Dear kindly reddit historians.... I love collecting very old teacups. I’ll hunt thrift shops and garage sales and flea markets and I have very specific ideas as to what makes a cup perfect for me but I’ve become worried. These cups that I’ve collected can be very very old and I’m worried about the paint and lacquer used on them. I only take them out on special occasions when I really want to just zen out and relax but I think about old items that were kind of famous for having deadly ingredients in them, like lead in cosmetics and radioactive coating on clocks.
Is there an actual danger in these cups that I do enjoy? I don’t know where any of them come from, I just pick cups that are very fine, with no chips or cracks, that are big enough to hold a decent cup of tea. Are any old cups known for having dangerous chemicals or ingredients in their paints?
Any info is greatly appreciated. I don’t want to stop my collecting because it brings me joy but don’t want to continue to accrue items if I can’t use them and enjoy them. I’m not one for collecting something just to look at it. I love useful collectibles.
Older bone china and porcelain often used lead glaze and lead paint for decoration. Acidic liquids, such as tea, can cause lead to leach out of glaze and paint more quickly. The Australian Environmental Agency has guidance about lead glazed items here.
20th Century ceramic mugs (Fiestaware is the most infamous) made in the US between the 1930s and 1970s, particularly those with red, yellow, green and brown glazes, were often made with uranium oxide. Acidic food or drink causes the uranium to leach out and result in some radioactive exposure. The Oak Ridge Associated Universities have an in depth discussion of the use and potential hazards of the glaze here.
Short version, they won't kill you but you may want to enjoy the cups from the safety of a shelf or china hutch rather than by drinking from them.
For those interested in the types of radioactive US consumer products that used to be made, and may still be knocking around thrift and antique stores, the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Museum has an interesting list. The Museum also has marvelous information on other radioactive items and ways radioactivity has been used in US consumer culture such as the "Atomic Energy Lab" kit for the kid nuclear scientist and radioactive "cures" here.