It's also become a sticky legal matter. Check out the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. If you have more than 90ppm lead on the surface of anything that will be used (or perhaps even contacted) by a child under 12 you are subject to substantial fines ($10K or so). That's why BoC put a ban on metallic reduction glass surfaces. Some metallic glass surfaces are silver, zinc or manganese but some are lead and you can't tell the difference by looking at them.
I've tested quite a few colors and lead isn't that common anymore but it turns up now and then. Lead is disappearing quickly from new formulations but a lot of the old stock is still out there moving through the market.
IMHO it's a reasonable question to ask of your suppliers.
Robert
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Robert Simmons
(Former) Director for Bead Donations
Beads of Courage, Inc.
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