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CERAMIC AND POTTERY COOKWARE: A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF Pb
On July 5, 1998, the Health Division was notified by the Walla Walla (Wash.) City Health Department that a local resident had purchased a glazed terra cotta bean pot at a Mexican bakery in Milton-Free-water, Oregon, and cooked beans in it. This would not ordinarily be cause for a health advisory, but between mouthfuls the consumer had noticed silver flakes in the beans, and that the lid to the pot had turned a shiny silver. The bottom of the pot was marked, "Not for Food Use", but this had been overlooked or ignored. The purchaser had been advised by the retailer to 'cure' the pot with a salt water bath prior to cooking, which she had done.
Narrative taken from
October 13, 1998
CD Summary Issue
Vol.47 No.21
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The Washington Department of Health tested the pot using standard FDA procedures. The lid leached 1217 mg/l lead over 1000 times the FDA regulatory guidelines of 1 mg/l lead for hollo-ware. (The limit is 0.5 mg/l for pitchers, cups, and mugs; 3.0 mg/l for plates.) Although the FDA regulates the importation of these products, certain items may be allowed to exceed the guideline if they are designed for a solely decorative purpose and are permanently labeled "Not for Food Use: May Poison Food" on the bottom of the product. Other items must be rendered physically unusable for food use by drilling holes in the bottom or other means if they do not meet this decorative use exception. Unfortunately, some of these items are imported illegally, intentionally misclassified to escape scrutiny, or are altered once in the United States to hide the warning statement.
"1000 ISLAND, ITALIAN, EDTA?"
OHS personnel collected representative products (bean pots, cups, pitchers, serving bowls, plates, etc.) from Mexican mercados or tiendas in Portland, Medford, Woodburn, Umatilla, and Walla Walla. The pottery was analyzed at the Oregon DEQ lab. Of the 13 pieces tested, 11 (85%) exceeded the FDA limits. One green pitcher, sold for use with orange juice, had 880 mg/l of leachable lead. A 4-bowl condiment serving dish, used for salsa, guacamole and other condiments, leached 6290 mg/l of lead. The worst was a salad plate: 9170 mg/l.
DISCUSSION
These terra cotta pots and other traditional ceramic products are widely distributed throughout Oregon and Washington. The pottery, made of red or white clay, may be glazed on the interior or exterior, and is often painted with colorful designs and flowers on the outside; some pieces have a dark green glaze. Many people, particularly Latinos, may use them to cook beans or serve traditional foods like salsa; or will use pitchers to hold orange juice, other acidic beverages, or water. Some of this pottery is labeled "not for food use," but the labels may be missing or ignored. Some retailers have erroneously reassured consumers that the pots can be made safe by various methods of preparation or curing such as boiling salt water, lemon juice, or milk in them. Consumption of food prepared or stored in improperly fired ceramic pottery is a known cause of lead exposure and has caused dangerously high levels in children, sometimes after only brief use. For example, the blood lead level of a seven-year-old child of a US Embassy worker in Mexico City soared from 23 to 95 g/dl after drinking fruit punch stored in a ceramic pitcher over a 3-4 day period.1 Some of the products collected in the local area demonstrated very high levels of leachable lead. These products cannot be made safe for food or beverage use by 'curing' or other treatment methods and should not be used for food preparation, serving, or storage.
ACTION
Patients presenting with complaints compatible with lead toxicity should be questioned regarding the use of ceramic pottery for food or beverage preparation or storage. Traditional ceramic vessels common to other non-Hispanic ethnic groups also pose a risk of lead toxicity. Screening questions to identify children at risk of lead toxicity should include household use of these products. The special vulnerability of children from these and other sources of environmental lead underscores the need for blood lead screening in children to identify asymptomatic cases.
REFERENCE
1. Matte TD, Proops D, Palazuelos E, Graef J, Herna-dez Avila M. Acute high-dose lead exposure from beverage contaminated by traditional Mexican pottery. Lancet 1994;344:1064-65.
For additional information:
Enviromental Defense Fund
http://www.edf.org/pubs/brochures/leadinchina
National Lead Information Center
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/lead.htm
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
http://www.fda.gov:80/opacom/backgrounders/ lead.html
(Spanish) http://www.fda.gov:80/opacom/catalog/leadspan.html
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