Lead is a toxic metal that enters the body through contaminated dust, food, water, or products of consumer use. As lead exposure may accumulate over time unnoticed, everyday objects require careful consideration, particularly where young children or expectant mothers live. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Rakesh Sharma, MOC Cancer Care, Gurugram, explains how everyday exposure to lead may affect health overtime.
There is insufficient evidence of a link between lead and cancer in humans, and any cancer risk from a specific household product would depend on the amount of lead released and the frequency of exposure. The US Food and Drug Administration drew public attention to some imported aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys cookware, which releases lead when cooking in them. There are also lead-based ceramic glazes, which might leak lead when cooking. Consider where you purchased and what your utensil is made of; do not use imported decorative ceramics for cooking and food storage unless it is explicitly stated that they are safe for this purpose. This is a characterisation of risk, but it does not imply that routine use of the material causes cancer.
“Another potential source of exposure is kitchen utensils ; however, this does not imply danger in regular pots and pans,” said Dr Sharma. “Inorganic lead compounds have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probably carcinogenic to humans,” highlighted Dr Sharma.
