We often get asked whether or not Wissmach Glass is food-safe. Food safety in glass pertains to whether the metals that make the glass color are harmful if they leach from the glass into food at levels deemed unsafe by the FDA. The two metals we are most concerned about when discussing food safety in glass art are lead and cadmium. The good news is no 96 COE glass colors currently in the Wissmach catalog contain lead, and only a select few contain cadmium. Below are the styles that contain cadmium.
| Glass Style Code | Glass Color Name |
|---|---|
| 96-40 | Orange/Red |
| 96-41 | Dark Red |
| 96-42 | Orange |
| 96-51 | Orange/Red Transparent |
| 96-52 | Dark Red Transparent |
| 96-59 | Yellow Transparent |
| 96-64 | Crystal with Streaks of 96-52 |
A simple solution to working with glass styles that contain cadmium is to cap the color with clear glass. Clear capping creates a barrier to help prevent leaching. Use the clear capped side of your project as the food serving surface.
It is important to note that even though these styles contain cadmium, they may or may not leach at harmful levels. Wissmach Glass makes no guarantee of food safety for our glass. We recommend contacting a local chemistry lab to perform a test if you are concerned about the levels of cadmium in our glass styles. The lab can perform a Standard Test Method For Lead And Cadmium Extracted From Glaze Ceramic Surfaces for a low fee.
We hope this helps to clear up any questions you may have had regarding food safety and Wissmach Glass.
-Drew Kail, Wissmach Kiln Consultant
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