Posted on 09/15/2025 7:04:49 PM PDT by fluorescence
Certain brands of imported cookware are likely to leach “significant levels” of lead into food, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration said in a consumer warning Friday.
Officials tested a number of cookware products made from aluminum, brass and aluminum alloys known as “Hindalium” and “Indalium” and determined that they may release lead into food during the cooking process, the FDA said.
No level of lead is safe for human ingestion. Young children, women of childbearing age and mothers who are breastfeeding face the highest health risks in eating food tainted with the toxic metal, officials said.
The FDA said consumers should refrain from using cookware bearing the brand names Tiger White, Silver Horse and JK Vallabhdas. Federal officials said they were in the process of contacting distributors of the merchandise. How does lead get into cookware?
In a report earlier this year, the Journal of Hazardous Materials said aluminum recycling in some countries may lack quality controls that filter out impurities.
“The Pb-containing alloys may be included inadvertently when aluminum feedstock includes scrap metal items such as discarded engine parts, vehicle radiators, computer parts, old aluminum pots, and various other materials,” the journal said.
Lead “may also be intentionally added to metallic alloys, including aluminum, to increase the machinability of the metal,” according to the article.
Lots of videos from India showing off the skill of their small-scale factories that manufacture pots out of melted-down old car parts and so on.
its really hard to trust anything anymore . everywhere you turn is something toxic
I mostly just use my Revere Ware set from 1978. Copper clad bottoms. :)
I have a selection of cast iron skillets I use plus my steady stainless steel Revere wear from nearly 50 yrs ago ..hubby got it for me our first Christmas and we are closing in on 50 yrs in 2 weeks...geez..it goes by so fast.
Lodge cast iron, De Buyer carbon steel, Le Creuset enamel cast iron. Calphalon commercial anodized without any nonstick coating the OG versions that are special order now. A slew of Calphalon stainless stock pots 8-32qt sizes, braizers,and sauteuse pans the induction ready kind big boys in 4,6,8 qt
Accept no substitutes. Quality cookware will last a lifetime it’s a one time investment.
I eat wild caught tuna & salmon every week. Both are loaded with mercury & lead. Still no health issues at age 85. I ignore all click bait fear mongering articles.
Bet you don’t need a nightlight to find your way to the bathroom at night. ;)
Yeah, they just take the last 50 years of regulations and discard them all.
3rd world ethics are incompatible with 1st world countries. Bringing them here isn't the solution either; it's not magic dirt that grants them intellect and ethics. They bring their values (or more accurately, lack of them) with them.
American vintage cast iron and Revere Ware here.
I can find my way to bathroom without lights and I have not been sick since 1990.
I have taken to buying old USA-made cookware on ebay.
They thrown in lead pellets to make the aluminum recycling pay more.
“recycling in some countries may lack quality controls that filter out impurities.”
I watch those “amazing manufacturing” videos from Pakistan. Everything goes in to the cauldron. Horrible working conditions and zero inspection or quality control.
I burst out laughing when one company was making PVC pipe out of who know what, that had some little kid feeding some ground up garbage in to the extrusion press and they printed “ISO 9001 Certified.” Hahahaha. Bunch of scamming frauds.
Bfl
I use stainless steel pans as I can taste the non stick stuff.
I have watched a lot of those videos. You have to admire their resourcefulness and their ‘nothing gets wasted’ ethos. They changed my mind entirely about plastic recycling. But there is a downside. There must be a law against covering belts and gears and other moving parts. People in foundries working in bare feet. No PPE of any kind. Most work done sitting on the floor holding the work with your feet. If we ever wound up in a worldwide post-apocalyptic situation, I don’t think these guys would notice.
I use Demeyere.
Heavy but they don’t move around when cooking and hold heat.
so what’s the best product to buy?
Hasn’t that been a problem for decades ... cookware contaminating food? And not necessarily from India. Teflon?
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