PITTSBURGH -- While lead-blood levels in Americans have plummeted over the years, there are still nearly half a million children in the U.S. that have enough lead in their blood to cause irreversible damage to their health.

LURKING LEAD Lead Check.com List of Low-Lead China Patterns EPA.gov

The Centers for Disease Control has a two-prong plan to battle the problem: focus on lead paint in housing and restrict or eliminate its use in table ware and other products.

But you may be surprised to learn in a Target 11 consumer investigation that lead is very much present in high levels in some tableware.

This story started with a call from a consumer wanting to know what a warning label saying there is lead in dishware meant.

Cheryl Donagon said she couldn't believe there was lead in dishes -- and a warning label to boot.
"I was surprised to see that there was still a lead content in any of the dishes we would buy in a main store, a mainstream store. I had always assumed that everything was lead free," she said.

It turns out California has its own warning sticker. It alerts consumers to lead content in dishware far below the allowable level permitted by the federal government.

It says "use of certain tableware for sale in this store will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm."

But because those dishes sold in California are sold across the country and in Pennsylvania, many shoppers are being alerted to something they never knew... dishware can contain lead.

Donagon wanted to find out how much lead may be in the dishes we're using, so Target 11 went shopping by going to the places many local people shop every day: discount stores.

Target 11 bought nearly 20 pieces of tableware; some with the triangle-warning sticker on them and some without. The first test was a lead-detecting swab that turned hot pink when rubbed over the decorated portions of three pieces of dishware -- a mug, a bowl and a children's plate.

Target 11 then took the dishware, along with two painted drinking glasses to a lab for further testing. Officials conducted an acid leach test, where an acidic solution is added to the dishware to determine how much lead could leach from the decorated areas.

The results:
The child's plate with the sheep decoration all over it leached 1,200 parts per million of lead. That is far above the Food and Drug Administration's three parts per million allowed on plates.

When Target 11 investigator Becky Thompson showed Donagon the results of the tests she was stunned.

Donagon said, "Ah, no! That child's plate with no warning at all. It didn't have the yellow triangle or anything?"
Thompson said, "No."
Donagon said, "That's disturbing."

Other moms Target 11 talked to were just as surprised.

Jo Annette Cynkar said, "Little children will typically eat off the same plates four to five times a day because they have their own favorite."

Another mom, Becca Cook, said, "It's just not safe, especially with kids."

Dr. Gina Solomon, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, "That is such a high level that eating off that plate on a regular basis could pose a definite health risk to people."

But there were more surprising results:
One bowl with the rim decorated with flowers and fruit around the edges had 230 parts per million of lead.

That is unacceptable to Cook.
Thompson said, "But, it's not in the eating area."
Cook said, "It doesn't matter."
Thompson asked, "Why?"
Cook said, "The food can still hit that area. I mean, it's still right there; it's still around your food. It's like saying the trim of the paint around your door has lead but no where else and that's OK because a kid won't touch the trim of the door, but its still there."

The FDA said it cannot comment specifically on the results of the Target 11 tests. When Target 11 told the agency about the increased levels of lead found in the paint on these glasses, they said as long as the decorations were 2 centimeters from the lip of the glass the FDA did not regulate it.

The bottom line is if you're concerned about lead on or in your dishware, get a lead swab kit to test them and follow the FDA's warning to throw out any dishware that cracked or chipped.

EPA Tips On Reducing Lead:
Ceramic dishware is a common source of lead. The problem can be prevented in a number of ways.

If you have ceramic dishes that you are unsure about, you can buy a test kit designed for testing dishes for lead for about $30. (NOTE: the U.S. EPA does not endorse any specific kits.)

When lead is found in your dishes, it does not necessarily mean that you must throw them away. However, replacing them with dishes that do not contain lead is one way to eliminate the problem.

Dishes that contain lead can be used safely on an infrequent basis. Only use them for special occasions.

Do not store food in or on dishes that contain lead. The lead will leach into the food or drink.

When you buy ceramic dishes from other countries, test them for lead.

Dishes that contain lead may be used as decorations for your home.