The saucer is from an antique dish set she bought for her granddaughter's wedding. But a test by the Tooele County Health Department last week revealed the plate contains almost 400 times the amount of lead considered to be safe.

"I don't want to give her something that's not going to be good for her," Anderson said.

Still, the test can't tell her if the lead is leaching out and can be ingested.

Since the fall, Utah health departments have tested thousands of household items, mostly dinnerware or cooking dishes. The testing sessions were spurred by residents concerned about recalls of lead-contaminated toys made in China and accounts of lead found in everyday dinnerware.

About one-third of the items tested positive or showed they contained dangerous amounts of lead, according to statistics from departments covering Salt Lake, Tooele, Davis, Weber and Morgan counties.

But officials offer no clear advice about what to do. It depends, they say. Are the plates used every day? Is the paint cracked? Do they hold hot foods or beverages? Are they used in the microwave or to serve such acidic foods as salsa, which make lead leach out more quickly?

If the answers are yes, it may make sense to return the offending goods, or throw them out.

"We've really left it up to the consumers," said Greg Mortensen, an environmental scientist who operated testing equipment in Tooele on Thursday and previously at other sites.

Lead poisoning can lead to learning disabilities. At high levels, it can be deadly. It often occurs without symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The United States banned the use of lead in dishes and cookware in 1978, so any dish made before then likely has lead. And lead is still used in other countries.

Caren Atkinson wanted to know whether the autumn-patterned plate she recently purchased was contaminated, because it was made in China. It was.

"I think I'm going to call TJ Maxx and see if they'll take it back," she said. "I don't want my family to be eating on something that could be potentially dangerous."

In all the testing sites, Corelle and CorningWare brands, made by the same U.S. company, were consistently lead-free. Still, the label "Made in the U.S.A." doesn't guarantee safety, according to the test results.

In Davis County, much of the tested kitchenware was holiday items, and most of it tested positive. But deep reds and golds aren't a telltale sign, noted Susan Fox, in charge of Salt Lake County's lead safe housing program. "Just by looking at it you couldn't tell," she said.

hmay@sltrib.com

Steps you can take

* Should you use, or lose, a dish that contains lead? Health officials suggest weighing how often the dish is used and whether it serves hot or acidic foods that can encourage leaching.

* How should you dispose of tainted dishes? Place items in the trash intact, health officials say, because breaking them could create lead-tainted dust.

* What else to do: If you are concerned that you or your family may have been exposed to lead, seek a blood test from your health-care provider. And eat right. A diet rich in calcium, iron and vitamin C helps prevent lead absorption.