The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a letter to retailers and distributors of cookware products to inform them that certain imported cookware products made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium, demonstrate the potential to leach lead into food and that this cookware should not be distributed or sold in the U.S. market.
The FDA was made aware of this issue through collaboration with the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County (PHSKC) on their testing of imported cookware and associated high blood lead levels in resettled refugee populations. For a list of the cookware products that may leach lead, view the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County Table of Cookware That Contains Lead. As cooking with these products could cause lead to leach into food, there is a potential for the use of these products to contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.
If consumers believe that they have consumed food cooked in the products identified on PHSKC’s website or are concerned that they or their family may have symptoms of lead toxicity, the FDA recommends they contact their healthcare provider. To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), visit Industry and Consumer Assistance. If consumers believe they possess a cookware product that may leach lead based on the information provided by PHSKC, we strongly encourage them to replace the cookware product of concern.
The potential for adverse health effects from consuming food contaminated with lead vary depending on the level of lead in the food; age of the consumer; length, amount, and frequency of exposure to lead in the food; and other exposures to different sources of lead. For example, the very young are particularly vulnerable to the potential harmful effects from lead exposure because of their smaller body sizes and rapid metabolism and growth. High levels of exposure to lead in utero, infancy, and early childhood can lead to neurological effects such as learning disabilities, behavior difficulties, and lowered IQ.
Based on information provided by PHSKC, in March 2022, the FDA added the manufacturer of the cookware, Rashko Baba Co. Ltd., to an FDA import alert in an effort to prevent further sale of these products in the domestic U.S. market. The FDA also worked to provide PHSKC with an appropriate testing method in June 2023, to determine if lead would leach out of cookware under conditions that would mimic the use of these products when cooking food. In the spring of 2023, PHSKC was successful in getting some cookware products removed from online retail sites.
Because there may be similar products, including Rashko Baba products subject to FDA’s import alert, that remain on the U.S. market, the FDA is issuing this letter to retailers and distributors of cookware products. The FDA will continue to work with other public health officials such as PHSKC, as well as distributors and retailers of cookware, to remove unsafe products from the market and to further investigate cookware that may leach lead into food.
Additional Information
- Lead in Food and Foodwares
- Public Health Department of Seattle and King County Table of Cookware That Contains Lead
- Health Effects of Lead Exposure | CDC
- Help Protect Children from Environmental Contaminants: Healthy Food Choices for Your Baby Aged 6-12 Months | FDA
- Investigating aluminum cookpots as a source of lead exposure in Afghan refugee children resettled in the United States | PHSKC
- Evaluating metal cookware as a source of lead exposure | PHSKC