Your Aluminum Pots May Be Leaching Lead

Aluminum pots and pans can leach lead into your food. Not just cheap imported ones. Some aluminum cookware available for purchase in the United States also tests positive. A study on aluminum cookware found it represents a potential source of lead exposure.

What the Research Found

Published in Environmental Research (2024), the study evaluated aluminum cookware as a source of lead exposure. Researchers previously found that aluminum cookware brought from Afghanistan by resettled families contained concerning lead levels. Then they found the same problem in cookware sold domestically in the U.S.

Lead is a neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure. It's especially damaging to children. The CDC says no amount of lead in blood is considered safe for kids. Lead exposure causes permanent intellectual damage, behavioral problems, and developmental delays.

The Cookware Problem

Aluminum is soft. It scratches easily. Scratches increase the surface area that contacts food. If the aluminum contains lead (as an impurity or additive), that lead goes into what you're cooking. Acidic foods like tomato sauce and citrus speed up the process.

Some aluminum cookware also uses lead-containing solder or paint on the exterior that can migrate through the metal over time.

Stainless steel (specifically 18/8 or 304 grade) doesn't leach lead. Cast iron doesn't leach lead. Glass doesn't leach lead. These are the safe alternatives. Browse non-toxic kitchen alternatives to replace aluminum cookware.

Also see glass food containers for safer alternatives.

Source: Evaluating metal cookware as a source of lead exposure (2024). Environ Res.