From traditional kajal to kitchen cookware, expert explains the health risks associated with everyday lead exposure

From kajal to cookware, here’s how everyday exposure to lead may affect your long-term health and cancer risk.

Lead is a toxic metal that enters the body through contaminated dust, food, water, or products of consumer use. As lead exposure may accumulate over time unnoticed, everyday objects require careful consideration, particularly where young children or expectant mothers live. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Rakesh Sharma, MOC Cancer Care, Gurugram, explains how everyday exposure to lead may affect health overtime.

Kajal and eye makeup products

According to Dr Sharma, kajal, surma or kohl raise concerns with respect to their content and quality since certain products were shown to have extremely high concentrations of lead. If it was used on children's eyes or transferred from adult hands to theirs, the latter risked exposure.

Kajal, surma or kohl raise concerns with respect to their content and quality since certain products were shown to have extremely high concentrations of lead.

Kitchen utensils

Consider where you purchased and what your utensil is made of; do not use imported decorative ceramics for cooking and food storage unless it is explicitly stated that they are safe for this purpose.

Contaminated kitchen ingredients

According to Dr Sharma, further sources could include contaminated spices or herbal remedies, old flaking paint, renovation dust, and water transported through pipes or fittings that contain lead. It is impossible to identify lead on the basis of color, taste, or odor alone.

What about cancer?

“Inorganic lead compounds have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probably carcinogenic to humans,” highlighted Dr Sharma. This is a characterisation of risk, but it does not imply that routine use of the material causes cancer. There is insufficient evidence of a link between lead and cancer in humans, and any cancer risk from a specific household product would depend on the amount of lead released and the frequency of exposure.

Inorganic lead compounds have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probably carcinogenic to humans.

This is just part of the story, however. Lead accumulates in the body and is toxic to the brain, kidneys, and cardiovascular system. Childhood exposure in the absence of clinical signs could lead to developmental problems. The World Health Organization considers there to be no level of lead exposure that is considered harmless.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.