Leaching of Lead into Whiskey from Ceramic Decanter Glazing

[Guest wripvanwrinkle]

First of all, many thanks to the guys at Pro-Lab. They were informative and fun to work with. I really appreciate their willingness to facilitate my odd request.

Today they were kind enough to give me a call, and the results were surprising. In fact, the results were so surprising that they ran the test 3 times to confirm.

In summary, the lead content within my sample was nearly 1,000 times higher than the acceptable limit in water. For example; while the acceptable lead limit in water is 14.9 parts per billion (ppb) the content of my sample was 14,700 ppb.

In effect, 15 versus 14,700.

I'm trying to get my head around what this means, but I'm struggling to put together a relative comparison.

But to answer my original question, (unless the Austin Nichol distillery was built with lead piping, lead mashtuns, and lead stills)...that yes...there is a profound leaching of lead from the lead glazing of ceramic decanters into the content whiskey.

[StraightNoChaser]

Wow. So glad you finally got the results and thank you for sharing. I wonder if the lead could somehow be filtered out without ruining the whiskey.

Time to call Magneto

[Guest wripvanwrinkle]

Wow. So glad you finally got the results and thank you for sharing. I wonder if the lead could somehow be filtered out without ruining the whiskey.

Time to call Magneto

Well damn my curiosity. Now I need to shell out for a Brita filter and another lab test.

[Special Reserve]

I don't know why I didn't think of this until now but you should have included a control sample or the lab should have asked for one.

It would be very interesting to see how much lead a WT sample from a regular bottle contained.

I'm shocked at the amount of lead present and now must reconsider drinking a ceramic container that I have.

Yikes!

[Gillman]

Hmmm. Done some tasting over the years from dusty ceramic containers including a favoured coffee cup. Still standing, I think. I would think a few sips here and there over 10 years or so should have no effect, still, something to think about I guess.

Gary

[Bourbon Boiler]

Interesting. The next question is what is the ppb difference between "unacceptable" and "dangerous". I would think that water in one's home needs to have a very low level as people would drink from it an bathe in it daily. Drinking at that same level from one decanter probably isn't a big deal.

I say that, but I'm not volunteering either.

[Bourbon Boiler]

BTW, thanks for sharing these results. I've enjoyed following this thread.

[Gillman]

Do all glazed ceramic containers, including e.g. those used to serve food, or coffee cups, use lead in the manufacture? Or is this something more in the past than today?

Gary

[Young Blacksmith]

Wow, that blows my semi-safe theory out of the water. Knowing that I'd either pour it down the drain or just leave it for the angels.

[Enoch]

Do all glazed ceramic containers, including e.g. those used to serve food, or coffee cups, use lead in the manufacture? Or is this something more in the past than today?

Gary

According to a friend of mine who has a pottery shop, lead was fazed out during the 90s.

[MarkEdwards]

Wow, that blows my semi-safe theory out of the water. Knowing that I'd either pour it down the drain or just leave it for the angels.

I can hear the Tom Lehrer song now: "Poisoning Angels in the Park." :cool:

[Enoch]

"Lead burns red and makes you dead."

An old saying when testing the amount of lead in moonshine. My grandfather used to test it by putting a small amount in a spoon and lighting it. If the flame was red it had too much lead.

Wonder if this works with decanter whiskey.

[nivto]

hmmm... so old 60's and 70's Old Fitz porcelain decanters? should those be included in the hazardous to your health list? I just got my hands on some '68 BiB that tastes fantastic, and I'd hate to be scared away from drinking it due to contamination...

by the way - thank you very much for taking the time and effort to find out about this and for sharing the results.

[StraightNoChaser]

Well damn my curiosity. Now I need to shell out for a Brita filter and another lab test.

I'd opt for an earth magnet before a filter

[ethangsmith]

I guess I should stop drinking out of all my old Michter's decanters. Maybe that's what making me more stupid.

[hectic1]

Eric is it possible to PDF the report that they gave you?

[tmckenzie]

When did lead solder go out of fashion? I would like to see a test of bottled bourbon from the same era. I do know solder is used in distilleries.

[sutton]

When did lead solder go out of fashion? I would like to see a test of bottled bourbon from the same era. I do know solder is used in distilleries.

[Enoch]

I don't believe the issue is lead solder, but rather lead flux that was used in glazing of ceramics (like decanters). I think the use of lead flux for glazing ended in the 70's, but I don't know for sure - perhaps earlier. I'll do some looking.

The transition from lead solders to lead-free I believe is still occurring, but that began much later (at least in the surface-mount technology industry) - it began sometime in the mid- to late-90's if I remember correctly, and the EU has requirements on when you needed to be lead-free (don't remember specifics).

[Special Reserve]

OF BiB ca. 1988 and WLW 117.9.

Very favorable comparison with WLW being a little fuller and hotter with the OF BiB being sweeter.

Both are fantastic!

[macdeffe]

Very informative thread. I studied chemistry as well, so I find these details interesting

Luckily ?! I never really been drinking whisky from decanter's

How would you reckon the lead to be damaging in these amounts?

Also given the fact that you aren't consuming this probably, but more likely to be sampling it ?

Steffen

[sutton]

How would you reckon the lead to be damaging in these amounts?

Also given the fact that you aren't consuming this probably, but more likely to be sampling it ?

Steffen

I've been doing some reading about this on the 'net - there is some conflicting information, but from what I read it seems that lead is not good in any quantity - the body has a tough time getting rid of it. It seems that chronic exposure is probably worse than a one-time exposure, as lead accumulates in the soft tissue and bones, which acts as a sort of reservoir to replenish lead levels in the blood stream.

The body does get rid of it when in the bloodstream, again, some conflicting info, but it seems that the half-life is somewhere between 25 and 40 days. Then again, other information said that the body can't really rid itself of lead ...

I'm sure the levels are variable as well in each decanter - some probably have low levels, others probably higher than the one tested here.

[sutton]

Here's some additional information from the Mass. State Labor and Workforce Development web-site:

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=elwdterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Workers+and+Unions&L2=Licensing+and+Certification&L3=Occupational+Lead+Poisoning+Registry&sid=Elwd&b=terminalcontent&f=dos_leaddocs_lead_healthhaz&csid=Elwd

What Happens to Lead in the Body?

Once lead gets into the body, it is not used in any way to benefit the body. It is absorbed and distributed throughout the body. The amount the body absorbs depends on the route of exposure. In general, an adult will absorb 10-15% of the lead in the digestive system, while children and pregnant women can absorb up to 50%. People will absorb more lead if they are fasting or if their diet is lacking in iron or calcium.

When lead is inhaled, about 30%-50% of the particles will reach the lungs, depending on the size of the particle. Large particles land in the upper respiratory tract, where they get trapped by the mucous lining and moved out by hair-like objects (called cilia). Unfortunately, the mucous is often swallowed, allowing these large particles to then go into the digestive system.

Smaller particles can reach deeper in the lungs and from there be absorbed into the bloodstream. This means that when there is burning or welding on lead-painted surfaces, the lead fumes can be especially dangerous. The small particles created as a fume will reach the blood if they are inhaled.

Once lead is in the blood, some of it moves into soft tissues (organs such as the brain and kidneys). The total amount of lead that is stored in the body is called the "body burden". In adults, bones and teeth contain about 95% of the body burden. Lead that is stored in the bones can leave them and enter the blood and then the soft tissue. This can damage the organs or the blood's ability to make red blood cells. This trend may increase during pregnancy, breast-feeding and osteoporosis (the process of weakening of the skeleton in old age). It can also happen when lead is removed from the blood through medical treatment (called chelation).

How Long Does Lead Stay in the Body?

Lead stays in the body for different periods of time, depending on where it is. Half of the lead in the blood will be excreted in 25 days (this is called the "half-life"). In soft tissues, it takes 40 days for half of the lead to be excreted. In bones and teeth it takes much longer, up to 10 years or longer.

Since lead is stored in the body, a person can get poisoned from exposure to just small amounts of lead over a long period of time (called chronic exposure). You do not need to get exposed to just large doses of lead to be poisoned (called acute exposure). It can take months or years for the body to get rid of lead. A person will continue to be exposed to lead internally even after the actual exposure to lead stops

[AaronWF]

Well, ignorance is bliss eh? I have a few Beam decanters from the late 60's through the 70's... I suppose that they are not safe to drink if I'm convinced that taking 1000 times the acceptable limit of lead is bad for me. Then again, just about everything we ingest on a daily basis has something in it that's bad for you. Is lead worse? Clearly, there are plenty of people on this board who've downed much more lead-tainted bourbon than I have, and you all are still kicking.

Thanks, wrip, for your reporting. Or should I say damn you! :grin:

Any MDs that could chime in on this subject would be most appreciated!

[Enoch]

My question: I stopped in a small liquor store a couple of months ago and they had a bunch of Evan Williams Commemorative Earthstone Jugs cheap ($10). I bought several thinking at least they could be used as gifts. Now I wonder if they are safe. Don't really want to do my family in!