A New York City family falls ill, learning that the cause was dishes they had purchased on a trip to Mexico. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these international dishes were found to have contained dangerous levels of lead. The family’s three-year-old child was discovered with high levels of lead in their body, with other families also dealing with lead poisoning as a result of similar purchases.
Although the CDC was unable to conduct a full investigation due to the family’s refusal, it believes that the lead poisoning came from the meals they consumed in Mexico. Now authorities are warning people about meals they have purchased from other nations since it’s possible they may contain toxic levels of lead that can harm people and cause serious issues in children.
Although the family was hesitant to let federal investigators into their home, the CDC was able to scan their Mexican dishware and found it contained 15.7 milligrams of lead per centimeter – an alarmingly high level that can cause serious problems in people, especially young children like the family’s three-year-old.
“Traditional ceramic ware from around the world has been found to contain lead at levels thousands of times higher than regulatory limits in the United States,” researchers said. “The lead used for aesthetic and other purposes on the ceramic ware’s glaze or paint can transfer to foods or drinks that are prepared, served, or stored in these products, placing users at risk for lead exposure.”
The CDC is now warning all Americans to avoid purchasing dishware from countries that don’t have the same safety measures regarding lead contamination, such as Ecuador, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
The family also stated that they used foreign spices in addition to the Mexican plates. However, they did not offer the spices samples to the CDC, so it’s unclear if there was any lead in them.
After the family replaced their tainted dishware, they had blood lead screenings done regularly. Just two months after replacing the plates, the family’s blood lead levels were between two and 21 ug/dl. However, about a year after they stopped using dishes with high levels of lead from Mexico, the family’s blood lead levels fell to safe levels between one and six ug/dl.
Fortunately, the family discovered the lead problem in time. They’ve been able to mostly cure it and get on with their lives since then.
The neurotoxic effects of lead may also harm a person’s nervous system. Cognitive and memory problems can result if this happens. If the condition is severe and not treated, it might result in death.
