Many of you out there who cherish their old porcelain bathtubs will be heartbroken to learn that porcelain enamel bathtubs have been found to be an unexpected source of lead.

High lead levels have been traced to bathtubs in a number of different cases. One was when a 66-year-old man underwent personality changes, became irritable, aggressive, and paranoid. His doctor found that he had severe short term memory loss, abdominal pain, and constipation. It turns out he received severe lead poisoning after drinking wine made from grapes soaked in a bathtub with a lead enamel glaze.

Another case involved children with high lead levels, and the source was traced to the porcelain bathtub.

You can test your bathtub with special lead-checking test swabs.
Lead Check

You can learn about materials that can seal in the lead here:
Reglazing.

and here:
Reglazing2.