HEAVY METALS IN ANTIQUE DISHES ? Let's take stock.

Presence of heavy metals in vintage tableware: Should we be worried ?

Since December 2025, many media outlets have sown panic by publishing alarmist articles attacking antique tableware and accusing it of being dangerous to health! The problem supposedly comes from certain enamels used which could allow heavy metals to migrate into food.

But these articles are far from exhaustive and objective. They simply encourage throwing all your old dishes in the trash, without any distinction or further explanation! Perhaps this is a way for large retailers to boost consumption? Do some feel threatened by the booming secondhand market?

While it's true that tableware can contain unwanted metals, the phenomenon remains marginal and, moreover, doesn't only concern antique tableware (a fact surprisingly absent from any article). It's time to take stock of this issue.

Which heavy metals are involved?

Lead

Sometimes used in enamels and glazes to intensify colors and enhance shine, lead is now strictly regulated in the European Union. Chronic exposure can lead to neurological, kidney, and cardiovascular disorders, particularly in children.

Cadmium

Used to produce bright colors (red, orange, yellow), cadmium is also toxic. Repeated exposure can affect the kidneys and weaken bones.

What should we be watching out for?

With antique tableware , it's important to understand that the risk most often lies in the colored parts, meaning the decorations (especially hand-painted ones) that would be in prolonged contact with food or drink. But I must emphasize that not all colored decorations necessarily contain heavy metals.

Therefore, as a precaution, we avoid eating daily from glazed plates from the south of France, which is certainly the most at-risk category, or those with large hand-painted decorations in the center of the plate.

I've personally conducted many lead tests, and the positive result rate is around 5%, often on decorations that, in any case, don't come into contact with food due to their placement (on the edge or outside of the dish). I've never yet found a piece of ironstone with a monochrome printed design that tested positive; this seems like a significant indicator.

Warning: today, lead and cadmium are still found in some modern ceramics that do not meet European standards.

• Handmade ceramics, not certified

• Low-cost industrial production outside the EU (generally Asia)

• Imported traditional pottery

• Some decorative dishes not intended for food use

How do metals migrate into food?

Migration occurs more frequently when:

• The foods are acidic (tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinegar)

• the food is moist

• The dishes are heated (oven, microwave)

• contact is prolonged

How to protect yourself?

Here are a few simple precautions to continue using your antique dishes:

• Avoid using plates and dishes that are entirely colored or have decorations in the center that come into direct contact with food on a daily basis. Decorations on the outside of a cup or the rim of a plate are not a problem, since they never come into contact with the food.

  
  

• Never put your old dishes in the oven, microwave and dishwasher, this promotes the migration of heavy metals (and also risks damaging them).

  
  

• Do not store acidic foods in ceramics.

  
  

• Be more vigilant with "moist" foods; for example, soup is logically more likely to allow heavy metals to migrate than a dry biscuit. If you use a fruit bowl, you don't even need to worry about whether it might contain lead; there will be no risk of transfer.

  
  

• Don't hesitate to vary the use of your vintage tableware, one day this model, tomorrow that one... it limits the risk and it's also rather nice!

  
  

• If you plan to use colored products daily, consider testing them with a lead detection kit. These kits are easy to use at home and will allow you to definitively eliminate any doubt. They can be found online. The most reliable ones use an ultraviolet lamp and a reagent. However, to my knowledge, there is no test available for cadmium.

  
  

• It's the dose that makes the poison. There's no need to worry about dishes you only use occasionally.

Materials to absolutely avoid

If you are concerned about your health and environment on a daily basis, I can only strongly advise you to avoid certain types of tableware that are unfortunately still produced today and are harmful to health and the planet:

• Plastic dishes and utensils containing bisphenol A (BPA) , phthalates, and microplastics. They're everywhere; they're the scourge of the 21st century! Plastic should be banned as much as possible.

  
  

• Melamine tableware (resembling a thick, heavy plastic) can release formaldehyde , an irritant and potentially toxic substance with repeated exposure.

  
  

• Aluminium utensils and tableware, high chronic exposure to which has neurological effects.

  
  

• Non-stick coatings that may contain PFOA, a persistent pollutant (such as Teflon-type pans, cake tins, etc.), have only been banned since 2020, and therefore may still be present in your cupboards. Furthermore, it's not certain that the newer versions are truly risk-free. Nothing beats quality stainless steel pans and pots that last a long time.

In conclusion

Our grandparents used the beautiful tableware that now delights antique collectors all their lives, and no other generation has lived as long as they did! So with a little common sense and the few basic precautions you have just read about, we will be able to continue to enjoy it with just as much pleasure.

Today, I think the primary concern should be what we choose to put on our plates, but that's a whole other debate...