Fiestaware Ceramics

Do you know what Fiestaware is? The tableware is a glazed ceramic brand that was first produced in the 1930s. It's still produced today and is possibly the most well-known Chinese product made in America.

Fiestaware was available in a small number of glaze-related colors in the 1930s. The most widely used and most expensive Fiestaware was red.

This was made possible by the addition of uranium oxide, which was necessary to generate the red color. And as a result, the dinnerware became radioactive. There wasn't an immediate risk because the amounts were regarded as minimal, like other radioactive elements at the time. But a radioactive spark plug and a salad bowl are not the same thing.

There has been some concern that over time, frequent use, particularly exposure to things like scrapes from silverware and etching from acidic foods, could enable the radioactive substances to leak out of the glaze and be consumed. Additionally, swallowing uranium is far worse than merely retaining it. The radioactive coating was eventually dropped and replaced with something safer, although many goods were still sold with it.