FDA adds 3 cookware products sold in Chicago area to lead exposure warning

The list of cookware products that could leach lead into your food has grown, and now includes several items from Chicago-area retailers, according to a new alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The updated alert, released late last week, adds three additional products to the list of items that “may leach significant levels of lead into food” when used for cooking or food storage. Two were retailed in Schaumburg, and a third was in Hoffman Estates.

The original alert was issued in August.

Here’s what to know:

Which cookware products were listed?

The products tested by the FDA and found to have the potential to leach lead into food include the following:

Brand and Product Name (Product Label)	Retailer	Manufacturer/Distributor	Product Photo(s)	Recall Status
Kadai/Karahi Tiger White(PURE ALLUMINIUM UTENSILS TM TIGER WHITE RTM NO: 2608606 AN ISO 9001:2015 Certified Co. SARASWATI STRIPS PVT. LTD. INDIA)	Mannan Supermarket 166-11 Hillside Ave. 1st FL, Jamaica, NY 11432, New York	SARASWATI STRIPS PVT. LTD.		FDA unable to identify the distributor responsible for effectuating a recall*
Silver Horse (7 6554273084 5 Aluminium Mathar Kadai 26) Added to Table 9/12/25	Patel Brothers830 W. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60194-1328	Goyal Group Inc.179 Express St., Plainview, NY 11803		Distributor notification in progress
Silver Horse (7 6554272863 7 Aluminium Milk Pan 4) Added to Table 9/12/25	Patel Brothers830 W. Golf Rd.,Schaumburg, IL 60194-1328	Goyal Group Inc.179 Express St.Plainview, NY 11803		Distributor notification in progress
JK Vallabhdas(Aluminium Kadai India Bazaar #3 2000000772) Added to Table 9/12/25	INDIACO15 Golf Ctr., #17,Hoffman Estates, IL 60169-4910	Grain Market LLC12626 International Pkwy.Dallas, TX		Distributor notification in progress

But the concern isn’t limited to the tested items noted, officials said, noting that other products could be affected and will be added to the list with testing ongoing.

Increased lead exposure can come from cookware products made from “aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium.”

What should you do if you have the impacted cookware products?

The FDA warned consumers to “check their homes” for the tested items and throw any such cookware away.

“Do not donate or refurbish this cookware,” the FDA alert states.

Those who have concerns about possible lead exposure should also contact a health care provider.

What are the impacts of lead exposure?

“Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status, and there is no known safe level of exposure to lead,” the FDA said. “Even low levels of lead exposure can cause serious health problems, particularly in children and fetuses. Consuming food with elevated lead levels can contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.”

Children and babies are most at-risk, according to the FDA, due to their “smaller body size, metabolism, and rapid growth.”

What are the symptoms of lead exposure?

The symptoms of lead exposure can mirror many things, which can make them difficult to detect, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The FDA reported children with low levels of exposure may not show obvious symptoms, but could experience things like “trouble learning, low IQ, and behavior changes.”

At higher levels, particularly within a short period of time, the CDC reported people may experience the following symptoms:

• Metallic taste
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Dehydration, headache, exhaustion, irritability, weakness
• Appetite loss
• Memory loss
• Pain or tingling in your hands or feet

Over long periods of time things like abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, depression, altered moods or behaviors, forgetfulness and increased blood pressure are all possible.

What else to watch for?

Last November, NBC 5 Responds reported on a study that warned consumers about the use of black plastic cooking utensils and food containers.

“What we found in our study was that flame retardants were popping up in black plastic household items like kitchen utensils, food service wear items like sushi trays and toys,” said Megan Liu, with Toxic Free Future and co-author of the new study published in Chemosphere magazine. Liu explains flame retardants are intentionally added into electronic enclosures like the plastic casing around tv’s or monitors- as a way to prevent fires.

But when those items are recycled into other consumer goods – like black plastic utensils or storage containers- those fire retardants remain in high concentrations

“We also know that flame retardants are able to leach out of kitchen utensils and into food,” said Liu.

Multiple studies have established the chemical compounds in flame retardants can cause thyroid disease, certain cancers,  endocrine disruption and even death.

Read more here.