Evaluating metal cookware as a source of lead exposure.

BACKGROUND: We previously demonstrated that aluminum cookware brought from Afghanistan by resettled families as well as some aluminum cookware available for purchase in the United States represent a previously unrecognized source of lead exposure. However, the extent to which this cookware represents a source of lead exposure to other United States residents is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To test additional cookware for lead content and its propensity to leach lead and other toxic metals. This will further our understanding of the extent to which this cookware represents a lead poisoning risk in the United States and elsewhere. METHODS: We screened an additional 28 pieces of aluminum cookware and 5 brass items for lead content using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and used our leachate method to estimate the amount of lead that migrates into food. We also tested 17 additional stainless steel items to determine whether they would be safer alternatives. RESULTS: Many aluminum cookware products contained in excess of 100 parts per million (ppm) of lead. Many also leached enough lead under simulated cooking and storage conditions to exceed recommended dietary limits. One hindalium appam pan (an Indian frying pan/wok) leached sufficient lead to exceed the childhood limit by 1400-fold. Brass cookpots from India also yielded high lead levels, with one exceeding the childhood limit by over 1200-fold. In contrast, stainless steel cookware leached much lower levels of lead. IMPACT: Aluminum and brass cookware available for purchase in the United States represents a previously unrecognized source of lead exposure.

Investigating aluminum cookpots as a source of lead exposure in Afghan refugee children resettled in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Afghan refugee children resettled in Washington State have the highest prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of any other refugee or immigrant population. Resettled families brought several lead-containing items with them from Afghanistan, including aluminum cookpots. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential contribution of lead-containing cookpots to elevated BLLs in Afghan children and determine whether safer alternative cookware is available. METHODS: We screened 40 aluminum cookpots for lead content using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer and used a leachate method to estimate the amount of lead that migrates into food. We also tested five stainless steel cookpots to determine whether they would be safer alternatives. RESULTS: Many aluminum cookpots contained lead in excess of 100 parts per million (ppm), with a highest detected concentration of 66,374 ppm. Many also leached sufficient lead under simulated cooking and storage conditions to exceed recommended dietary limits. One pressure cooker leached sufficient lead to exceed the childhood limit by 650-fold. In contrast, stainless steel cookpots leached much lower levels of lead. SIGNIFICANCE: Aluminum cookpots used by refugee families are likely associated with elevated BLLs in local Afghan children. However, this investigation revealed that other U.S. residents, including adults and children, are also at risk of poisoning by lead and other toxic metals from some imported aluminum cookpots. IMPACT STATEMENT: Some aluminum cookware brought from Afghanistan by resettled families as well as cookpots available for purchase in the United States represent a previously unrecognized source of lead exposure.

Perchloroethylene and Dry Cleaning: It's Time to Move the Industry to Safer Alternatives.

Perchloroethylene (PERC) is the most common solvent used for dry cleaning in the United States. PERC is a reproductive toxicant, neurotoxicant, potential human carcinogen, and a persistent environmental pollutant. The Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating PERC under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (amended TSCA), and has mandated that PERC dry cleaning machines be removed from residential buildings. Some local and state programs are also requiring or facilitating transitions to alternative cleaning technologies. However, the potential for these alternatives to harm human health and the environment is not well-understood. This review describes the issues surrounding the use of PERC and alternative solvents for dry cleaning while highlighting the lessons learned from a local government program that transitioned PERC dry cleaners to the safest current alternative: professional wet cleaning. Implications for future public health research and policy are discussed: (1) we must move away from PERC, (2) any transition must account for the economic instability and cultural aspects of the people who work in the industry, (3) legacy contamination must be addressed even after safer alternatives are adopted, and (4) evaluations of PERC alternatives are needed to determine their implications for the long-term health and sustainability of the people who work in the industry.