Posted on 05/23/2009 6:10:32 PM PDT by nicolezmomma
The accompanying photo shows two pieces of Fiesta ware produced by the Homer Laughlin Company of West Virginia: a Fiesta red saucer and an ivory bowl. In each case, uranium was used to provide the color of the glaze. Although the radioactivity of both is easily detectable, that of the Fiesta red is head and shoulders above the ivory.
The Fiesta dinnerware line was introduced in 1936 with a choice of five colors: red, blue, green, yellow and ivory. Red was the first color that the company selected when designing the product, and blue was the second (these were the colors of the Fiesta ware that Andy Warhol collected). Since the idea was to mix and match the dinnerware, the five colors had to be compatible.
Fiesta red has always been the most popular color even though it was the most expensive. The higher price was due to the cost of the raw materials and the fact that the production of the red required a greater level of control during the firing process.
The red color was achieved by adding uranium oxide in the glaze - measurements have indicated that by weight, up to 14 % of the glaze might be uranium. How much glaze was employed per plate is unclear but it has been estimated that a single plate contains 4.5 grams of uranium (Buckley et al). Piesch et al estimated the glaze thickness at 0.2 mm.
Since this uranium could be used in the production of an atomic bomb, Fiesta red became a victim of World War II when the US government confiscated the company’s stocks of uranium. Fiesta red disappeared until 1959 when production resumed, this time using depleted uranium (DU) rather than the original natural uranium. The Fiesta red plate in the above photo was made from depleted uranium while the ivory plate was made from natural uranium.
In 1969 the entire Fiesta ware line was discontinued, and in its place the company produced what was known as Fiesta Ironstone. The latter, which was only manufactured in Fiesta red (aka Mango Red), didn’t last long. It was discontinued in 1973. This was the end of Fiesta red. Years later, in 1986, a new line of Fiesta ware was introduced but without the red color.
1936 – 1943 Fiesta red was produced using natural uranium
1959 – 1969 Fiesta red Fiesta Ware was produced using depleted uranium
1969 - 1973 Fiesta red Fiesta Ironstone was produced using depleted uranium
It is worth noting that the use of uranium to produce a red ceramic glaze was not limited to Fiesta ware. Almost any antique ceramic with a deep orange/red color is likely to be radioactive, e.g., that produced by the Bauer Pottery Company. In addition, various manufacturers, including the Homer Laughlin Company, have used uranium to give their ceramics other colors, e.g., yellow, green, brown. Buckley et al estimated that 2 million pieces of dinnerware between 1959 and 1969 that employed uranium containing glaze.
Orange was a big color.
Both my daughter and her daughter have a collection and use them daily. I haven’t seen them glowing in the dark but I’ll keep a eye on them. I am more worried about the radiation from over use of their cell phones...
Well, I can visualize homemade terrorists thinking to start buying dinnerware just to obtain the uranium.
Good grief. We don’t have any, I’m glad to say.
I have one of the radio-active red platters. Man, it sets off a Geiger counter like crazy.
Nothing new. When I had to take the rad safety course in grad school (>25 years ago), a prerequisite to working with C14, tritium or P32, the guy used fiesta ware to demonstrate that radioactivity can be anywhere.
Yikes, mercury in fish, carcinogen color dyes in food and now uranium is the dishes? We’re all going to die! We sold our fiesta ware at one of our yard sales before we moved.
Was it to a guy named Mahmoud?
I use a set of these dishes whenever we serve yellow cake.
I smell law suits. Can you imagine the commercials?
Wow! Guess it’s red for a reason, huh? This was really fascinating. They just reintroduced Fiesta Ware a few years back so I wonder what’s in that - probably just toxic paint from China.
The currently sold Fiestaware is safe.
Only the old red ones are uranium-laden.
BTW, if you collect wrist-watches, be careful of the old ones with glow-in-the-dark hands.
http://alanwatch.homestead.com/radiumtimex.html
The article says other colors contain it also, though nothing currently made.
My God...my two aunts both had a set of them and they were beautiful. I loved the purple.
It really is something to check. Find someone to check em with a Geiger counter, you’ll be amazed if they are the hot ones. Especially if you use them and ingest the glaze of the earlier editions. Even worse are some of the old alarm clocks with radium dials.
I didnt believe it until i saw it demonstrated once. An alarm clock was so hot you really were in danger. Especially considering how close your head probably is to it all night.
And im someone who never worries about any of these scares. This one isnt one John Stossil would laugh about and tell you to ignore. Can almost bet he would advise you the dishes were safe to keep on display to admire, but to avoid eating on them.
MMMMMmmmmm, beauty and delicious yellow cake. :) Yum. I’d eat the cake off the plate.
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