India-made aluminium cookware under scanner, US food authority warns consumers of lead-leaching risk

America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned consumers about 19 types of cookware, several of which are made in India out of aluminum and alloys that risk leaching of lead into food CBS reported on Thursday.

According to a report by CBS, the FDA warned "consumers about 19 types of cookware that may contain lead, increasing the risk that the toxic metal could wind up in people's food." It said that consumers should check for them and discard if they have it.

CBS reported that the "suspect cookware, all manufactured outside the US and mostly in India, is made from aluminum, aluminum alloys and brass that have been tested by the FDA and state agencies, with the results showing that they can leach lead into food."

As per the report, CBS highlighted that the FDA's warning comes after its alert in August about the cookware, with the agency adding nine products to its list of items to discard due to the risk of lead exposure.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that lead poisoning can lead to symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, memory loss, and pain or tingling in hands or feet, among other issues. FDA further said that women of childbearing age and new mothers who are breastfeeding their infants are also at risk for lead poisoning.

According to the report by CBS, these utensils were being sold by a handful of retailers in states including California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, as well as Washington, D.C.

The list of utensils included several sauce pans, brass pots, kadhai and milk pots, among others.

The FDA urged retailers and distributors to contact the agency with any questions about the safety and regulatory status of any products they sell that are used to prepare food.