettles with any kind of enamel or other colored coating. In addition to food-contact plastic components, the coatings often contain most of the more concerning &#;nasties&#; because toxic heavy metals are usually used to achieve the brightest, prettiest colors in a finished kitchenware product. Note: Lead-free does NOT need to mean EXPENSIVE. In most cases, Lead-free choices are LESS expensive!
What to AVOID in choosing a kettle:
Kettles are difficult to test using XRF technology&#;
An additional problem with many tea kettles is that you can usually easily test the outside with an XRF instrument, but it is often difficult to do independent XRF testing of the interior material or coating (if the interior is in fact coated) without destroying the kettle. In most cases, an XRF just won&#;t fit through the top opening in a way that allows for a meaningful test result.
As a result of the limitations of testing &#; as a rule &#; I stick with clear glass and high-quality stainless steel as my materials of choice for cooking. I currently have two kettles in my home, one is glass and the other is a modern lightweight stainless. Note: Some vintage clear glass kettles have tested negative for Lead and others have tested positive, so be careful if you are leaning in that direction for your choice (since you most likely don&#;t have an XRF instrument in the closet to test your kettle with after you buy it). Modern clear, unpainted/ undecorated glass or modern stainless is your best bet.
What to look for in choosing a kettle:
Issues with modern clear glass choices
The one thing to also be wary of in modern clear glass is any painted exterior markings (usually in white paint, but sometimes found in black or other colors). Those markings often test very highly positive for Lead (usually in the 20,000 to 40,000 ppm range and sometimes higher, when [for context] anything over 90 ppm Lead is unsafe for children). Many manufacturers claim that Lead is added to the painted measurement markings because it helps the markings stick to the glass, HOWEVER, these markings tend to wear off with repeated use and washings. Especially given the nature of a stove-top tea kettle that is going from hot to cold to hot to cold, the mere (imperceptible) expansion and contraction due to temperature will usually cause this paint to chip and wear into your kitchen environment.
Some specific recommendations that may fit my guidelines for choosing a kettle:
Are you interested in learning more about Double Wall Coffee Cups Wholesale? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Below are a few specific recommendations, based on what I have in my kitchen and my personal experience in testing for toxicity in consumer goods using an XRF instrument.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of our affiliate links, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may earn a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.
Click through each of these images to read more about these choices. I have chosen these particular kettles as they appear to have NO painted markings (based on my experience and based on the product listing photos for the item). If when you purchase one of these kettles and it does have painted markings, please let me know and I will remove the choice from the selection below. Some of the glass options may have a painted logo on the BOTTOM (heated surface) of the kettle, in which case I would no longer recommend that product:
Examples of clear glass options
Updated: November 24,
Note: The first of the two teapots below is one I have personally purchased. It is a smaller size (good for one or two people) &#; please note the capacity for any of these items (in their Amazon listing) if you choose to purchase them. The second teapot (with the flowers and tea in the image) is by TeaBloom. A while back we called TeaBloom out for having Lead-painted markings on teapots they were selling as Lead-free. They went on to fix the problem and their new teapots are &#; in fact &#; Lead-free (including any painted logo markings that we have tested on the newer models).
Examples of stainless options
Updated: November 24,
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them personally as soon as I have a moment.
Happy hunting for the perfect Lead-safe/ Lead-free tea kettle!
Tamara Rubin
Owner &#; Lead Safe Mama, LLC
#LeadSafeMama
Contact us to discuss your requirements of China Drinking Glasses Company. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.