When it comes to being an amateur chef, aluminum cookware ticks off a lot of boxes. It’s usually more affordable, lighter, and is known to cook food evenly and quickly. But there is one big question that has loomed over it for the longest time: how safe is it to use, really?
On November 24, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration added nine additional aluminum cookware items to its existing list of cooking products that may cause lead exposure. The original report, released on December 12, 2024, warned retailers and consumers about the FDA’s initial findings before listing manufacturers and products it officially flagged as hazardous in August of this year.
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning retailers and consumers not to sell or use certain imported cookware that may leach significant levels of lead (Pb) into food,” writes the FDA in an official statement on its website. “Some types of imported cookware products made from aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloys known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium have been tested by FDA and state partners, and have demonstrated the potential to leach lead under conditions designed to mimic their use in contact with food.”
Before you crash out on a potential holiday food disaster, experts say there are a few things to consider before taking drastic measures. “It is a concern, and that s why the FDA is taking action,” says Lara Adler, environmental health educator and consultant. “[But] I don t think it s necessary to panic."
Is your aluminum cookware safe?
For the most part, you might not have to worry about your current cookware—if you’re buying it from a well-known brand or retailer. “You’re not finding [hazardous] cookware at a large retailer because the buyers at those stores have a lot more liability if they are buying a container ship filled with hundreds of thousands of units of contaminated product,” says Adler. “Whereas these smaller shops that can buy directly from manufacturers overseas, they don’t have the same perceived liability.”
At least for now, the manufacturer’s country of origin is what matters most in these findings. Most of the products that the FDA flagged were manufactured overseas in countries such as India or Pakistan. And though the FDA lists aluminum, brass, and aluminum alloy as the materials it tested and found lead in, Adler says that it might not apply to all aluminum cookware. Anything made in the US or that has some certification that meets FDA or EU migration limits for heavy metals should be fine. But, if you can’t verify where you got your aluminum or brass cookware, and they look similar to the ones listed by the FDA, she recommends throwing them out immediately to be safe. “These are not items that you want to keep around or continue to use,” she says.
How are you exposed to lead while cooking?
According to Maida P. Galvez, MD, MPH, professor of environmental medicine and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, lead can be drawn out of hazardous cookware when it is heated. This will then contaminate food and expose you to it. This is especially true when you’re cooking acidic foods, which, Dr. Galvez says, will cause lead to be drawn out more.
“If it’s being cooked for any prolonged period of time, lead is going to leach out,” adds Adler. “The longer you cook it, the more lead [comes out]. The more acidic the food is, the more lead [comes out]. That’s where it becomes a significant concern.”
Though both experts emphasize that no level of lead exposure is safe, Adler says that one single meal with lead exposure most likely won’t cause the more serious symptoms. If you are continuously exposed to it, that’s where problems usually arise. “For example, if a kid is eating chipped lead paint, the first time eating the lead paint is probably not going to result in a symptom,” says Adler. “It’s probably going to be a couple of weeks of the kid eating lead paint before something noticeable happens. If [symptoms are] noticeable like that, then that is an indication that the exposure is pretty significant.”
Should you realize that you are using cookware that the FDA has deemed unsafe, throw it out immediately and check with your doctor to clear you of lead exposure.
What are the symptoms of lead exposure?
Dr. Galvez says that children are at higher risk of experiencing symptoms from lead exposure because their brains and bodies are still developing. Even the lowest levels of lead can affect a child’s learning and behavior, she says.
“Children absorb about 40 to 50% of ingested lead, whereas adults absorb 3 to 10%,” adds Adler. “Children are most vulnerable on multiple levels. An adult and a child could eat the same exact food, but because of the higher absorption rate that children have, their exposure is actually going to be higher.”
Lead exposure in children can lead to damage to the brain and nervous system, which could be long-lasting. For the brain, lead exposure may also have permanent negative effects on brain development. The Mayo Clinic lists symptoms such as reduced attention span, irritability, hyperactivity, low IQ, learning disabilities, and increased risk of antisocial behavior. Signs of high lead exposure include vomiting, fatigue, seizures, and coma, and Adler says you must immediately seek medical help if these symptoms pop up.
Dr. Galvez adds that abdominal pain, high blood pressure, and effects on kidney function are other symptoms to look out for, and that miscarriage, preterm birth, and low birth weight are often associated with lead exposure with those who are pregnant.
How do you pick safe cookware?
Again, if you’re buying your cookware from large retailers or a well-known brand, it is a safer bet that those products have been thoroughly inspected. Adler says she’d be more worried about unlabeled cookware that is bought from smaller grocery, food, and community stores that are similar to the ones listed by the FDA.
She advises looking at the packaging label or a maker’s mark (if there is one) to see where it was manufactured. If you have a piece of cookware that isn’t labeled but looks like the type of cookware listed by the FDA, she would err on the side of caution and get rid of it. And if all else fails, she says these will usually be your best cooking options: stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, glass, and ceramic dishes (not the hand-painted ones, but ones that are safe to be heated).
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