Programs and Services | Safer Cooking—Without Lead
Many traditional Afghan pressure cookers are made with metal that has lead mixed into it. When these pressure cookers are used to cook, the lead can be absorbed into food. Videos are available in Dari and Pashto that provide information about a safe, nontoxic alternative to traditional Afghan pressure cookers, how to cook a nutritious Afghan meal, and what types of ingredients you can incorporate into your cooking to help reduce the harmful effects of lead.
Lead is a natural metal found in the earth. Lead is very harmful. No amount of lead in the body is safe. Lead can get into your body when you eat or drink contaminated food or water, or when you breathe in dust with lead in it. When this happens, lead can build up in your body over time. This is called lead poisoning.
Not everyone with lead poisoning has symptoms right away. Eventually, lead can affect how the brain and nerves function, fertility, and the health of bones and organs. Lead is especially dangerous for children, pregnant women, and unborn babies. Lead can affect the brains and bodies of unborn babies and cause children to develop more slowly, which can lead to learning disabilities.
The best way to prevent these symptoms later is to avoid products, food and places where lead is present.
