Do Your Dishes Contain Lead? Learn Which Patterns From Corelle May Be Contaminated

We collectively become uneasy when we discover that everyday products, from the clothes we wear to the menstrual products some individuals use to the cups we drink from, contain traces of heavy metals like lead.

When it comes to the Corelle brand of dishes and dinnerware, consumers may be surprised to know that their products contain lead.

If you have a kitchen cabinet full of Corelle dinnerware, don't panic just yet. Here's what we know about which Corelle products have tested positive for lead contamination and what you should do if you own any of these products.

According to lead poisoning advocate Tamara Rubin's website Lead Safe Mama, vintage (i.e., pre-2005) Corelle brand dishes contain varying levels of lead that may be considered unsafe. Per an email exchange a Lead Safe Mama reader had with Corelle customer service, lead was ubiquitous in the industry before greater awareness was spread of the potential hazards of this metal.

"Prior to the 1990s, virtually all glass and ceramic ware made anywhere in the world contained [l]ead as a primary ingredient in the decorating fluxes and glazes. All our products have been [lead-free] since the mid-2000’s," according to the email exchange Rubin posted between her reader and a Corelle representative.

Rubin created a social media graphic to aid consumers who have vintage Corelle dishes. Additionally, she curated a list of nearly 30 patterns with individual reports explaining which contaminants were identified. Some of these patterns include:

• Blue snowflake
• Butterfly gold
• Old Town Blue
• Crazy Daisy/Spring Blossom Green
• Cream plate with fruit design
• Cream plate with pastel fruit and leaf design
• Red floral border
• Cream plate with blue floral border and red berries
• Spice of Life
• Pink roses and black trim

Rubin has documented several more email exchanges and notes regarding her findings throughout her website. It may be helpful to view her notes and recommendations to make an informed decision if you have any of the nearly-30 dishes that contain lead.

Per the Corelle website's frequently asked questions page, the inclusion of a small amount of lead in the decoration of their dishes was standard. However, the Corelle production process at the time "always encapsulated decoration in glass, using extremely high processing temperatures to ensure the glass decorations are sealed" limiting the degree to which lead may have come in contact with food on the plate.

Parent company Instant Brand's testing has confirmed that vintage Corelle products are considered safe to use by FDA lead-safety regulations.

The decision to get rid of your Corelle dishes, utilize them in display cases, or continue consuming food on them is a personal one. Given the presence of lead and other metals in vintage Corelle dishes, you may deem it to be unsafe to both eat off of and keep in your house.