What should I do about an AB 1200 disclosure or Prop 65 warning on glass?

It depends on the chemical. Titanium dioxide, used in modern milk glass and opal glass, is listed only for inhaling fine airborne powder, and once melted into glass it stays locked in, so it isn't worth worrying about. Lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, cobalt (II) oxide, arsenic, and antimony trioxide can move out of glass into food or drink, sped up by heat, acid, abrasion, and time. Where any of these are listed, avoid acidic and hot contact, skip drinkware with worn or chipped rims or faded outside decoration, and keep decorative pieces for display only. For children and during pregnancy, avoid eating or drinking from glassware containing them completely.

What does a Prop 65 warning on glass mean?

A Prop 65 warning means the product contains, or might contain, a substance on California's list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. It does not necessarily mean the product is dangerous to use, because Prop 65 is a right-to-know law that requires warnings starting at levels 1,000 times below the level that could cause harm. A brand may label because a listed chemical exceeds the daily exposure limit, as a legal precaution even below the limit, or because it labels an entire product line the same way. The sticker doesn't say which chemical triggered it or whether it's in the glass or in exterior decoration.

What does an AB 1200 disclosure on glass mean?

AB 1200 is a California right-to-know law for cookware and food-contact items, including glass bakeware, mixing bowls, food storage, cooking pots, and drinkware. It requires brands to disclose whether any chemicals on the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) list were intentionally added to the food-contact surface or handle, and bars free-of claims if any chemical in the same family was intentionally added. The DTSC list contains around 3,300 chemicals, so most glass disclosures list ingredients added for color, clarity, or opacity, which can look alarming even when the actual risk from finished glass is very low.

What's the difference between Prop 65 and AB 1200 for glass?

Prop 65 asks how much of a listed chemical a person actually gets from normal use of a product, triggered when daily exposure goes above a set limit (for lead, 0.5 micrograms per day), whether the chemical was added on purpose or came from contamination. AB 1200 asks whether the manufacturer deliberately added a chemical from the DTSC list to a food-contact surface or handle, regardless of how much reaches food. A glass product can comply with one and not the other.

Is lead crystal still legal to buy and sell in the US?

Yes. Lead crystal is still produced, particularly in some Eastern European, Czech, Italian, and traditional Irish glass lines, and it's legal to import and sell. Products shipped into California must carry a Prop 65 warning if they contain lead above the safe-harbor threshold, which lead crystal does by design, typically at 24% or more lead oxide by weight. Crystal on a label without lead-free specified historically meant leaded crystal and often still does.

Why do most vintage glass products not carry Prop 65 warnings even though they contain lead?

Prop 65 applies to new products entering commerce, not to resale of secondhand items. Vintage glass from estate sales, antique shops, thrift stores, and inherited family pieces moves through resale channels where no manufacturer or first seller is putting it into California commerce, so no sticker is applied. The lead, cadmium, arsenic, or antimony in the piece is still there.

Should I trust a glass brand whose AB 1200 disclosure lists cobalt, cadmium, or lead?

It depends on whether the chemical is bound into the glass matrix or sitting on the surface. AB 1200 only says the chemical was intentionally added, not where it is or whether it migrates. Well-fused glass can lock pigments like cobalt and cadmium in tightly enough that leach testing shows migration below Prop 65 limits, while lead in leaded crystal does migrate measurably into acidic beverages over time. Painted exterior decoration is a separate concern. Ask the brand whether the chemical is melted into the glass or applied as paint, enamel, or coating, whether decorated rims have been tested for lead and cadmium migration, and whether leaded crystal is intended for food contact or display.

Does LFGB apply to glass products?

Yes. LFGB is the German law regulating all food-contact materials sold in Germany, including glass, with tighter leach limits than the FDA or the EU baseline. It requires testing for lead and cadmium release, plus a rim test for drinking glasses with painted decoration near the rim. Glassware that passes can carry a knife and fork symbol. For decorated drinking glasses, LFGB compliance is the most useful evidence available because it tests the rim directly; for undecorated glass it's useful but less critical.

What is a rim release test?

A rim release test is a lab test that measures whether lead or cadmium can come off the rim of a glass or cup into your mouth. The rim is where any painted decoration actually touches your lips. The rim is soaked in 4% acetic acid for a set time, then the liquid is checked for lead and cadmium; if levels are below the limit, the rim passes. A decorated drinking glass that has passed rim release testing is significantly better evidence of safety than one that simply lacks a Prop 65 warning.

What is glass made of?

About 90% of modern everyday glass is soda-lime glass, made from silica (around 70%, from sand), sodium carbonate or soda ash (around 15%, which lowers the melting temperature), and calcium oxide or lime (around 9 to 10%, which keeps the glass from being water-soluble). These are melted together at around 2,500 to 2,750°F, often with small amounts of magnesium oxide and aluminum oxide for durability. Plain modern soda-lime glass is chemically stable and doesn't react with food or beverages in normal use.

How is borosilicate glass different than regular glass?

Regular soda-lime glass is inexpensive and chemically stable but doesn't handle thermal shock well, so it can shatter going from freezer to hot oven. Borosilicate glass adds boric oxide, which reduces how much the glass expands and contracts with temperature, letting it handle thermal expansion three times better than soda-lime. Both are chemically stable. For food storage, drinking, and everyday tableware either works well; for bakeware that moves between very different temperatures, borosilicate is more resilient but costs more.

What makes glass the healthiest material for dishes and cookware?

Glass is chemically stable, non-porous, and doesn't react with food or leach into beverages. Food-safe glass has no coatings or glazes on the food-contact surface, contains no plasticizers, bisphenols, or hormone-disrupting additives, and unlike metal cookware doesn't release ions into acidic or hot foods. This applies to plain, undecorated modern glass; painted glassware and vintage leaded crystal or pre-1970s milk glass are exceptions.

Can chemicals leach from glass into food?

Not from modern food-safe glass, one of the most chemically inert food-contact materials available. It takes laboratory or industrial conditions with aggressive chemicals like hydrofluoric acid to dissolve glass, and normal kitchen acids like tomato sauce, citrus, vinegar, and wine don't affect it even at high heat. The exceptions are lead crystal, vintage milk glass made with arsenic or antimony opacifiers, and decorated glassware whose painted layer can release lead or cadmium, especially at the rim.

Does decorated glass contain lead?

It can, including modern painted glass. Decorated drinking glasses, patterned vintage bakeware, painted measuring lines, and brightly colored exterior coatings have tested positive for lead or cadmium, sometimes at very high levels. A 2018 study found lead and cadmium in the painted decoration of many decorated drinking glasses, in some cases on the rims, while the clear glass underneath was generally non-detect. The concern is that decoration wears off over time through washing, handling, and stacking.

When did manufacturers stop using lead in glass?

It depends on the type. Everyday soda-lime glass has never contained lead in its core formulation. Lead and cadmium pigments were widely used in glass decoration into the late 20th century and have been documented in current production too. Lead crystal is still produced and sold today. Vintage milk glass, Depression glass, uranium glass, and other decorative formulations shifted gradually to lead-free production from the mid-20th century, so pieces made before the 1970s should be assumed to potentially contain lead, cadmium, arsenic, or antimony until tested.

What is milk glass made of?

Milk glass is regular soda-lime glass with opacifying ingredients added, which form microscopic crystals that scatter light and create the milky white color. Vintage milk glass (pre-1970s) used a mix of opacifiers, including problematic arsenic and antimony compounds as well as safer tin oxide and bone ash. Modern milk glass, also called opal glass, uses titanium dioxide and tin oxide, stable mineral oxides bound into the glass matrix.

Is milk glass safe? Are milk glass cups and plates safe?

Modern milk glass, made with titanium dioxide and tin oxide opacifiers bound into the glass, is safe for everyday use including food storage and cooking. Vintage milk glass (pre-1970s) may contain arsenic or antimony opacifiers, and without testing you can't tell which were used. Vintage pieces are generally safe for decorative display; wash hands after frequent handling and keep them away from small children and pets; avoid them for food or beverage contact. If you're not sure whether a piece is vintage or modern, treat it as decorative only.

What is crystal glass?

Crystal, also called lead glass, lead crystal, or leaded crystal, was historically made with lead, sodium, and silica instead of the calcium, sodium, and silica used in most glass today, because lead made the glass sparkle. Modern lead-free crystal uses other minerals, like zinc or potassium, to achieve a similar effect.

Is vintage crystal glassware safe for drinking?

Not on a regular basis, not during pregnancy or for children, and not after storing acidic drinks in it. Vintage crystal contains lead oxide that leaches into beverages, especially acidic ones like wine, citrus cocktails, or juice, and leaching increases with contact time and acidity. Occasional use, like pouring wine and drinking it within an hour or two, creates minimal exposure. Modern lead-free crystal made with barium, zinc, or potassium oxide offers the same look without the risk.

Are hobnail and hurricane lamps safe?

Generally yes, when used as decorative lighting. Both terms describe a style rather than a glass formulation. Hobnail lamps come in milk glass, clear or colored soda-lime, lead crystal, uranium glass, and Depression glass, and all are safe for display; for milk glass, lead crystal, and Depression glass of unknown composition, wash hands after handling and keep them away from small children and pets. Hurricane lamp chimneys are usually clear borosilicate or soda-lime and safe, while shade and base safety depends on the formulation; painted shades and stained glass shades with leaded came should be handled gently, with hands washed afterward.

Is it safe to have Depression glass in my home?

Yes for display, and probably for very infrequent use if you aren't pregnant and aren't storing or drinking acidic beverages from it. Depression glass is colored glassware from the 1920s through 1940s, and some yellow and green pieces contain uranium oxide and are mildly radioactive, though at a small fraction of normal background radiation. The more meaningful concern is heavy metal leaching: acidic or hot contact can pull uranium, lead, cadmium, or other colorant metals into food and drink. Don't store food in it, microwave it, or use it for hot liquids.

How are glass and ceramic related and what makes them different?

Both are made from naturally occurring sands, minerals, and sometimes metals heated to extreme temperatures. The main difference is microscopic structure: glass has a random, disordered molecular arrangement, while ceramic is crystalline. Health concerns for both come from heavy metals, but in ceramics lead can occur naturally in clay, while in glass it was intentionally added to vintage pieces for clarity and brilliance. Glass also has no coatings or glazes the way ceramics might.

Learn‍ ‍Product Reviews ‍Clinical ‍About

Product Reviews ➜ Fragrance ➜ Checker

Check a Fragrance

Paste the ingredient list from a candle, air freshener, cleaning spray, or detergent into the checker below to see which fragrance ingredients are banned, restricted, or flagged for a health hazard. Each ingredient is checked against official lists from the EU, IARC, California Prop 65, the EPA, Health Canada, and IFRA standards.

By Dr. Meg Christensen | Physician-founder of Interior Medicine, a non-toxic home resource built on her background in medicine, biochemistry, epidemiology, and clinical research.

Published Oct 28, 2026 | Updated Oct 28, 2026

Check a Fragrance

Every fragrance ingredient that may be harmful, the official lists that flag it, and what the risks are.

Paste a product’s whole ingredient list. Commas, line breaks, and bullet points all work.

More lists to the right

What’s included. Every fragrance material that at least one of these official lists bans, restricts, or flags for a human health hazard, focused on what can show up in home fragrance: candles, wax melts, incense, diffusers, air fresheners, room sprays, and scented cleaners. Ingredients flagged only for skin reactions that need direct, leave-on skin contact (phototoxicity, photoallergy, skin lightening, irritation), or listed only under cosmetics rules with no health reason given, are left out. Fragrance materials were identified from the IFRA Standards and the IFRA Fragrance Ingredient Glossary (April 2020), which covers the scent ingredients on IFRA’s Transparency List. Solvents and additives were added where they’re documented in fragrance. Environmental-only lists aren’t included. Not being here doesn’t mean an ingredient has been tested and found safe.

Health concerns. Cancer & DNA damage = a listed or suspected carcinogen or mutagen. Fertility & pregnancy = a listed or suspected reproductive or developmental toxin. Hormone disruption = on an EU endocrine disruptor list. Bioaccumulates = very persistent and very bioaccumulative. Allergens & skin sensitizers = on the EU labelled allergen list, classified as a skin or respiratory sensitizer by the EU, or restricted or banned by IFRA for skin sensitization. Organ & nerve toxicity = EU organ damage from repeated exposure, or IFRA’s systemic, nerve, liver, or acute toxicity. Not enough safety data = IFRA banned it because there wasn’t enough data to show it’s safe. A few entries are banned or restricted without a stated health reason.

Type of ingredient. Synthetic scents = aroma chemicals made for fragrance. Isolates = single molecules that occur in plants, whether extracted or made in a lab. For entries added from IFRA’s lists, this sorting is approximate.

Columns. EU CLP = EU harmonised classification: carcinogen (Carc.), mutagen (Muta.), reproductive toxin (Repr.), skin or respiratory sensitizer (Skin Sens., Resp. Sens.), or organ damage from repeated exposure (STOT RE); category 1, 1A, and 1B are known or presumed, 2 is suspected. IARC = International Agency for Research on Cancer group (1 carcinogenic, 2A probably, 2B possibly carcinogenic to humans). Prop 65 = California Proposition 65 listing. EPA IRIS = EPA’s cancer rating in its Integrated Risk Information System, with the tumor site in parentheses. Newer assessments use known, likely, or suggestive evidence; older ones use letter grades (B2 = probable, C = possible). EU endocrine = the EU endocrine disruptor lists: List I is identified at EU level, List II is under EU evaluation, List III is identified by a national authority. EU SVHC & REACH = EU Substance of Very High Concern with the reason (vPvB = very persistent and very bioaccumulative), or a REACH restriction. EU allergen = when it was added to the EU list of fragrance allergens that must be named on cosmetic labels: the original list (Directive 2003/15/EC) or the 2023 expansion (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545). EU cosmetics = EU Cosmetics Regulation Annex II (banned) or Annex III (restricted). Health Canada = the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. IFRA = the fragrance industry’s own standards, with IFRA’s stated reason. For restricted ingredients, the IFRA column also notes the limit for candles, air fresheners, and other products not meant to touch skin (IFRA Category 12). Many skin-sensitizer limits don’t apply there at all. A dot means the ingredient isn’t on that list. Entries marked “Added by Interior Medicine” aren’t on the official lists and are included for the reason given.

Also checked. EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory list of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (no fragrance materials found) and EU respiratory sensitizer classifications (no fragrance materials found).

Sources, as checked October 2026. EU CLP Annex VI, ATP 23; ECHA Candidate List of SVHCs (October 2, 2026); REACH Restriction List (August 24, 2026); EU endocrine disruptor lists I, II, and III (April 2026 update); IARC List of Classifications, Volumes 1 to 142 (July 23, 2026); California Prop 65 list (July 31, 2026); EPA IRIS; EPA TRI PBT chemicals; EU Cosmetics Regulation Annexes II and III (CosIng) (October 13, 2026); Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 (allergen labelling); Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (2025); IFRA Standards, 51st Amendment (June 30, 2023). Information derived from the IFRA Fragrance Ingredient Glossary, developed by The International Fragrance Association.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Request a review, or check it yourself in seconds with the Second Opinion Product Checker. Spot something outdated? Let me know and I’ll update it. Join the spam-free newsletter for interesting info and to hear when new reviews are up.

FYI, “non-toxic” has no official definition, so I rate every product with the same method. It’s built on third-party certifications and published test data, not brand claims. For a deeper dive, my free course walks you through it.

Everything on Interior Medicine is educational information, not medical advice. Read my full disclaimer.

More Healthy Design For You

HEPA air purifier for cleaner indoor air

Air Purifiers, Rated

Natural latex couch with GOTS certified organic fabric

Non-Toxic Couches, Rated

Natural materials used to evaluate non-toxic home products

How I Rate Products

Tools and Resources

Product Reviews ➜ Fragrance ➜ Checker

Check a Fragrance

About

Affiliate Disclosure