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How do I know if the glass container I'm using is lead-free and safe to store oils and vinegar?

"It's true that acidic materials such as oils, vinegars, and some fruits and vegetables will bind with lead and bring it out in a soluble form, which means that it can be digested," says Dr. Robert Feldman, chairman emeritus of MED's neurology department and author of the 1999 book Occupational and Environmental Neurotoxicology. "But that's much more likely to be a problem with glazed ceramics than with glass. Most glass produced today doesn't contain lead."

Heavily glazed ceramics from Mexico or China are most likely to be contaminated with lead, Feldman says, even if the pieces are designed to hold food. While it's best not to store or cook food in any container unless it is specified as being lead-free, he says, lead-detection kits available for a few dollars at a hardware store will determine quickly and reliably if most materials are safe. The lead in some fine crystal, he also notes, can leach into acidic juices or wine.

You can be sure that prepackaged food is lead-free if it was packaged in the United States by a major food producer. "Years ago, soup cans and some vegetable cans had lead-soldered seals, which may have leaked into tomato soups and other acidic foods," Feldman says. "But if you're buying a brand-name product, you can feel safe because those old-fashioned canning methods have been replaced."

Feldman says that it's also worth noting that imported herbs, including those used in some alternative medicines, sometimes are packaged in lead-contaminated containers and can include other harmful chemicals. "If you're really concerned about lead, about all you can do is avoid any prepackaged food that isn't from a recognized producer," he says. "Imported foods don't have to meet FDA standards, and there is no way to detect lead by taste."

Similarly, eating acidic food stored in aluminum containers or cooking such food in aluminum pots or pans can lead to the ingestion of aluminum. "The average American consumes about 25 milligrams of aluminum per day, mostly from food additives and processed cheeses," Feldman says. "Aluminum is also found in most drinking water and in many crops with deep roots, which take it in through ground water."

While some studies suggest that people suffering from Alzheimer's disease have accumulations of aluminum in their brain, Feldman says that it has not been proven that aluminum contributes to the disease and scientists remain uncertain about the consequences of ingesting the metal.

30 March 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations