Everything about Lead Crystal totally explained
Lead crystal, (also called
crystal), is
lead glass that has been hand or machine cut with facets.
Lead oxide added to the molten glass gives lead crystal a much higher
index of refraction than normal glass, and consequently much greater "sparkle". The presence of lead also makes the glass softer and easier to cut. Crystal can consist of up to 35% lead, at which point it has the most sparkle. The higher lead content also makes it much more difficult to form crystal during manufacturing.
Makers of lead crystal objects include
Baccarat and J.G.Durand (
Arc International) in
France,
Royal Leerdam Crystal of the
Netherlands,
Steuben Glass in the
United States,
Waterford Crystal in
Ireland,
Mikasa in
Japan,
Swarovski in
Austria,
Preciosa in
Czech Republic and
Rogaška Crystal
in
Slovenia.
Lead crystal and food safety
It has been proposed that the historic association of
gout with the upper classes in Europe and America was, in part, caused by their extensive use of lead crystal decanters to store
fortified wines and
whisky. Lin, et al. have statistical evidence linking gout to
lead poisoning
Significant amounts of lead can migrate from lead crystal containers into beverages stored in them. Lead crystal typically contains 24–35 percent lead oxide. In a study performed at
North Carolina State University, the amount of lead migration was measured for port wine stored in lead crystal decanters. After two days, lead levels were 89 µg/L (micrograms per liter). After four months, lead levels were between 2,000 and 5,000 µg/L. White wine doubled its lead content within an hour of storage and tripled it within four hours. Some brandy stored in lead crystal for over five years had lead levels around 20,000 µg/L. To put this into perspective, EPA's lead standard for drinking water is 15 µg/L = 15ppb. Citrus juices and infant formula leach lead from crystal just as effectively as alcoholic beverages. Several companies do make lead crystal baby bottles and it's suspected they may present a health danger to infants.
Further Information
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