"woodworker88" wrote in message
oups.com...
Lead is only an issue if the dust is inhaled or ingested. So unless
you are planning to be machining the pewter, you should be fine.


One other issue I can think of are food containers (e.g., coffee cups,
plates, bowls, etc.) with lead-based glazes. The lead can leach out,
particularly when the item in question contains acidic foods (like tomato
sauce). While I doubt any US manufacturer of kitchen products uses leaded
glazes, I'm not so sure about foreign manufacturers (and it seems these days
that virtually ALL consumer products are now made overseas or in Mexico). I
would have thought that the FTC would prohibit the entry of lead-glazed
products, but apparently such is not the case: in a store the other day, I
saw a sign near some glazed kitchenware that stated "Products marked with a
[yellow triangle symbol, IIRC] contain lead."

The other item that gets the (now ubiquitous) "State of California has
determined that the following may cause cancer..." warning is leaded crystal
(e.g., decanters). Does anyone know how much lead can leach out of leaded
crystal into, say, red wine (which is fairly acidic)?

Or is all this simply more junk science perpetrated by the fear mongers (and
class action lawyers)?

- Michael