By The Associated Press

With so much concern paid to toys made in China that contain lead paint, how are we to know that dishes and cookware also made in China are free from lead? Is this dangerous for us?
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Lead in cookware and dishware has been found in ceramics from China, Mexico and India. The lead comes from varnish or glaze that gives the product a shiny finish. If the temperatures used to “cure” or “seal” the varnish are high enough, the cookware will be safe and the metal will not leach into food or liquids.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it tests imported ceramicware to measure whether lead might leach into food. And the FDA has put out alerts warning about excessive lead in ceramicware from China, among other countries.

China has set safety standards on how much lead and other potential toxins are allowed in products. However, with large numbers of small, often loosely run operations in the country focused on cost-cutting and profits as they manufacture everything from ceramics to food, it’s hard to police every step of the process.

The FDA is also involved, but as seen in recent problems with lead paint in toys and other tainted imports, American government agencies lack the manpower to inspect all shipments.

In the absence of firm controls either in China or the U.S., a consumer may be better off buying from large, reputable retailers, which usually do a better job making sure their suppliers observe quality and safety standards.

“More reputable stores would install a tighter quality control system to screen out defective products,” said Chen Shih-Fen, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who specializes in outsourcing interactions between Western buyers and Chinese subcontractors.

In short, there is no sure way to guarantee that the products you are using are completely safe, unless you have them tested. Here are a few home test kits that have been reviewed by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports: http://sn.im/d81p1. Additionally, here is a page from the National Institutes of Health that outlines the symptoms of lead poisoning and offers resources on what to do if you think you’ve been poisoned: http://sn.im/d81ry.

Audra Ang

Associated Press Writer

Beijing

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.