Which glass measuring cups are free from lead in the paint and design? After testing glass baby bottles and discovering so many issues with lead, we decided to follow up with XRF testing of glass measuring cups. What are the brands that we recommend? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest salt from heavy metals & microplastics, safest cookware sans PFAS “forever chemicals,” and safest baking sheets, cookie sheets, & sheet pans, now join us for another consumer study on glass measuring cups tested for the presence of lead.
Disclosure: Mamavation is reporting on testing done by Eric Ritter from DetectLead.com. We did not commission this testing ourselves. Note that Eric Ritter has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that have not been tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. Affiliate links from this post are mostly to Amazon where Mamavation earns a small portion of that sale. Mamavation uses affiliate revenue and ad revenue from Mamavation.com to pay for testing and fund other consumer investigations in the future. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you for supporting Mamavation! This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN.
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Lead Found in the Print of Glass Measuring Cups Sold on Amazon
Mamavation partnered with Eric Ritter, a lead-poisoning prevention advocate certified to perform XRF technology analysis & Founder of Detectlead.com, to analyze and evaluate glass measuring cups available on Amazon.
Eric Ritter analyzed 7 different brands of measuring cups made from glass with an X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer to ascertain whether they contained lead. XRF is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the heavy metal composition of materials, such as glass measuring cups. This machine determines the chemistry of a glass measuring cup by measuring the fluorescent (or secondary) X-ray emitted from the glass measuring cup when it is excited by a primary X-ray source. Mamavation has done our best to share with you what Eric Ritter found so that if you are concerned about potentially toxic metals located in the print of your glass measuring cups, you’ll be able to make an educated decision when shopping.
Here’s the main findings from this study:
- 29% of glass measuring cups had detectable lead in the print or design via XRF analyzer technology. That’s 2 detections out of 7 glass measuring cups.
- 100% of glass measuring cups with detectable lead in the print or design via XRF analyzer technology was above 3,000 ppm.
- Ranges of lead found on baby bottles were from 3,782 ppm to 4,946 ppm.
- Amounts varied when different parts of the glass measuring cups were tested.
- None of the lead was seen to come off on hands as measured by chemical ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection). Later the measuring cups were washed in a hot dishwasher and were still not seen to come off on hands.
Below you can see some of the video that was taken when Eric Ritter did his testing and evaluation of glass measuring cups.
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Lead Was Not Found to Rub Off on Hands From Leaded Print in Glass Measuring Cups
One of the most concerning parts of our baby bottle investigation was when Eric Ritter tested his hands using chemical ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) after handling the baby bottles and was able to prove that some of the bottles were easily transferring lead to human skin. This would be very problematic if this was happening to a child because of the exposure to lead from dermal contact and if that child (or the caretaker) put their hands into their mouth later. However, this is NOT happening with the glass measuring cups that we tested in this consumer study. Eric later put those same glass measuring cups into the dishwasher & washed them twice and tested them again with his chemical ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV lead detection) to see if lead would come off on his hands and they did not.
Eric of DetectLead.com explained, “No measuring cups released lead from the print onto human skin in amounts detectable using ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection). This was not the case for baby bottles, so it seems as if the paint used by most prominent glass measuring cup companies is far superior to the print used for glass baby bottle companies.”
Ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) is a newer method of detecting lead on-the-go. In a recent study testing this method for lead detection, researchers found no false positives or false negatives in the detection of lead. The method requires spraying the material of interest with methylammonium bromide and observing whether photoluminesence occurs under UV light to indicate the presence of lead. According to the study, “The method detects as little as 1.0 ng/mm2 of lead by the naked eye and 50 pg/mm2 using a digital photo camera.” This is similar to the method to how Eric was able to ascertain whether any glass measuring cups were transferring lead to his hands.
Health Impacts of Lead for Children
Pediatricians agree that lead presents a dangerous exposure for children because of the many permanent problematic health outcomes according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Here are some of the health outcomes that are linked to lead exposure in children:
- Lower IQ scores
- Underperformance in school
- Developmental delays
- Behavioral issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Hearing and speech problems
Dr. Phillip Landrigan, Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, has been warning patients about lead since the 1970’s. He says, “The problem is no level of lead is safe. Even low levels, especially if those low levels continue over many months, is going to cause some degree of brain damage at least to some of the children who are exposed.” This does not mean ALL children will have this outcome, but some children absolutely will according to his research.
Even when exposure has stopped, some children (not necessarily all) will have permanent issues. Some studies have found chelation is a way doctors can lower the amount of lead within a child, however, these chelation practices have not been linked to better behavioral outcomes. It’s better to have not been exposed.
Other Categories of Products Mamavation Has Tested for Indications of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” & Other Contaminants
Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” & other contaminants inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.
- Salt
- Soft Contact Lenses
- Green Beauty Makeup
- Lip Balm
- Deodorants
- Condoms & Lubricants
- Dental Floss
- Toilet Paper
- Period Underwear
- Tampons
- Sanitary Pads, Pantiliners, & Incontinence Pads
- Powdered Electrolytes
- Butter Wrappers
- Pasta & Tomato Sauces
- Nut Butters (Peanut butter, etc.)
- Cooking Oils (olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, etc)
- Ketchup
- Activewear (Yoga Pants)
- Sports Bras
- Parchment Paper
- Cupcake Liners
- Plastic-Free Straws
- Sandwich Bags (plastic & “sustainable”)
- Fast Food Packaging
- Children’s Probiotics
- Kids’ Backpacks
- Baby Strollers
Mamavation’s Investigation of Glass Measuring Cups
To recap, Mamavation is reporting on an investigation done by Eric Ritter from DetectLead.com whereas he analyzed 7 glass measuring cups with an XRF analyzer to ascertain if lead was detectable on the products.
Eric also used his ultraviolet perovskite detection (UV Lead Detection) testing technology to ascertain whether lead was transferring onto human hands during the handling of these glass measuring cups. This new testing method is now available for purchase by any parent who would like to test their home, school, dinnerware, paint, or any other item that may be presenting dangerous levels of lead into the environment. This chemical testing method uses a proprietary chemical spray and black light to determine whether lead is present. The blacklight makes lead above 500 ppm glow green. We recommend after spraying this spray, you wash it off dinnerware or things that may be touched by children.
Eric Ritter also manufactures a rapid lead test kit with 30 swabs for about $17 that is superior to anything that comes from China. (In fact, the Chinese lead test manufacturers copied his product and are using inferior materials that may cause you to have false positives when you test certain materials for lead. Do you remember that viral video where that mom found her Stanley had “lead” because of the defective chemical swabs she was using? They were very likely from those same Chinese lead test manufacturers.)
Not Our Favorite Glass Measuring Cups
These products were tested by an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and determined to have detectable lead present in different parts of the print on the measuring cup. No detectable lead transferred unto hands and was checked with Fluoro Spec Instant Lead Test from Detectlead.com, so we do not see this as a potential health issue. However, it’s unknown what would happen if was washed several times inside a hot dishwasher. Could the dishwasher break down the print over time and exposure you? We are unsure and were not able to study that situation and present it here. Therefore, we put these brands and products in this category just in case.
- M MCIRCO 6 Piece Glass Measuring Cups with Lids — 4,946 ppb lead, 2nd 4,285 ppb lead
- SAPHALTON Heat Resistant Glass Measuring Cup — 3,782 ppm lead, 2nd test 3,900 ppm lead, & 3rd test 4,658 ppm lead
Better Glass Measuring Cups
This category does not have any products.
Best Glass Measuring Cups
These products were tested by an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer at least 3x and determined to not have any detectable lead in the print and paint.
- Amazon Commercial Glass Measuring Cup — non-detect lead
- Anchor Hocking Glass Measuring Cups — non-detect lead
- Le’raze Set of 3 Glass Measuring Cups — non-detect lead
- OXO Good Grips Glass Measuring Cup — non-detect lead
- Pyrex 2 Piece Glass Measuring Cups — non-detect lead (however, older versions of Pyrex have been found with high amounts of lead so it may be a good idea to get a new Pyrex if you have older versions.)
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We hope that manufacturers spend a lot of time researching and testing to improve product quality, especially in terms of safety. Children are the future of the country and should be given the best
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These companies must be held accountable for the damage they cause to the health of our children and families! We must hold them accountable and ensure the safety of their products! I can’t believe that these products can pass such IQ tests!
This does not mean ALL children will have this outcome, but some children absolutely will according to his research.
This is very interesting… I have two older Pyrex glass measuring cups that had red painted markings on them. But the markings have largely washed away. I stopped using them a while back, after I learned about the lead concerns. It’s interesting to me that you tested to see if the lead would come off. But it’s also interesting that the markings on mine have almost entirely washed off (repeated washings over the years) and, given that the lead is in the paint, it apparently must come off over time. I guess the question is whether it just washes out into the waste water…. Of course, it would be better if they stopped using lead paint…
Has anyone tested the encoating on aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen and similar products for plastics or PFAS Forever chemicals?
What do you mean by “old” pyrex. Like what year is considered old?
I have the same question. What about pyrex dishes with paint on the outside? We have so many of these, and my dog uses them as food bowls.
Wondering this too. Thank you Leah