Lead Crystal precautions

[Frederick Blais]

You probably all know that lead from crystal container gets disolve from alcool content they receive. As history proves, lead is pretty toxic for humans and many died from lead intoxication over time. Do you guys have any tricks to remove most of the free lead and prepare the decanter for it better use which is aerating wine/port/scotch and not intoxicating us

I think nowadays most glasses are produced from unleaded crystal, is it true for decanter too?

[Peter W. Meek]

Since it is acidic foods and drinks that seem to extract lead from leaded glazes and glasses/crystal, I would assume that something acid would do it. Vinegar, maybe? Or would you need something stronger? Would anything strong enough have a tendency to etch the glass and make it cloudy-looking?

The other thing is - does it do the job permanently, or does lead migrate through the material over time, replenishing the available lead?

The Wiki article on Lead Glass seems to indicate that there is some permanent effect, but isn't saying that the effect is totally permanent. (Safety is discussed at the end of the article.) The article also says that lead crystal is rare these days, so possibly only an antique decanter would be a problem.

Finally, lead in diet is at its worst and nastiest in infants and young children where it interferes with brain development and ultimately makes them grow up less intelligent that they would otherwise. Not many infants drinking port, although it might be a problem for pregnant or nursing mothers.

And finally-finally, it's a Wiki article. As a recent Facebook meme says:

"The trouble with internet quotes is that you cannot be sure they are accurate." {Abraham Lincoln}

[John F. Newman]

It appears that the concern is for long term storage of port and other drinks in a lead decanter. Over time leaching occurs, but if you are decanting for a couple of hours, it seems safe. Below is an internet article from an authoritative sounding website called "the nibble" , that notes port in a crystal dencanter over 2 days contained 89 micrograms of lead per liter. Storage in the decanter over several months increased the lead leaching astronomically.

To put everything in perspective, the EPA’s lead standard for drinking water is 50 micrograms per liter.

A liter is just over 33 US ounces. (Most bottles of port are 750 ml)

You hopefully drink much more water than port during the day, and your port consumption is probably one or two 5 oz. glasses and not usually from a crystal decanter. The amount of leaching that occurs from decanting, combined with your personal consumption, is probably much less lead than you are getting on a daily basis from other sources (not to mention the other toxins and carcinogens we all unwittingly introduce into our boies from a myriad of sources throughout our daily lives).

So, I think it is relatively safe to decant port in a crystal decant, just don't store it in the decanter.

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/w ... rystal.asp

I found several sites that reiterated the above info and numbers, based on a North Carolina State University study.

[Jeff G.]

Feredrick I'll have you know that if you plan on drinking any sort of fancy older port, you're in essence getting more lead then you would storing it temporarily in a lead crystal decanter.

case in point the Scion has 208 ppb worth of lead (higher than legal limits in most civilized countries) 208mg per liter

[Moses Botbol]

I'm not so worried about lead getting into port or wine for the 12 or less hours it will be in a decanter. Uranium crystal decanter anyone?

[Eric Menchen]

Brass typically contains lead, even "lead free" brass which might not be truly lead-free, but meets a government standard that allows a surprising amount of lead. At the US federal level, "lead free" has meant not more than 8% lead. Some states have passed tighter restrictions, and it appears a new national standard goes into affect next January. From http://www.plumbingsupply.com/brass-leadfree.html:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the amount of lead in drinking water under guidelines established in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (passed in 1974; amended in 1988 and 1996). This Act defines "lead-free" as not more than 8% lead in pipes and fixture fittings. PLEASE NOTE: Use of the term "lead-free" varies between the new legislation in CA (AB 1953), LA ( Act No. 362), MD (HB 372), and VT (S.152), and in the current Federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. In the new legislation for CA, LA, MD and VT only (as of Jan 2013), it will mean 0.25% or less (weighted average). Similar national legislation is scheduled to go into effect Jan 2014.

Now water doesn't leach that much out of pipes, which is why it is even allowed at all, but it can leach more than zero, which is why there are those ppb standards mentioned. Acids can cause more leaching, so beer and brass fittings and wine and lead crystal can be a problem.

For beer production, I prefer everything to be stainless, but once in a while I've only found what I need immediately in brass, so I pickle it to remove the surface lead. From http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixB.html:

Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 5 minutes or less at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green and the brass darkens, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve, exposing more lead. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.

I wonder if you can use a similar process to remove the surface lead from crystal. As suggested earlier in this thread, it is probably possible, but it might also etch the crystal. Hmmm ...

[Eric Menchen]

Just FYI. Brass before pickling:


And after:

[Eric Ifune]

My parents had a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XVI Cognac in a Baccarat crystal decanter. It now belongs to me and is at least 30 years old. Beautiful bottle but I am very hesitent to drink it, and I love good Cognac. Guessing it has many micrograms of lead.

[John F. Newman]

My parents had a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XVI Cognac in a Baccarat crystal decanter. It now belongs to me and is at least 30 years old. Beautiful bottle but I am very hesitent to drink it, and I love good Cognac. Guessing it has many micrograms of lead.

Perhaps at this point the lead is leaching back into the decanter...

[Frederick Blais]

Many interestings answers, I'll take the time to read them, thanks!

[Luc Gauthier]

"The trouble with internet quotes is that you cannot be sure they are accurate." {Abraham Lincoln}
Honest Abe hit the nail right on the head .

[Paul_B]

Fred,
if you die from the lead in your port from your crystal Port class, that decanted in your crystal decanter... there certainly worst ways to die. Means you had lots of port, or your crystal is of very very superior quality....

cheers
Paul

[Derek T.]

If you are in the habit of drinking gallons of Port every day that has been sitting in lead crystal decanters for a significant period of time you might die of lead poisoning before liver failure or a heart attack.

But 99.9999999% of us are more likely to suffer ill effects from an excess of Port (or steak, or cream, or butter, or beer...) than we are of an excess of lead, regardless of which decanters we use.

Relax. Decant. Drink. Enjoy.