CBS News – From cinnamon to protein powders, reports about high levels of lead in our food are raising questions about how to reduce exposure.
This week, a Consumer Reports investigation found some protein powders and shakes contain unsafe levels of lead.
The Food and Drug Administration also recently identified four additional makers of ground cinnamon that contain elevated levels of lead, making a total of 16 labels the agency has identified as having concerning amounts of lead.
Though lead is a naturally occurring metal, it can cause negative health effects, experts warn.
“There’s lead in the normal environment, that’s why we don’t want to add more to it,” Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a general internist at Cambridge Health Alliance, told CBS News.
“It’s very important to overall try to keep lead exposure to the lowest possible, based on eating healthy foods and avoiding products like supplements that add unnecessary lead to your diet.”
In addition to contaminated food and drinks, sources of lead exposure also include chipping or peeling lead paint and ingesting or breathing in lead dust from certain jobs or hobbies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health effects of lead
The CDC says lead exposure can lead to a range of health problems, especially for children, including:
- Damage to the brain and nervous system
- Slowed growth and development
- Learning and behavior problems
For adults, lead can also cause long-term harm, according to the World Health Organization …
