LEAD LEACHING FROM GLASS TABLEWARE

the story of a Guideline from the Council of Europe

Massimo Denaro

Dept. of Environment and Primary Prevention

Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Roma - ITALIA

when the idea of a guideline on cristals was

born?it was a long time ago, that is in 1956, with the conclusion of the

Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health

the history of decisions • Resolution (51) 62 (2nd August 1951) - Partial Agreements

• Western European Union: transfer of the exercise of social and cultural activities to the Council of Europe

• Resolution (59) 23 - 16th November 1959 - Extension of the activities of the Council of Europe in the social and cultural fields

• Resolution (61) 40 (16th December 1961) - Cultural and scientific co-operation - transfer to the Council for Cultural Co-operation of the cultural activities listed in the Appendix to Resolution (59) 23

• Statutory Resolution (93) 28 (14 May 1993) - Partial and Enlarged Agreements

• Resolution (96) 34 (2nd October 1996) - Authorising the states concerned to revise the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field

• Resolution (96) 35 (2nd October 1996) - Revising the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field

• Resolution (96) 36 (17th October 1996) - Establishing the criteria for Partial and Enlarged Agreements of the Council of Europe

Protection of pub lic health

Rehabilitation and integration o f people w ith disabilities

Partial Agreement

the Partial Agreement includes two sectors:

Public Health C ommittee (S teering Committee)

Committee of experts on materials com ing into contact w ith food

Protection of pub lic health

within the Protection of Public Health there are two Committees

safety evaluation of food contact substances

recycled fibres

test conditions for paper and board

tissue papers

packag ing inks

coatings

cork

rubber

lead leaching from g lass

Ad hoc Groups of the Com m ittee of experts on:

the Committee of Experts is divided in several ad hoc groups

elaboration of guidelines

set out in Technical documents

approved by the Committee of Experts

adopted by the Public Health Committee

not to submitted to the Committee of Ministers

approval

what the Ad Hoc Group on lead from cristal was committed for

• requirements to be taken into account in the context of resolutions or...

• … models for the implementation of national policies

• provide practical guidance for the application of resolutions

• lay down technical and/or scientific specifications for the manufacture

• amendable, if necessary, to follow scientifical, technical, and manufacturing developments

what the guidelines are or do

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(a rationale of health risks)

1. lead may be absorbed orally (e.g. Pb contamined foodstuffs)

2. 214µg of lead per day, for a 60kg body weight is tolerable (from FAO/WHO)

3. Pb sources are industrial wastes, lead pipes for drinking water, lead soldered food cans, lead cristal table glassware

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up (what the the Council of Europe

recommends)• …• monitor and control of lead

migration from materials in contact with foods and beverages

• …

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 1)

Co-operative Study on the Release of Lead from cristalwareby Guadagnino1, Gramiccioni2, Denaro2, Baldini 2

1 - Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro

2 - Istituto Superiore di Sanità

issued onPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE 11, 45-57 (1998)

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 2)

•4% acetic acid•a whisky •a white wine •an acidic soft drink •22°C 2°C•contact times of 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 120, 180 mins

experimental test liquids, temperature and times

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 3)

• only 24% PbO crystal stemglasses

• 150 mL capacity

• exposed surface of 98 cm2/100 mL of liquid

• chemical composition

• hydrolitic resistance, according to DIN 12111

• extractable lead, according to ISO 7086

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 4)

1. migration trend : 1 mL of test liquid is drawn and analyzed at standard times, replaced by 1mL of fresh liquid

2. take-half-glass-and-fill : 50 mL of liquid are sampled at standard times; the glass is made up by 50 mL of fresh liquid

3. empty-and-fill-again : 100mL of liquid are drawn at standard times for analysis; the glass is filled again with 100 mL of fresh liquid

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 5)

chemical composition : SiO2 61%, Fe2O3 0.009%, BaO 0.76%, ZnO 1.6%, PbO2 25%, Na2O 4%, K2O 7%, Sb2O3 0.24%

hydrolytic resistance (DIN 12111) : 60-65 µg/L of Na2O

extractable lead test (ISO 7086) : 290 µg of Pb/L

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 6)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

time (minutes)

µg

of

lea

d/1

00

mL

of

be

ve

rag

e

wine cola

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - 7)

pH

glass aging

inner surface aging

glass hydrolitic resistance

manufacturing process

alcohol concentration

parameters influencing on migration besides time and temperature

how the guidelines on lead cristal were born and grew

up(the scientific basis - CONCLUSIONS)

1. a regular daily use of crystalware is quite uncommon. Thus, the risk assessment lead to lower the concern on crystalware

2. the overall lead intake from table glassware contribution ranges from 4 to 7 % of PTWI*

3. crystal is a non critical source of dietary lead intake

* PTWI = Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake

what the guidelines on lead crystal finally is

COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S POLICY STATEMENTSCONCERNING MATERIALS AND ARTICLES

INTENDED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH FOODSTUFFS 

COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON MATERIALS COMING INTO CONTACTWITH FOOD

 42nd session

Strasbourg, 2 – 5 December 2003 

  

GUIDELINES ON LEAD LEACHING FROM GLASS TABLEWARE INTO FOODSTUFFS

(Draft version)Document prepared by the ad hoc Group on lead leaching

(27.06.2003)

what the guidelines on lead crystal finally says (1)

 

[...] 

Field of application 2.1. These Guidelines apply to glass tableware made from lead-bearing glass. The commercial lead bearing glass has a PbO content ranging from 6% up to 32% w/w.  2.2. They do not take into consideration the release of cadmium because the presence of cadmium in lead-bearing glass is exclusively due to the minimum presence of impurities in the raw materials. The concentration of cadmium in glass and therefore its migration is considered negligible. 2.3. They do not apply to ceramics, glass-ceramic ware, either decorated or undecorated, and to decorated glassware.

what the guidelines on lead crystal finally says (2)

 

[...] 

Field of application 2.1. These Guidelines apply to glass tableware made from lead-bearing glass. The commercial lead bearing glass has a PbO content ranging from 6% up to 32% w/w.  2.2. They do not take into consideration the release of cadmium because the presence of cadmium in lead-bearing glass is exclusively due to the minimum presence of impurities in the raw materials. The concentration of cadmium in glass and therefore its migration is considered negligible. 2.3. They do not apply to ceramics, glass-ceramic ware, either decorated or undecorated, and to decorated glassware.