Decluttering old peoples' stuff. Warning about old dinnerware.

We have hubby's Mother's china set, beautiful design. Only used maybe once or twice a year for Thanksgiving and Easter. That was back when every housewife needed a dinner set for 12.

My Mom was a Pyrex and Corning Corelle type of gal. Mom had some fancy dishes that had gold trim but I noticed those dishes were getting hairline cracks in the finishes. I tossed those out.

The cats use Corelle bowls.

Also gave away my Mom's silver flatware set that came in a beautiful box. I could always taste the "silver". Plus all the silver-plated items Mom got for her 25th anniversary, and items I got when I married.

People still use the pieces as decorative. But in this declutter group they were posting about using the China as daily dishes or for their pets rather than just decorative.

Maybe donate with a note not to use it to eat off of? I guess lead toxicity for china wasn't as much of an issue in the old days because it was only used for special ocassions a few times a year if that because people didnt want pieces getting broken. I agree though it should all be trashed.

Donate it?

If it's dangerous for us why would donating it be a good idea?

It should be destroyed to protect anyone from using it.

Bauer made very nice pottery etc. I think most prominent companies such as Lenox and so many others have high standards with production.

Sometimes these side effects of lead and other toxic materials etc can lead to cancer, mental problems etc. So a person can live a long time but have health issues or mental problems that most wouldnt associate are caused by toxic materials. I am amazed at the old people that family members are caring for who have so many major health problems yet their bodies just keep going and going. It's insane.

Ha, my bro lived to 85 eating off Bauer plates he collected. I think he didn't want to live a whole lot longer. They say that the fresh water fish we are now eating are FULL of toxins. Mercury, lead and you name it--arsenic, too. Has been around since mining days. I once thought that all these things, and the retardants we spray all over our apholstery and rugs in order to fire-safe them, was giving us cancer. Perhaps. But it is now appearing this is more genertic mutation. Due to? Who knows. As Susan Sontag surmised in Illness as Metaphor, when we don't have a cause we make stuff up.