In an article published on May 31, 2016 the Czech non-governmental organization Arnika informs about a testing campaign analyzing printed china dishes which was conducted within the scope of its Let’s Eat Toxics Free initiative. The majority of tested items, including products for children, contained high levels of lead in the colored printing. Lead concentrations were often found in the order of tens of thousands parts per million (ppm). In comparison, a new clause in the European regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) limits the use of lead in products that may be placed in the mouth by children to levels in the order of hundreds ppm. The REACH amendment entered into force on June 1, 2016, Arnika reports; however, it does not apply to printed china and glass dishes from which children eat and drink. Arnika explains that dishes with high heavy metal content can be placed on the market if migration tests show that release of toxic substances does not exceed appropriate migration limits. However, Arnika notes that “lead and other substances may be released, for example, through mechanical damage to the printing.”
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Arnika (May 31, 2016). “Enormous levels of lead in mugs for children are not an exception.”
