>The five mugs chosen for this study were selected because they were found to contain lead in a screening-level assessment. Specifically, 24 mugs from the autho

>The five mugs chosen for this study were selected because they were found to contain lead in a screening-level assessment. Specifically, 24 mugs from the authors’ office were tested This is an interesting (and maybe not too rigorous) method of selecting research samples, and points towards the need for another study: How representative was this 5:24 ratio of lead bearing mugs? Greater or less than what you would find in the broader mug population? It's also fun to imagine how the researchers came about this: --Was it boredom? ("Hey Shannon, I'm in between projects, how about we go see if there's anything in the kitchen area that could be dangerous?") --Maybe serendipitous? ("Shannon, I just read an excellent novel that happened to mention the role that lead plays in ceramics an enamel finishes. Let's have go at the office mug collection and see what we find!") --Brute force? ("Lead seems to get into everything these days... let's test every single thing in the office.")