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LEAD POISONING

Until some time early in this century, pewter was made by mixing tin with lead, the British Medical Journal (291:1701) reports. Although the risk of lead poisoning from old pewter dishes is minimal, pewter tankards, mugs, or cups are much more dangerous because, if used repeatedly, their fluid contents dissolve a lot of lead. Since modern pewter vessels contain no lead, they can be used without risk.

Nonetheless, the Western Journal of Medicine (143:357) reports, modern pottery colored with lead-containing pigments may not be safe, even if the covering glaze appears to be intact, since it often becomes scratched off or cracked. Furthermore, even some glazes contain lead. People who color pottery or paint with lead-containing pigments (such as cinnabar) are also at risk and must wash their hands before touching their mouths or handling food.

Symptoms of lead poisoning from such sources include mood changes, headache, aching of the limbs, constipation, and bouts of colicky abdominal pain. Since lead poisoning is quite common, anyone having these symptoms should ask a doctor to check them over with this cause in mind.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 5:28 am and is filed under General health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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