All reds and yellows are lead free and always have been and most every glass
regardless of where or who made has arsenic in it as a minute additive for
fining as well as antimony for the same reason. Neither of which has ever
been a problem except when those chemicals are handled in their raw state.
Reds and Yellows have always been problematic when it comes to fitting a
base glass because they do not contain lead. The problem for any glass
including lead based glasses and enamels is their relative chemical
durability. Chemical durability is in a nutshell the ratios of the alkali to
silica. If those ratios are out of wack then you can get levels of
solubility when the glass is exposed to the moisture in the air. The same
holds true for lead leaching for the same reason. If the ratios are correct
and the glass is tested for chemical durability then there is little to no
problem. If and when Cadmium and or Selenium reach their vapor point you
will not smell it, you will smell fluorine opals though. Been their! The
gassing of fluorine opals when being melted in the furnace and worked in the
glory hole is problematic as the fumes will turn to HF when they come in
contact with the moisture in the atmosphere as well as your lungs. There is
no problem for those of you fusing those type glasses as you are not at the
vapor point of the fluorine. Oh yes, it is never a good idea to breath any
vapors or dusts from anything found in the glass studio. 1200 C is 2192 F.
Also, what's wrong with killing rats? Don't over react to the posting as the
dangers from color rods, and frits are little to nil to none when handled
correctly as in always pick up powders in a powder booth that has a good
exhaust and wear an approved dust mask when using powders for projects.
Having said all of the above I would say it is my understanding that all the
rod companies are aware of the lead problems and have been working to get
the lead out of their rods as the European lead laws have come into
existence. The late great Klaus Kugler sold his company because he did not
wish to reformulate all the glasses he had in his catalog. One of the
problems with the rods is that fit for certain base glasses has now become
problematic as they have removed the lead from their products. Read Mike
Firth's posting as well. Why is this the wrong place for JoJo's posting?
Seems to me to be the perfect place for it.
JoJo