Don't choose 'glaze color' for ceramic tableware

 The glaze color ceramic is made of pigment paper on the glaze surface or directly painted on the surface of the product, and then baked at low temperature. Since the baking temperature does not reach the degree of melting of the glaze layer, the flower surface cannot be sunken. In the glaze, the glaze-colored ceramics are touched by hand, and the flower surface has a distinct concave and convex feeling.

 Ceramic tableware has various shapes, delicate and smooth, bright colors and easy to clean, but the glaze on the ceramic surface may become a healthy killer. Lead, mercury, radium, cadmium, etc. in the colored glaze are all harmful elements to the human body.

 The manufacturing methods of ceramic tableware are divided into three types: glaze color, glaze color and underglaze color. The glaze color ceramic is made of pigment paper on the glaze surface or directly painted on the surface of the product, and then baked at low temperature. Since the baking temperature does not reach the degree of melting of the glaze layer, the flower surface cannot be sunken. In the glaze, the glaze-colored ceramics are touched by hand, and the flower surface has a distinct concave and convex feeling. The baking temperature of the glazed ceramics can melt the glaze, the pigment can sink into the glaze, and after being cooled, it is covered by the glaze layer, the surface of the product is smooth, and the hand touch has no obvious unevenness. All the underglaze color ceramics are made on the porcelain slab. After glazing, it is fired once at a high temperature. The flower surface is covered with glaze layer, which looks bright, flat and smooth.

 Harmful metals are mainly derived from glaze pigments. Radioactive elemental radium can kill white blood cells; cadmium, lead and mercury are heavy metals, cadmium and lead can cause liver or other visceral poisoning, and mercury can cause liver and kidney hardening. Long-term use of glazed tableware for vinegar, wine, juice, vegetables and other foods with high organic acid content, lead and other heavy metals in the tableware will dissolve and enter the body with the food, long time will lead to chronic heavy metal poisoning. Therefore, ceramic tableware should not be glazed.

 Health tips

 1. Try to buy in a regular shopping mall, don't try to buy it at a small stall or a roadside trolley.

 2. Pay attention to whether the pattern color is bright when purchasing. If it is not bright, it may be that the baking temperature does not meet the requirements.

 3. If there are patterns on the ceramic tableware and the part of the refracted light is not the same, the feel of the two places is different, and the glaze can be scraped off with nails, which is likely to be an inferior product with heavy metals exceeding the standard.

 4. When economic conditions permit, try to choose safer lead-free glaze or white porcelain tableware.

 5. Buy back ceramic tableware, first boil for 5 minutes with boiling water, or soak for 2 to 3 hours with water containing 4% acetic acid (equivalent to ordinary vinegar), so that most of the toxic substances can be removed.

 6. Do not use ceramic tableware for long-term storage of acidic foods and beverages such as juice, wine and coffee. Because the longer the ceramic tableware holds the acidic food or beverage, the higher the temperature, the easier it is to dissolve the lead, which is equivalent to the toxic side effect of increasing lead dissolution.

 7. When purchasing ceramic tableware for microwave ovens, products with metal decoration should be avoided, such as ceramic products with gold rim, silver edge or with gold flower paper and wire mosaic pattern. Try not to heat it in the microwave.

 (Ni Zaiju)