I inherited a set of leaded crystal glasses from my grandmother a while back, and have been doing furious internet research on whether or not they are safe to drink from.
I haven’t turned up much. The best I can find is that you shouldn’t drink from them every day, and that vitamin C and Calcium help to counteract lead poisoning.
I also am having trouble finding out what the stickers on them mean. They each have one that says, “More than 24% PBo.”
I assume PB stands for lead, past that I’m lost. It would be so much more comforting for someone to just say how much lead is dangerous.
I can tell you more than 24% PbO means more than 24% lead oxide by weight. Lead crystal is typically postassium silicate glass doped with a certain amount of lead oxide, in this case, more than 24%.
After some googling, I came up with the following from the Harvard Health Letter, April 1991, investigating the storage of alcohol in lead crystal containers:
I should note that I’m fairly confident all of this is true, but I’m no doctor–just a glass researcher. I hope someone more qualified doper can give you a second opinion.