Is lead-free crystal safer than lead crystal for wine glasses/decanters?!
Is lead-free crystal safer than lead crystal for wine glasses/decanters?
Is "lead-free crystal" just ordinary glass, or is it crystal with another heavy metal substituted for lead? I saw an advertisement for "barium crystal" wine glasses. Is barium safer than lead for this purpose?
Answers:
Technically, crystal would be just glass without lead. Barium are used in many enamal products and probably safer than lead.
But frankly, unless you are storing the liquid in the lead crystal decanter for extended period of time, the amount of lead released would be minute. Many prestigous cognac merchant still uses lead crystal for their high end products although some are now lining the inside with glass.
My bet is that the consumption of deep water fish like tuna would probably yield more heavy metal such as lead than the use of lead crystal as glassware.