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With a few exceptions, glass is the safest material for items that come in contact with food. Normally, glass does not leach lead, cadmium, or other heavy metals unlike ceramics and clay. And unlike plastic, it does not leach hormone-disrupting chemicals. So, if you are considering using glass products, such as tableware, cookware, and food storage containers, good for you!
In this special lead free glassware review post, you will learn about common types of glass so you can make the best decisions for your kitchen and health. Specifically, you will find out what kind of glass may contain lead and what kind of glass is lead and cadmium free. Plus, you will get some options for safe glass dinnerware and safe drinking glasses. For general guidance on finding safe cookware, refer to my Safe Cookware Guide.
To begin with, let&#;s discuss three types of glass material, commonly used for manufacturing cookware, dinnerware, and drinkware:
Typically, borosilicate glass consists of around 81% silicon dioxide (SiO2), 5-13% boron trioxide (B2O3), and smaller concentrations of sodium oxide and aluminum oxide. It is boron that provides the glass with its dimensional stability and prevents it from shrinking or expanding when the temperature changes (source and source).
As you can see from its composition, borosilicate glass should be lead free glassware. Plus, independent testing by Tamara Rubin, the founder of Lead Safe Mama, showed that household objects made of borosilicate glass were lead and cadmium free.
What about aluminum &#; can borosilicate glass leach aluminum?
In a lab experiment with borosilicate glass vials and buffer solutions, it was found that phosphate buffer solution had the highest possibility of forming particles containing aluminum. And this study on glass flasks and amino acid solutions relates aluminum contamination to the cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid stored in the glass flasks.
Personally, I am not very concerned about the possibility of aluminum leaching in glass dinnerware. First, I haven&#;t seen any independent tests raising alarm for aluminum leaching from any household glass products. Second, in our kitchens, we hardly use the substances described in the experiments above that provoked aluminum leaching. Plus, if there is any leaching, the amounts should be insignificant. Furthermore, when I was tested for stored levels of heavy metals in my body as well as current exposures, aluminum was not an issue for me, and I use glassware all the time.
As for soda lime glass, its typical composition is 70&#;75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), 12&#;16% sodium oxide (Na2O), and 10&#;15% calcium (CaO) (source and source).
Soda lime glass is more common than borosilicate glass, especially in the US. For example, popular Pyrex glass storage containers and glass baking dishes are made from soda lime glass (they used borosilicate glass until ). Many glass dinnerware options are made from soda lime glass as well.
Based on its composition, soda lime glass should also be lead free glassware. However, beware of colored or painted glass cookware. Indeed, Tamara Rubin tested Pyrex measuring cups and found elevated levels of lead in the painted red markings on the outside. Additionally, she tested newer blue Ball mason jars and found small levels of lead in them. Conversely, clear Ball glassware seems to be the most consistently lead and cadmium free glassware.
The chemical composition of lead glass includes 55&#;65% silicon dioxide (SiO2), 18&#;38% lead oxide (PbO), and 13&#;15% sodium oxide (Na2O) or potassium oxide (K2O). Lead oxide makes the glass dense, hard, and X-ray absorbing. Hence, you see lead glass in decorative glassware for its crystal effect and in special optical glasses (source).
Obviously, glassware made of lead glass is not lead free glassware. For instance, this study found that storing wine in lead crystal decanters even for one day would pose a hazard. Hence, crystal glasses, too, are not safe drinking glasses. If you own some, try using them only on special occasions and emptying them fast. Also, please pay attention as to whether there is a California Proposition 65 warning on your glassware (even if you are not in California).
I have placed my favorite lead and cadmium free glass dinnerware in my Amazon shop:
First off, while I like Corelle dishes, I would stay away from Corelle mugs. To clarify, the material in Corelle mugs is not glass, but stoneware. When Tamara Rubin tested Corelle dinnerware, she found some lead in the mugs.
Also, remember to avoid colored Ball jars as they tested positive for lead.
As for safe drinking glasses and mugs, just like glass dinnerware, you can easily find them in my Amazon shop:
You can find the best non-toxic food storage containers in my Amazon shop:
I store homemade tomato sauce and soup in Ball Mason jars. They work well for my freezer, saving good storage space. Make sure you wash and wipe the lids to avoid rusting but do not put them in the dishwasher. And do not let food or liquid touch the lids as they may contain BPA or other bisphenol chemicals. (Learn more in my post BPA-Free Cans &#; Safe Or Toxic?)
In my Amazon shop, you will find several options for Pyrex bakeware. Personally, I use it all the time as I consider it safe lead free glassware.
As for Visions cookware, it is made of glass ceramic. While the cookware is made in France, the lids are made in China. The ceramic component of the glass enables it to withstand extreme temperatures, even on a stovetop.
Tamara Rubin&#;s tests of Visions cookware for lead and cadmium revealed small amounts of lead and other heavy metals in some pieces. Hence, I&#;m not comfortable calling it &#;safe.&#; We do not use Visions, but if you are interested, you can find it on Amazon here and here.
To sum up, out of the materials commonly used for manufacturing cookware, dinnerware, and drinkware, I would avoid lead glass and colored glass. Indeed, neither of them is lead free glassware.
In my opinion, some lead and cadmium free glassware brands that you can find in my Amazon shop include:
For additional assistance on finding safe cookware, refer to my Safe Cookware Guide. Also, you can find tons of useful information on the I Read Labels For You blog and in the IRLFY shop.
Join our informed consumer community and get our free guide the &#;5 Powerful Steps To A Non-Toxic Home&#;.
Amber glass jars and bottles are quite common, and you&#;ve probably used them at least a few times in your life. After all, amber is one of the more common glass container colors out there. You&#;ll find beer bottles, medicine bottles, essential oil bottles, jars, and many others in amber glass. Does this mean, therefore, that amber glass jars are the best choice for your own business?
Not necessarily. While it&#;s true that amber is the glass color of choice for many industries, it doesn&#;t mean that it&#;s the right fit for you. After all, amber glass may not function in the way that your products might need it to function. Despite its color, it still has some translucency and will therefore still allow some visible light through. Thus, amber glass jars are probably not the best for products that are light-sensitive or have other requirements involving the amount of light they&#;re exposed to.
Luckily, there is an alternative: ultraviolet glass jars and bottles that can provide better protection for a wide variety of products.
Types of Colored Glass
Glass can come in many colors. You&#;ve probably seen glass beads, sculptures, bowls, vases, ornaments, and other objects in various colors and hues. However, the color of glass, as well as how the glass itself was colored, doesn&#;t just serve a decorative purpose.
Not all colored glass containers are the same, of course. Some colored glass jars or bottles are actually clear glass containers that have been painted over. However, actually incorporating the color into the glass itself isn&#;t as simple as just painting over clear glass. Amber glass, for example, gets its color from the addition of carbon, iron, and sulfur. Cobalt blue glass gets its color from the addition of cobalt oxide. Green glass gets it color from non-toxic chrome oxide, and red glass gets its color from selenium oxide, copper, or gold chloride.
Typically, the higher the amount of the added coloring, the darker and more solid the glass&#;s coloring will be. The concentration of color, as well as the colors themselves, can affect the amount and kinds of light that can penetrate through the glass.
Why Not Clear Glass?
Glass containers are used as packaging for a wide variety of products, ranging from food and beverages to cosmetics and medicines. A wide range of glass colors are used in glass products: clear, amber, green, blue, and the deep violet of ultraviolet glass. Each glass color filters light differently, which is why each color is suitable for certain applications and for storing specific products.
Clear glass, for example, is quite ubiquitous. You&#;ll find many glass containers made of clear glass, from beverage bottles to canning jars, perfume bottles to lip tint tubes, fragrance oil bottles, and more. However, clear glass is of course completely transparent and lets all visible light and ultraviolet light rays in.
The problem with this is that clear glass won&#;t be able to offer much protection for light-sensitive products or other products that are prone to spoilage or degradation. Spoilage and degradation happen when certain types of microbes proliferate in a biodegradable product. This will happen eventually, but there are ways to delay the proliferation of these microbes. However, clear glass won&#;t be able to help in this regard. This is because certain types of visible light rays can actually encourage the proliferation of harmful microbes.
Light can also cause oxidation in certain types of biodegradable products. Oxidation, which is a type of chemical reaction, can alter the way something tastes, looks, feels, and smells. It can also affect nutritional value in food.
Thus, clear glass jars and bottles aren&#;t always the best type of packaging. However, are amber glass containers the answer?
Are you interested in learning more about uasb? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Amber Glass Jars vs Other Types of Glass Jars
Amber glass bottles and jars have a solid reputation in many industries, and it&#;s not really undeserved. After all, amber glass can certainly offer more protection compared to clear glass. It can protect against light damage, and it can also block UV light rays that can negatively impact the quality of a certain product. Additionally, amber glass specifically blocks blue light. Even though blue light has its benefits, it&#;s still best to filter out as much visible light as possible in order to prevent light damage.
Green and cobalt blue colored glass are also less effective than amber glass. Green glass in particular isn&#;t as widely used, and for good reason. It can&#;t block as much light as amber glass, though green glass can be used to store products like beer. Cobalt glass, meanwhile, has had a long history of use, and can be made into decorative and ornamental pieces as well as bottles for sherry and mineral water.
Compared to green and cobalt glass bottles, however, amber glass bottles seem to be more common, especially when it comes to consumer products. Amber glass jars with metal lids, for example, can store cosmetics, food, ointments, medicines, and more. Thus, many businesses in a wide variety of industries buy amber glass jars wholesale in large part because amber glass has become an industry standard.
Various businesses have gotten used to buying amber glass jars wholesale to package and store various products. However, it may be worth it to consider a different type of glass packaging.
Are Amber Glass Jars Right for Your Business?
Packaging is an important part of a retail business. After all, the packaging is what protects the product itself and keeps it away from damage. Certain products won&#;t rely much on their packaging, while others need carefully-selected packaging that will provide enough protection.
If you&#;re considering using amber bottles and jars for your business, it&#;s likely that you&#;re selling a product that needs some protection against light. However, amber glass might end up falling somewhat short of meeting your business&#;s packaging needs. Many websites and manufacturers will tell you that amber glass offers the most protection against light rays, but you may find that ultraviolet glass can actually end up performing better than other types of glass.
Glass containers can definitely contribute to the preservation of your products. It&#;s therefore important to make sure that you choose the right glass packaging for your business.
Amber Glass vs Ultraviolet Glass
Even though amber glass has a solid reputation in many industries, it may be worth taking a second look at it to determine if it&#;s the best option for your business. This is especially important if you want to make sure that you&#;ll be able to prolong the shelf life of your products, as well as provide better protection against oxidation and light damage.
Ultraviolet glass works in much the same way as amber glass. Compared to amber glass jars and bottles, however, ultraviolet glass containers offer more protection against harmful light rays that cause oxidation as well as spoilage and degradation.
Infinity Jars offers ultraviolet glass jars and bottles that are designed primarily to extend the shelf life of various biodegradable products and materials. However, that&#;s not all that UV glass can do. While amber glass blocks and absorbs all UV light rays, UV glass can let UV-A and infrared light rays through. These light rays can actually help keep products fresh for longer and can even inhibit the growth of microbes.
Furthermore, amber glass jars and bottles still let some visible light rays through, thus giving microbes some leeway to proliferate. Amber glass can be somewhat translucent, allowing you to see what&#;s inside. You&#;ll be able to see how much product you have left, but this also means that some visible light can make its way through the glass and into the inside of the container.
UV glass jars and bottles, however, are near-opaque even appear black (the actual color is violet). You won&#;t be able to easily see the product inside the container through the glass, but this also means that little to no visible light rays are penetrating through.
Lab-Testing UV Glass
You may be thinking: how do ultraviolet glass containers and amber glass containers perform when storing the same items?
Infinity Jars has actually conducted a UV glass versus amber glass lab test. This test utilized chives, which are one of the most easily perishable herbs commonly used in kitchens today. These chives were stored in an amber glass jar, with equal amounts stored in a UV glass jar and clear glass jar as well.
After two months, the chives in the clear glass jar were found to have completely browned and spoiled. The chives in the amber glass jar, meanwhile, retained some of their color but were also already showing visible signs of degradation. However, the chives in the UV glass jar were found to still be relatively fresh and in better condition.
Tests and experiments like this can attest to the benefits of UV glass containers. If your business is centered on selling products that can be negatively impacted by the growth of microbes, UV glass can put your mind at ease.
Protecting and Preserving Contents
UV glass also doesn&#;t just resist harmful light rays. Infinity Jars has also made sure that its jars and bottles are made of thick, durable, and high-quality glass. These containers definitely won&#;t break that easily, so you won&#;t have to worry too much about deliveries. They&#;ll be able to come out of a rough ride completely intact, with nary a chip or a crack.
Additionally, these UV glass containers come with lids that are guaranteed to be airtight and smell-proof. The lids are made of BPA-free plastic, but Infinity Jars also has a line of jars with aluminum lids. If you&#;ve been thinking of using amber glass jars with metal lids, Infinity Jars can definitely provide a better alternative.
Lids are an important aspect of bottles and jars, especially those meant to preserve products. An airtight lid can prevent contaminants from getting into the container, and it can also prevent leaks to ensure that your product stays where it needs to be. If a product is well-protected within its container, it has a better chance of having a longer shelf-life.
There are many businesses from which you can buy amber glass jars wholesale for your business. However, Infinity Jars also offers UV glass jars and bottles are also available wholesale. Furthermore, Infinity Jars pays attention to the production of these UV glass containers, which are also closely inspected and packed by hand. Many businesses that sell amber glass bottles and jars probably keep a close eye on their products as well, but Infinity Jars is invested in every step of the creation of its products.
Buying UV Glass Jars Wholesale
Amber glass jars with metal lids have been around for some time, and they&#;ve certainly built a reputation for being generally reliable. However, UV glass jars and bottles are a viable improvement on, as well as an alternative to, other types of glass containers.
However, it&#;s important to note that certain products, like beer and kombucha, may actually be better off in amber packaging. This is because these products rely on a certain level of microbial activity, which UV glass containers will suppress. Of course, for other products that will benefit from very minimal light exposure as well as the suppression of microbial activity, UV glass jars and bottles are the better choice.
One example of products that will likely be better off in UV glass bottles is essential oils. Essential oils are prone to oxidation, which can be caused by exposure to air, heat, and light. If you&#;re building an essential oil business, or one that involves the use of essential oils, UV glass essential oil bottles are a better choice than amber glass bottles. They provide better protection from light, and are designed to have airtight lids. Just make sure to keep the bottles away from heat sources.
You&#;ll find that there are various products that will do very well when stored in UV glass containers. Amber glass jars and bottles certainly have their uses, and are more suitable for certain products. However, UV glass containers offer more protection against the factors that contribute to spoilage and degradation. Thus, buying UV glass jars wholesale is definitely the better choice.
References
https://www.dermascope.com/blogs/ultravioletglassbottles
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-New-Proof-of-Concept-in-Bacterial-Reduction%3A-of-Maclean-Anderson/60adb786de409cf450fffaa9abfdfa4
https://www.containerandpackaging.com/resources/colored-glass/
https://www.airseacontainers.com/blog/the-science-behind-amber-glass-how-these-bottles-protect-liquids/
https://geology.com/articles/color-in-glass.shtml
Apothecary Glass Jars - Wholesale Packaging to Make Your Brand Stand Out
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