Skeletal Evidence Of Lead Poisoning Ceramics Mexico
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13 children who developed lead encephalopathy with blood lead concentrations more than 100 μg dl often had chips of lead paint visible on abdominal plain films.
Skeletal evidence of lead poisoning ceramics mexico. Mexico is the sixth largest lead producing country in the world and 40 of its production is used locally in different industrial processes that cause lead contamination of the environment. Lead paint dust and soil. Already it is illegal to import into the united states pottery that is not certified as lead free by an inscription on the pot saying sin plomo meaning without lead. Lead exposure remains a significant environmental problem.
The major sources and pathways of lead exposure among the mexican population are gasoline emissions lead glazed ceramics leaded paint and lead in canned. Putting hot foods in lead based ceramic glazed dishes is the rub. However mexico does appear to have a particular problem for ceramics because often the glaze used has very very high concentrations of lead as much as 75 percent labeling may not be. Historically much of the lead exposure is attributed to the use of handcrafted clay pottery for cooking storing and serving food.
It is also suggested that you don t store food in the fridge in ceramic glazed dishes either. It can be breathed in as dust or absorbed through the skin. However i don t think a one time shot of putting taco chips in a ceramic bowl is going to create a lead poisoning problem. The circulatory system deposits it in internal organs where it remains for weeks.
Glass is probably the best. Pottery pewter and poison lead is a poison with widespread lasting toxic effects. However mexico does appear to have a particular problem for ceramics because often the glaze used has very very high concentrations of lead as much as 75 percent labeling may not be. It enters the body dissolved in water milk wine vinegar or acidic foods stored in leaden vessels.
In mexico lead in human blood is still a concern. The salt mass produced crockpots and other ceramic food containers are probably safe but handmade earthenware might merit a home test. Can your ceramic cookware give you lead poisoning. Nor is there any way to tell whether a piece of pottery made before 1970 when allowable lead levels in ceramics were first set will if subjected to daily use suddenly become lethal as.
But in mexico with its 120 million people millions of them children whose growing nervous systems are the prime victims of lead the threat of neurological damage remains high.