The safety of children using ceramic tableware

There are various safety hazards when children use ceramic tableware. However, through reasonable selection and correct use, the risks can be reduced. The following is a specific analysis:

Potential safety hazards

Fragility: Ceramic tableware is heavy and prone to cracking. When children use it, it is easy to break due to accidental drops or collisions, resulting in scratches and other accidental injuries. Moreover, after being dropped and beaten many times, the porcelain is prone to fall off and may be accidentally eaten by children.

Heavy metal migration: Ceramic tableware is bright in color after glazing, but the colored glaze may contain heavy metal elements such as lead, mercury and cadmium. The brighter the color of the ceramic is, the more likely it is to contain compounds such as lead and cadmium. If the production process is poor or the food is used improperly, such as when acidic foods (fruit products, vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) are stored for a long time, heavy metals may dissolve out and contaminate the food. Children who consume contaminated food for a long time are prone to poisoning of the liver or other internal organs, leading to hardening of the liver and kidneys. After lead enters the human body, it can directly damage brain cells, especially the nervous system of the fetus, causing congenital mental retardation in the fetus and posing risks of cancer and mutagenicity. The symptoms of cadmium poisoning mainly include arteriosclerosis, renal atrophy, nephritis, etc. It can also cause cancer and teratogenicity.

Thermal shock resistance: Thermal shock resistance indicates the ability of a ceramic sample to withstand sudden changes in external temperature without developing cracks or breaking. During the use of daily-use ceramic tableware, it mostly comes into contact with heated food. Products with substandard thermal shock resistance are prone to cracking or damage under the effect of thermal shock, which can cause harm to the human body.

Microwave oven adaptability: Daily-use ceramic products have a certain degree of water absorption. During cleaning, the product body will absorb water. During the use of the microwave oven, the vaporization of water may cause the product to crack or break, resulting in injury to the user.

Purchasing suggestions

Choose regular products: Try to purchase ceramic tableware from regular stores. Check if there are instructions and product qualification certificates, etc., and whether they indicate the product name, material, execution standard, name, address and contact information of the manufacturer, etc., to avoid buying "three-no" products.

Pay attention to the craftsmanship and color: Try to choose products with relatively light colors or those processed by underglaze painting techniques. Tableware made with overglaze painting has the colored materials directly exposed on the surface, which may pose a risk of heavy metal leaching. Tableware made by underglaze painting technique has the colored materials sealed in layers, which do not come into direct contact with food. Moreover, it is fired at high temperatures, making it less likely to breed bacteria and thus safer. When touching the patterns, the inner walls of the underglaze painted tableware are smooth, and the edges of the patterns have no obvious boundaries. The overglaze paint feels rather rough, like the texture of a sticker. When scraping the glaze surface, the glaze surface of underglaze paint is hard and not easy to scratch, while inferior overglaze paint may damage the pattern with just a casual scrape. From the perspective of safety, pure white ceramics are the safest, followed by underglaze colors, then mid-glaze colors, and the least safe are overglaze colors.

Check the appearance of the product: Choose ceramic tableware products with a regular shape, bright glaze surface, no odor, cracks, notches or missing patterns. When it comes to ceramic tableware for children, it is advisable to choose lighter products as much as possible to avoid scratches caused by children's weak strength when they drop and break during use.

Check the usage label: For ceramic tableware that may be used in microwave ovens, ovens or dishwashers, choose products marked with the words "Suitable for microwave ovens, ovens or dishwashers". Ceramic tableware products marked for decoration cannot be used to hold food, as the migration of heavy metals in such products may not meet the limit requirements of relevant food safety standards.

Precautions for Use

Pre-treatment before use: Before using newly purchased ceramic children's tableware for babies, it can be soaked in vinegar first to dissolve most of the lead. After purchase, you can also boil the tableware in boiling water (or add a few drops of vinegar) first before use, which has the effect of sterilization and disinfection.

Avoid holding specific foods: Do not use colored ceramic tableware to hold acidic foods to prevent heavy metals from "leaching out". Ceramic tableware should not be used to hold salt, soy sauce, vinegar, vegetable soup and other foods for a long time. These foods generally contain a large amount of electrolytes. If they are kept in contact for a long time, the lead, cadmium and other substances in the tableware may have an electrochemical reaction with the electrolytes, causing heavy metal elements to dissolve and contaminate the food.

Replace damaged tableware in time: Ceramic tableware may develop cracks after long-term use, especially children's tableware. If any are found, they should be dealt with immediately. Because the strength of this type of product is relatively low, it may break when holding food, causing harm to children