Glass can have some horrible things in it, especially if you have any tinted glass.

So we aren't we all freaking out about it? Because glass is incredibly inert. All that stuff is very well bound within the material. Glass is not water soluble, and most glass is also fairly acid and base resistant.

You might not want to, say, drink out of a pitcher that has had pure lemon juice sitting in it for a few weeks, but otherwise, you're going to be just fine. You should probably worry more about the risk of inhaling lead from walking next to a high traffic street than this.

Your average, non-fancy glassware is unlikely to be lead glass, since it is more expensive than soda-lime. One way to try and guess by sight on unmarked glassware is that lead crystal usually has a much stronger "shine" to it. Hard to describe, but if you hold up a clean crystalware next to a clean soda-lime glass, there's a noticeable difference in how much more sparkly the lead glass is.

It's not likely that your plain glassware is made of lead crystal. The lead is added to glass not only to make it shinier but also to make the glass softer for the purpose of cutting it into crystal.
If the glass isn't crystal cut glass then you don't have to worry.

Also- You don't really need to worry anyway. The amount of lead that leeches into your liquid is minute.
The only don't when it comes to lead crystal is storing liquids over long periods of time. A crystal drinking glass, even one with liquid left in it for several hours, doesn't really pose any danger. The danger is in lead crystal decanters that people use to display their spirits and are left filled for several days, months, or years.

Haha, from the title I thought you meant that you were afraid of breaking them while having drinks.

I would not worry at all, either. Stuff in your drinks may be much more unhealthy than stuff you drink from.

They are probably Bohemian lead crystal glasses. You can drink from them just fine without any worries.

My brother did a science fair project on this subject in high school. With the help of a local lab he tested various liquids including wine, orange juice, etc in my mothers Waterford crystal. The results were that drinking out of the glasses is perfectly safe. However, storing liquids in a lead glass container, such as a decanter, is not advisable.

It's already been said, but I have a chemistry degree and can tell you that as long as you don't leave something like wine or juice in one of the glasses for a year and then drink it (ew) you'll be fine.

Lead CAN leach out from crystal but only over very long periods of time. Plus you're likely to be exposed to more lead from old house / road pipes, soil, and dust.

Yea, you'll get lead poisoning. No it's fine, don't worry.

If you're washing them in the dishwasher, make sure you use a china/crystal cycle and use the correct dose of detergent. I wash century old lead crystal, Riedel wine glasses- pretty much anything glass- and the secret in avoiding that etched look is the correct detergent and cycle. The higher the lead content, the easier it etches, but done right, everything is clean and sparkling.

They are very pretty! Are they Waterford? Just curious.

My parents have had a set that we've been using for decades and for the most part I've never thought twice about it as most of the prior commenters have mentioned.

Just be care about washing them the right way in order to preserve their quality-as also mentioned by other readers.

I believe they're fine for occasional use but just to put your mind at ease buy a lead test kit from the hardware store (about $5 and they're typically multi-use).

I have wine, champagne, and brandy glasses from my mother, they all test OK, however when I tested my great grandmother's crystal bowl it was off the charts.

Sweet merciful crap. A little knowledge really is a dangerous thing, isn't it.

Let's hope that Julie never discovers that there's mercury in CFL bulbs, or highly explosive sodium in her Doritos.

Grandma drank out of them and was fine, right?

Don't put them in the dishwasher and you'll be fine. The heat in the dishwasher will bring the lead to the surface of the glass, and if you pour something acidic in it (wine, anything with lemon...), the acid will dissolve the lead and you'll drink it. But as long as you wash them by hand, you'll be safe.

They're beautiful. Enjoy them!

Yes! They're safe to use. Wash them in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse, dry carefully and you can start using them right away. You'll love using your grandmother's glasses (and how great that they have lasted so long without getting broken!) Somehow wine tastes fabulous when you drink it from a crystal glass.

Glasses inherited from a grandmother still had stickers on the bottom?

Life is too short for such trivial details, pour yourself a glass of vino and have a cheers to Grandma!

I'm going to join in on the "they're safe" wagon. I figure if London's water pipes are lead and qualify as safe, then drinking out of leaded crystal is fine!

@p-zed that's EXACTLY what I was thinking

Lead crystal is usually more for display purposes than anything. Unless you're drinking something super acidic, I'm pretty sure it'd be safe to drink from them. But especially seeing as they're heirlooms, I'd just put them up on a shelf to admire.

Another reason not to store fluids in these glasses is that it will cloud the transparency which is incredibly difficult (and potentially expensive) to fix. Take care of them, definitely use them, but don't use them as vases or floating candle holders because you'll run the risk of permanently ruining them.

@Blandwagon, exploding Dorritos!!?? Oh No!! ;^)