Does Your Vintage Whiskey Glass Contain Dangerous Chemicals?

Don’t use vintage glassware if it’s chipped or damaged. Lead glassware, whether painted or leaded crystal, is even more likely to leach if it’s chipped, cracked or otherwise degraded.

Don’t store anything in vintage glassware longterm. Storing food or liquids in glass containing lead, whether glazed or leaded crystal, will lead to lead leaching into whatever is being stored, with the amount of lead leached increasing over time.

Don’t heat vintage glassware. Similar to the no-dishwasher rule, heating vintage glassware can also cause a breakdown that increases the likelihood of lead leaching.

Don’t put anything acidic in vintage glassware. Foods and drinks that are high in acid, such as coffee or orange juice (oops), will leach lead out of your glassware a lot more quickly than non-acidic alternatives and should be avoided.

If you use vintage glassware, use it sparingly

The safest bet is to not use vintage glassware at all, but if you’re reading this article, it’s probably because you have some vintage glassware that you enjoy using. And while lead poisoning is not healthy at any age, if you’re an otherwise healthy adult who isn’t pregnant or nursing, using vintage glassware every now and then is not going to kill you.

As long as you follow the rules that I’ve laid out above, and you keep all lead-containing vintage glassware away from children, your risks of being poisoned by leaded crystal are fairly small, according to the California Department of Public Health, which states, “occasional use of leaded crystal will not expose you to large amounts of lead, unless liquids have been stored in a leaded crystal container.”