On Thursday afternoon, September 26, Vermont Public Radio was contacted by a listener who obtained tests on an assortment of coffee mugs, which included a VPR Artist Mug from 2011. The test result revealed that the ink on the outside of the mug contained a level of lead which exceeds certain EPA standards.
According to the vendor that VPR uses to print its mug designs, the mugs were produced in compliance with applicable standards. Those standards, represented to VPR as the ‘FDA Standards,’ as opposed to the EPA standards which were the subject of the test our listener reported, describe that while lead ink may be used, it must not be imprinted near the lip and rim of the mug. Also, the mugs are kiln-fired at 1500 degrees for 5 1/2 hours, which fuses the imprint into the glaze of the mug permanently. Beginning in January of 2012, the company, World Wide Lines, Inc., uses only organic-based inks.
VPR is in the process of contacting its members who received the mug in question. They are being advised that while the mugs were produced in accordance with FDA guidelines, they may want to discontinue use of the mug if they have concerns about the levels of lead in the ink.
‘What we’ve learned since this issue was brought to our attention is that there are different standards for different purposes,’ said Robin Turnau, President and CEO of VPR. ‘Although our vendor assures us that these mugs were produced according to FDA, we wanted to communicate with our members who received them. We are continuing to investigate this issue and will communicate our findings to listeners when we have additional information.’
Source: September 28, 2013 Vermont Public Radio
Vermont Public Radio responds to concerns about inks used in artist mugs
Submitted by tim
on