Lead released by handmade gazed food wares ceramic

Abstract

Handmade glazed food ceramic wares are commonly used in the State of Pernambuco in the Northeast of Brazil, especially in typical restaurants. The major producer of this food ceramic wares is the City of Caruaru and the material employed in the glazing process is lead oxide known as zarcao justifying the concern about the lead release and consequently food contamination. On the other hand, studies carried out revealed that these kinds of ceramic when essayed according the Standard ASTM 738-76, release a lead content to an acid solution from 100 to 4000 times the maximum value permitted by FDA. In this study were determined the content released into the atmosphere during the glazing process. To estimate the lead released to the atmosphere during the glazing process, the lead content in five food ceramic wares from each lot was evaluated before and after burning. The method choose to dissolution of the samples was the acid digestion using HNO 3 , HF and HCLO 4 . The lead content was determined using AAS technique. Glazing employing lead oxide is a very pollutant activity, with an estimated 166 kg/year Pb released to the atmosphere.