OLYMPIA, Wash. — Lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that could make Washington the first state in the nation to ban the sale of cookware contaminated with lead.
Senators voted 47-0 (with two people excused) to join the House in sending HB 1551 to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.
If enacted, it is believed to be the first time a state has acted against the manufacture and distribution of cookware that contains toxic lead.
“We’re not seeing anyone else who’s tackled this yet,” said prime sponsor Rep. Gerry Pollet (D-Seattle). “You’re cooking for hours and hours in lead and that lead is just being infused into your food.”
Several years ago, scientists from King County’s Hazardous Waste program worked with the south King County Afghan Health Initiative to pinpoint the source of dangerously high lead levels in the blood of newly arrived Afghan immigrant children.
Health Initiative Senior Director Ariana Anjaz said the lead caused severe illness in the children, such as "developmental delays. Mental health issues. Things like ADHD.”
Two years ago, scientists traced the lead poisoning to Afghan cookware, including pressure cookers that were widely available for purchase on sites like Amazon and Etsy. King County warned retailers about the danger, but those merchants took little action.
Last year, the KING 5 Investigators purchased several imported aluminum cookpots off Amazon and Esty. Tests showed the items contained varying amounts of lead. Scientists said imported aluminum is the biggest problem because foreign manufacturers may use recycled scrap metal including lead.
“There’s no safe amount of lead in cookware,” said Dr. Katie Fellows, the King County Hazardous Waste Management Program scientist who tested KING 5’s purchases.
HB 1551 would bar the sale of cookware containing lead over five parts per million. One of KING 5’s purchases last year tested at 36,000 parts per million lead.
Gov. Inslee’s spokesperson Jaime Smith said the office could not “speculate” on whether HB 1551 would be signed by Inslee but said, “We’re proud that Washington has taken a leading role on reducing household exposures to toxics and chemicals.”