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How do I test cast iron cookware for lead (self.asklemmy)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by Extrasvhx9he to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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So I found a griddle that was in pretty bad shape seasoning wise so I stripped it and noticed a small shiny area which worried me about lead. I ordered some lead tests that stated they were for metal (no specifics) and after doing the tests it came back positive. But this got me wondering if iron reacts with sodium rhodizonate, the main ingredient in these lead tests, to give false positives and load and behold it does. I confirmed this with another cast iron cookware that I know 100% never touched lead. So my question is how the hell do I test this? Everyone keeps recommending the same sodium rhodizonate lead test swabs just with different brand names.

Tldr: After stripping a griddle and finding a shiny spot, I tested it for lead and it came back positive, leading to concerns about the reaction between iron and sodium rhodizonate. The question is how to accurately test for lead contamination in the griddle without potential false positives from the test method recommended by others?

Edit: wanted to add some more info. I did experiment with the test themselves to see how reliable they were and they passed it so I don't suspect its the test themselves but the chemical reaction between iron and the sodium rhodizonate

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[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Alternatively you could just go buy a new cast iron griddle probably for not much more than all the trouble and testing equipment.

[–] Extrasvhx9he 4 points 7 months ago

Yeah i see your point but this is more of an experiment in my eyes than anything else. Obviously there is a budget limit I'm not willing to cross but I do want to continue buying secondhand cookware in the future so this is just a way to get the knowledge on how to distinguish a potential hazard from good cookware if that makes sense. Plus I already have the equipment at hand so its not really a big problem money wise.