# Are those cheap bowls from Dollar General safe to eat from? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796 "2014-01-14T17:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/1 "2014-01-14T17:23:06Z")
My understanding is that some bowls have lead in them. How can you tell? Is it the cheap ones that has lead? Do lead “contaminated” bowls have a certain look? I need to buy several cheap bowls that I can pitch after I use (for reasons that I rather not go into), but I don’t want to get led poisioning and become more retarded than I already am. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/2 "2014-01-14T17:26:27Z")
Any bowl sold for eating SHOULD be safe in the US. Are you talking about some decorative bowl or something? It might have BPH or whatever in it, but lead? I doubt it. If seen some things that have “not for eating” or something along those lines - otherwise - I think you are probably safe. ETA: I may have been a little optimistic, see this article: [http://www.wthr.com/story/12465018/13-investigates-lead-in-your-dishes](http://www.wthr.com/story/12465018/13-investigates-lead-in-your-dishes) Read to the end before you freak out though ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/3 "2014-01-14T17:26:37Z")
I’m just going to say yes. If you’re only going to use them once or twice, I wouldn’t even worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/4 "2014-01-14T17:41:59Z")
For many reasons, I wouldn’t buy anything from a dollar store that goes in me or on me. The provenance of their goods, especially since the explosion of such stores (diluting the amount of “salvage” products available) is just too suspect. Counterfeit and substandard foods and medicines abound in that tier, and I wouldn’t be too sure about things like product safety, either. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/5 "2014-01-14T20:20:59Z")
Seems like every other month they find some sort of product from China that has lead in it. Not worth the risk IMO. Spend a little and save your health. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/6 "2014-01-14T21:13:22Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Not worth the risk IMO. Spend a little and save your health. Only if there’s evidence that spending a bit more gets you healthier products. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/7 "2014-01-14T21:27:46Z")
How much lead do you think you’re going to consume from a couple uses? The bowl could be made of lead and not pose a serious health threat to an adult if it’s only a one use thing. I don’t recommend eating lead but it really isn’t that serious of a threat. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/8 "2014-01-14T23:21:31Z")
Go to the Goodwill instead and buy better bowls cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/9 "2014-01-14T23:25:07Z")
Are these glazed ceramic bowls? Or some other type? ---
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/10 "2014-01-14T23:28:28Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Are these glazed ceramic bowls? Or some other type? Yes. It’s the glazed ceramic “cereal” bowls I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/11 "2014-01-14T23:51:30Z")
I second Goodwill or another thrift store. I assume there’s a reason you don’t want to buy disposable plastic or “chinet” bowls? ---
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/12 "2014-01-15T00:04:55Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I second Goodwill or another thrift store. I assume there’s a reason you don’t want to buy disposable plastic or “chinet” bowls? I heard that disposable plastic bowls have carcinogenic chemicals that can seep into food when heated. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/13 "2014-01-15T01:26:32Z")
The problem of which I am aware is lead in the glaze, originally found in tableware from Mexico - this was before all manufacturing moved to China. Two things: We are talking about ppm - parts per million 2 atoms of lead in a million of milk is not going to cause instant brain damage. Heat will accelerate leeching; if you are looking at cold cereal, 1-2 uses, it is like the question of a motorized wheelchair falling in a pool. A bunch of people thought the acid in the battery would require the pool to be drained. Ummm… This place has a small-medium sized pool. It contains 15,000 gallons of water. a cup of battery acid is less acid than I put in (batteries are sulfuric, pool used hydrochloride) to adjust the Ph. 1 or 2 atoms of lead consumed once or twice is not going to be all that toxic. Unless you are planing to eat the bowls, find something else to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/14 "2014-01-15T01:37:35Z")
> [@Themis00](#): > > I heard that disposable plastic bowls have carcinogenic chemicals that can seep into food when heated. You can hear a lot of things. What evidence do you have that bowls from the Dollar Store have lead or carcinogens. I know it’s possible and it has been reported in some dishware but I don’t think it’s been restricted to stuff found at the Dollar Store. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/15 "2014-01-15T07:04:25Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > For many reasons, I wouldn’t buy anything from a dollar store that goes in me or on me. The provenance of their goods, especially since the explosion of such stores (diluting the amount of “salvage” products available) is just too suspect. Counterfeit and substandard foods and medicines abound in that tier, and I wouldn’t be too sure about things like product safety, either. Dollar General isn’t a “dollar store” like Dollar Tree where everything costs $1.00. > **[Dollar General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General)** > > Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. > The company began in 1939 in Scottsville, Kentucky, as a family-owned business called J.L. Turner and Son, owned by James Luther Turner and Cal Turner. In 1955, the name changed to Dollar General Corporation, and in 1968 the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. The For... ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/16 "2014-01-15T13:23:14Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Go to the Goodwill instead and buy better bowls cheaper. That plan could easily backfire. A lot of the dishes you can buy at Goodwill were produced in the 1960s and '70s. That was before there were any U.S. regulations on lead content in ceramic dinnerware. Those regulations, I think, date from about 1980 and have been toughened since then. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/17 "2014-01-15T15:22:35Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Dollar General isn’t a “dollar store” like Dollar Tree where everything costs $1.00. > [Dollar General - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_General) All of the “dollar” and “ninety-nine cent” stores are essentially the same in that they sell salvage products like the original. There are variations in pricing, but nearly all maintain the same mix of brand-name products from wholesale resellers and salvage brokers, and (increasingly, and tipping their hand as to where quite a few of the products come from) dime-store Chinese ticky-tack products. When the CEO of the original chain (99 Cent Store?) went to expand the chain, it was pointed out that there wasn’t that much quality salvage available and he was going to have trouble stocking the larger chain with the same kind of goods. Now that there are thousands of competing stores, it’s a small percentage legitimate salvage, a larger part just cheap third-tier products, and some good part counterfeits and goods of questionable provenance. I buy junk in them all the time… but not for food or body use. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/18 "2014-01-15T19:31:24Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Only if there’s evidence that spending a bit more gets you healthier products. Dollar General, Dollar Tree, WalMart, and Target have large amounts of “Made in China” products. I’ve read too many articles about Chinese factories cutting corners and using lead in products that don’t need it. Even things like toys and drywall. Lead is cheap and it’s a good way to make something white and/or shiny. I don’t necessarily mean you need to spend a lot of money, I am about as thrifty as anyone. But personally I watch the labels and stay away from Chinese products that touch my food, my kid’s mouth, etc. Usually the Chinese products are a bit cheaper but lately I am seeing more Made in USA products on shelves for good prices. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/19 "2014-01-15T19:59:56Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Dollar General, Dollar Tree, WalMart, and Target have large amounts of “Made in China” products. So do lots of high end stores. I’m not saying don’t be wary but make sure you don’t jump out of one cheaply made and poisonous frying pan into a carcinogenic fire. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796/20 "2014-01-15T20:00:22Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > When the CEO of the original chain (99 Cent Store?) went to expand the chain, it was pointed out that there wasn’t that much quality salvage available and he was going to have trouble stocking the larger chain with the same kind of goods. Now that there are thousands of competing stores, it’s a small percentage legitimate salvage, a larger part just cheap third-tier products, and some good part counterfeits and goods of questionable provenance. I buy junk in them all the time… but not for food or body use. I agree that virtually all of the merchandise in dollar stores is new-in-box stuff packaged for such stores. And those “outlet malls” with the Ralph Lauren or the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet stores? People like to think that they’re getting the same stuff that was in the Saks or Nordstrom department stores in the upscale mall last season, but, for the most part, it’s not. The majority of the merchandise in those stores is manufactured for outlet store sales. BTW, I see that the OP was banned. So we’ll never find out why he or she didn’t want to just wash the bowls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-those-cheap-bowls-from-dollar-general-safe-to-eat-from/678796.md?page=2)