These Pots and Pans Could Be Poisoning Your Food With Lead, FDA Warns

Inspect the cookware in your cabinets. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added three more pots and pans, all sold in Illinois, to its ongoing list of products that may leach significant levels of lead into your food when used for cooking or storage.

Some types of imported cookware products made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium have been tested by FDA and found to leach lead into food when used for cooking, making food unsafe.

The most recent products added to the list are Silver Horse's Aluminium Mathar Kadai 26 and Aluminium Milk Pan 4 and JK Vallabhdas' Aluminium Kadai India Bazaar. The original recall warning was issued for Saraswati Strips Pvt. Ltd., an Indian aluminum cookware company that sells Tiger White brand cookware.

A complete list of products with retailer and manufacturer info and photos can be found on the FDA's updated notice. The FDA advises consumers to check their homes for any of the affected cookware and to throw it away. Do not donate or refurbish it.

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The FDA and the agency's state partners will continue to test some types of imported cookware made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys to determine their safety. 

Lead, even at small levels, is toxic to humans and can cause health problems, particularly in infants and babies, who are more susceptible due to their smaller body size, metabolism, and rapid growth, according to the FDA. Per the agency, "young children, women of child-bearing age, and those who are breastfeeding may be at higher risk for potential adverse events after eating food cooked using these products."

At low levels of exposure, children can experience trouble learning, a low IQ, and behavior changes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At higher levels, people may experience fatigue, headache, stomach pain, vomiting, or neurologic changes. If you have concerns about lead exposure or elevated levels of lead, contact your health care provider.

The FDA encourages retailers and distributors to consult the agency regarding the safety and regulatory status of any products used in contact with food that they market or distribute.