[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Aluminum food containers distributed in Gyeonggi-do have been found to be safe from harmful metals such as lead.
The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 28th that it conducted a safety investigation on harmful metals such as lead and cadmium from May to August on aluminum products distributed within the province, including pots (36 cases), bowls (14 cases), disposable containers (21 cases), foil (6 cases), and frying pans (3 cases), and all were found to meet the standards.
As a result of the inspection, lead, cadmium, nickel, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic were all detected within the standard limits in all 80 cases.
For aluminum pots, the results were ▲ lead 0 mg/L (standard 0.4 mg/L or less) ▲ cadmium and hexavalent chromium 0 mg/L (standard 0.1 mg/L or less) ▲ nickel 0.01 mg/L (standard 0.1 mg/L or less) ▲ arsenic 0 mg/L (standard 0.2 mg/L or less).
Additionally, the amount of aluminum transferred from cookware to food was investigated when storing foods with high salinity and acidity in aluminum containers. When soy sauce pickled chili peppers and pickles were stored in aluminum disposable containers for 3 days, the aluminum transfer to food increased from 3.9 mg/kg at the start of storage to 6.9 mg/kg on the third day for soy sauce pickled chili peppers, a 180% increase.
For pickles, it increased from 5.7 mg/kg at the start of storage to 9.1 mg/kg on the third day, a 160% increase.
However, referring to the usage standards for aluminum-containing food additives set by the domestic and international food standards committee (CODEX), the amount transferred was at a safe level.
Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, advised, "Since the amount of aluminum transfer can vary depending on the amount of salt or acid in the food, to use aluminum cookware safely, it is best not to store foods with high salinity and acidity for a long time."
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