Toxic cookware: lead exposure from aluminum pots in Bangladesh

Lead (Pb) is a potent neurotoxin, and exposure through household items is a public health concern, particularly for children. In Bangladesh, artisanal aluminum cookware made from scrap metal is a suspected but under-quantified source of exposure.

Here, we quantify Pb extraction from artisanal cookware and transfer to food to assess the risk to consumers.

We utilized two experimental approaches: (1) Pb extraction tests using 4% acetic acid to simulate liquid foods and (2) cooking plain rice and a rice dish, khichuri, to assess cooking solid foods.

Reaction with acetic acid revealed that Pb release is driven by acidity, usage history, and physical agitation, with abrasive scrubbing yielding the highest Pb concentrations. Scrubbing released around 5 times more Pb than use without scrubbing during the initial use, and nearly 3 times more Pb than use without scrubbing during the second use in new pots. Pb release was highest during the initial uses of new pots. Cooking rice also resulted in the release of Pb. In new pots, mean Pb contents in food reached 305 µg/kg for rice and 420 µg/kg for khichuri during the first use. Even after repeated use, initially new and used pots consistently yielded Pb contents that exceeded the FDA limit of 10 µg/kg in food intended for babies and young children.

Our findings demonstrate that artisanal aluminum cookware can represent an important source of dietary Pb exposure that should be considered in public health efforts to reduce Pb exposure. Importantly, Pb release was substantially greater from new pots than from used pots, with the highest concentrations observed during initial use followed by a progressive decline over time, suggesting that the most readily leachable Pb resides in the pot surface and is depleted with continued use.

Artisanal aluminum cookware is a significant and underrecognized source of dietary Pb exposure in Bangladesh. This study shows that Pb is readily released into food during typical cooking conditions at quantities consistently exceeding regulatory limits. Lead extraction is highest during the initial use of new pots and is further intensified by common practices such as abrasive cleaning, which accelerates surface degradation. These findings highlight a persistent Pb exposure pathway embedded in everyday food preparation and underscore the need for targeted interventions, improved manufacturing standards, and regulatory oversight to reduce Pb exposure at the household level.