Most people wouldn’t think of using anything but a crystal glass for their drink of choice. Whether they like to drink wine, champagne, whiskey, or even beer, crystal glasses are used to impart that sparkle to an alcoholic beverage. Some people even use crystal glasses for drinking water or soda.

While crystal drinking glasses may look nice, it’s not a wise idea to use them all the time. That’s because what we call crystal is actually more accurately called lead crystal. As the name implies, lead is used to make this glass. The lead from crystal glasses leaches into whatever liquid it comes into contact with and is subsequently ingested. Wait a minute- isn’t lead toxic? I hear you asking. The answer is yes, lead is very toxic. Even small does of lead are harmful to the human body. It can cause serious health problems resulting from damage to organs like the kidneys, heart, and reproductive systems. Bones can even be affected. The signs of lead poisoning are stomach aches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea and vomiting, persistent fatigue, headache, and muscle weakness. In children it can manifest as learning problems, lack of appetite, and no desire to play. Because these symptoms usually don’t show until the amount of lead in the body has reached very high levels through slow accumulation, small amounts of lead are not to be considered safe, either.

Therefore, despite what the FDA and others say about lead crystal glasses being okay when used for drinking wine, you want to avoid crystal glasses unless they are non-lead. These wine glasses use a safer material as a substitute for lead, which also yields that brilliance and sparkle. The glass is lighter and is not considered to be truly “crystal”, but health is more important than having a “real” crystal wine glass, is it not?

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