Does your drink pitcher contain lead?

In a stand against plastic, many families are choosing other materials for their dishes, including drink pitchers. That’s a good thing, but one thing to be aware of is that a questionable drink pitcher may contain lead. If said pitcher does contain lead it’s directly in contact with your beverages – not cool.

All in all many pitchers are perfectly safe. For example, you can consider ceramic pitchers safe if they’ve been sealed properly. The problem is that it’s hard to tell if handmade pitchers are sealed correctly so it’s smarter to go with a company made product. It’s not a sure thing, but pitchers from a well-known company are more likely to be made well.

In the 80s, the FDA placed limits on lead in dishes so going newer is a smart choice. This is one of those times where buying from a thrift store may not be a good idea because you’ve got almost no way of knowing how old a pitcher is. No matter what, you can easily make sure your ceramic pitcher is safe by checking with the manufacturing company or running a quick home lead test.

You can also choose glass just make sure you buy from a lead-free company. Older glassware can contain lead and shouldn’t be used to drink from, especially if you’re pregnant or young.

A colder choice is stainless steel. This type of pitcher is lead-free and won’t leech chemicals or odd flavors into your beverage but will be icy to the touch. However, if you can deal with the cold, it’s a super safe choice. Some ideas below…

[image via amazon]