Traditional pottery imported from china or other countries may be improperly glazed, and the glaze used to make the pottery may contain large amounts of lead and other heavy metals. Chinese Ceramic wares were randomly selected from products available in the shops at Zaria, Kano and Kaduna markets in Nigeria, and analyzed to determine the levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co, and Mn) in the products. All the ceramic wares contain heavy metals in varying concentrations. The results ranged from 218.83-866.67 μgg-1, 21.67-55.00 μgg-1, 155.00-778.00 μgg-1,163.33-548.33 μgg-1, 2233.33-6500.00 μgg-1, 111.67-436.67 μgg-1, 250.00- 835.00 μgg-1, 2533.33-6783.33 μgg-1 for Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co and Mn respectively. About 60% of the ceramic ware shows Pb concentration higher than 500 μgg-1 recommended by USFDA (1988) whereas Cadmium levels are generally low being less than 60 μgg-1. With the observed high levels of heavy metals in the ceramics used in this study, it is possible that acidic substances can easily induce leaching of these metals.
