Sam or Mary Yancy on wed 21 oct 09
Mexican bean pots have dangerous levels of lead
Product pulled from shelves of FoodMaxx stores after Contra Costa testing
By Rick Radin
Contra Costa Times
Posted:=3DA010/20/2009 05:24:58 PM PDT
Updated:=3DA010/21/2009 06:57:35 AM PDT
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Ceramic pots being sold at local stores contain dangerous levels of lead an=
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d health officials...
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Mexican bean pots with up to 30 times the level of lead permitted by federa=
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l guidelines have been pulled from the shelves of a local food chain after =
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a health inspector found one in a Concord home and tested it in a county la=
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b.
The pot was designed to simmer beans for hours, a practice that can cause l=
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ead from glaze and clay in the pot to leach into food. Elevated levels of l=
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ead from food and other sources can cause learning disabilities and inhibit=
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growth in children. At extremely high levels, it can cause serious illness=
=3D
and even death, said Joanne Genet, manager of Contra Costa's lead poisonin=
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g prevention program.
"We were shocked when tests came back positive for lead even though the pot=
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was stamped lead-free," Genet said.
The pot was purchased at FoodMaxx, which operates 44 food stores in Norther=
=3D
n California and Northern Nevada. County tests of bean pots from FoodMaxx s=
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tores in Contra Costa, Alameda and San Joaquin counties revealed high level=
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s of lead in each sample.
No one from SaveMart, FoodMaxx's parent company, was available to comment T=
=3D
uesday.
The Concord family that bought the bean pot asked for a lead evaluation aft=
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er listening to a presentation about the metal in the environment.
Products with high lead levels are usually imported from countries where co=
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ntrol over manufacturing is less strict than in the United States, Genet sa=
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id.
Pots can be returned for a refund, the health department said.
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