The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about 19 types of cookware that may contain lead, increasing the risk that the toxic metal could wind up in people’s food.
Consumers should check whether they have the items in their homes, and throw them away if they do, the FDA said in an alert posted on its website.
“Do not donate or refurbish this cookware,” the agency noted.
The suspect cookware, all manufactured outside the U.S. and mostly in India, is made from aluminum, aluminum alloys and brass that have been tested by the FDA and state agencies, with the results showing that they can leach lead into food.
The FDA’s warning expands on its August alert about the cookware, with the agency adding nine products to its list of items to discard due to the risk of lead exposure.
According to the FDA, any exposure to lead is considered unsafe, with even low levels of exposure potentially causing serious health problems. Lead poisoning can lead to symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, memory loss, and pain or tingling in your hands or feet, among other issues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children are especially sensitive to lead, which can damage their brains and nervous systems, slowing their growth and development, the agency says. Women of childbearing age and new mothers who are breastfeeding their infants are also at risk for lead poisoning, the FDA notes.
The agency advises consumers who are concerned they may have been exposed to lead to contact their health care provider.
Below are the cookware products the FDA says should be discarded, along with the manufacturer or distributor when that is specified. The items were sold by a handful of retailers in states including California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, as well as Washington, D.C. The FDA didn’t specify if the products were sold more widely, but noted that other items could be added to its alert.
- Sonex aluminum pot (Manufacturer: Sonex Cookware)
- IKM aluminum saucepan, size 2 with a 9″ wooden handle (Manufacturer: JSM Foods)
- IKM 4-quarter pital brass pot (Manufacturer: JSM Foods)
- Brass tope (Manufacturer: Kraftwares)
- Aluminum kadai size 5 (Distributor: Lotus Mom)
- Silver Horse aluminum caldero 28
- Silver Horse aluminum degda 24
- Silver Horse aluminum degda 20
- Silver Horse kadai 26
- Silver Horse aluminum milk pan 4
- Chef Milk pan, 24 centimeters (Distributor: Shata Traders)
- Aluminum hammered kadai, size 7 (Distributor: Indian Cookware & Appliance
- Brass pot (sold at Santos Agency)
- Dolphin brand aluminum saucepan
- 2-quart aluminum saucepan (Distributor: Win Chong Trading Corp.)
- 3-quart aluminum saucepan (Distributor: Win Chong Trading Corp.)
- Royal Kitchen cookware, milk pan size 3 (Distributor: New Reliance Traders)
- Tiger White kadai
- JK Vallabhdas aluminum kadai (Grain Market)
A kadai is a type of wide pan used in South Asian cooking, while a degda is a type of pot often used to cook rice. A tope is another type of pot used in South Asian cooking.
The FDA urged retailers and distributors to contact the agency with any questions about the safety and regulatory status of any products they sell that are used to prepare food. Contact the FDA at premarkt@fda.hhs.gov.
