Aluminum pots and pans are widely used in many parts of the world. They are affordable, lightweight, and easy to find in local markets, making them a practical choice for everyday cooking.1 In many low and middle-income countries (LMICs), aluminum cookware is more common than stainless steel or other alternatives.1,2 While aluminum cookware is an important household staple, it can potentially raise concerns about safety if it is produced from unsafe materials. While aluminum cookware is an important household staple, it can potentially raise concerns about safety if it is produced from unsafe materials.
Recent studies have shown that some aluminum pots are made from recycled scrap metal, including car parts, batteries, and electronics.2,3 These materials can introduce lead into the cookware. Then, the lead in the cookware can be released into the food, a process called leaching. Heat and acidic ingredients (like vinegar, lemons, or tomatoes) can increase the breakdown of the cookware’s surface.1-3 This breakdown increases the amount of lead that can dissolve into the food. As a result, repeated use of contaminated cookware increases the risk of families being exposed to unsafe levels of lead.2,3
Why It Matters
Cookware is used in homes every day, and the possibility of lead leaching into food represents an important public health concern. Studies have shown that lead can continue to leach into food even after cooking. In some cases, pots left at room temperature for 24 hours released more lead during storage than they did while cooking.1-4
Lead levels in products are measured in units called parts per million (ppm), which describes how many parts of lead are present for every one million parts of the whole product. To put this in perspective, U.S. regulations ban lead above very small amounts in certain products: no more than 90 ppm in paint and surface coatings and no more than 100 ppm in the accessible parts of children’s products 5 While cookware is not currently regulated under these standards, the comparison shows why lead in pots in homes can be a serious concern.
This everyday risk matters because lead is a toxic heavy metal, and there is no safe level of exposure. Children are most at risk because their bodies absorb lead more easily and it can affect their brain development, learning, and behavior. During pregnancy, lead can also move from the mother’s body to the baby through the placenta.6
Cookware and Lead: What the Research Shows
Research from different countries shows a consistent pattern: aluminum cookware made from recycled metal can release lead into food.
One study tested 113 aluminum pots collected from 25 LMICs. Using a handheld scanner called X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the researchers measured how much lead was in the pots and found levels ranging from less than 5 ppm up to nearly 16,000 ppm. Then, to mimic everyday cooking, they boiled a vinegar-like solution in the pots for two hours. More than half of the pots leached lead into the liquid at levels above the World Health Organization’s safe drinking water guideline of 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L). In the worst case, the amount of lead was nearly 2,900 µg/L.1
Additional studies have shown that cooking conditions and storage time influence the results. In Washington State, pressure cookers brought by Afghan refugee families were tested and found to release higher amounts of lead (up to 398 µg per serving after 15 minutes of simmering, and up to 1,940 µg per serving after 24 hours of room-temperature storage) during cooking simulations. Parts made of brass, such as vent pipes (small tubes that release steam as pressure builds inside the cooker), were identified as a particular source of lead. The amount released reached concentrations that would far exceed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s interim reference level of 2.2 µg per day for children.3,7
More recent testing of Hindalium and brass cookware from India, as well as aluminum pots sold online in the United States, reported similar findings. Some brass cookware contained over 10,000 ppm of lead, and one hindalium appam pan leached 12.3 µg/mL after 24 hours (12,300 µg/L), which would exceed the FDA interim reference level for children (2.2 µg/day) by more than 1,000 times.4,8 These findings confirm that the risk is not limited to refugee households or markets abroad, but also extends to cookware releasing lead available for purchase in the U.S. and other high income countries.
Moving Forward
Increased awareness about the potential for lead exposure from aluminum cookware and encouraging safer alternatives is needed moving forward. Stainless steel cookware has been shown to leach much lower levels of lead compared to aluminum or brass, and none of the stainless steel items tested exceeded the FDA’s interim reference levels for children or adults.3,4
Some states are beginning to respond to this issue. In Washington, lawmakers have already taken this step by enacting a law restricting lead in cookware. The law was first passed in 2024 with a proposed limit of 5 ppm, but was revised in 2025 to apply specifically to aluminum and brass cookware, cookware components (such as lids, rivets, and valves), and utensils.8 This represents the first state-level law in the nation addressing lead in cookware and sets an important precedent for stronger national and international standards.
Experts have called for regulatory thresholds for cookware, such as screening aluminum cookware for an excess of 100 ppm lead.1,4 They also recommend including cookware assessments in refugee and immigrant health screenings to better identify families who may be at risk.3 Education and outreach are further emphasized for communities where artisanal or scrap metal cookware is commonly used.2
Stronger regulation, safer production methods, and public health action are needed to protect populations at greater risk of exposure.
Learn More
The Nevada Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (NvCLPPP) provides information and resources to help families reduce exposure to lead. To learn more about global research on lead in cookware, visit www.pureearth.org or www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead.
References
- Binkhorst G, Jones B, Sargsyan A, Van Geen A, Wagner K. Potential lead exposure from aluminum cooking pots in lower and middle-income countries. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2025;492:138134. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138134
- Weidenhamer JD, Kobunski PA, Kuepouo G, Corbin RW, Gottesfeld P. Lead exposure from aluminum cookware in Cameroon. Science of The Total Environment. 2014;496:339-347. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.07.016
- Fellows KM, Samy S, Rodriguez Y, Whittaker SG. Investigating aluminum cookpots as a source of lead exposure in Afghan refugee children resettled in the United States. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022;32(3):451-460. doi:10.1038/s41370-022-00431-y
- Fellows KM, Samy S, Whittaker SG. Evaluating metal cookware as a source of lead exposure. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025;35(3):342-350. doi:10.1038/s41370-024-00686-7
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ban on Lead-Containing Paint and Certain Consumer Products Bearing Lead-Containing Paint. Vol 16 C.F.R. Part 1303.; 2009. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/part-1303
- Lead poisoning. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
- Flannery BM, Middleton KB. Updated interim reference levels for dietary lead to support FDA’s Closer to Zero action plan. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2022;133:105202. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105202
- Rule 420-4-1-.10 – Notification of Public Health and Regulatory Authorities of the Presence of Lead. Legal Information Institute (LII), Cornell Law School. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://admincode.legislature.state.al.us/administrative-code/420-4-1-.10