Home cook stunned by 'scary' warning on gifted bakeware staple: 'I elected not to use it'

We live in a world where most of us accept some level of exposure to toxins in our everyday lives. It's not ideal, but we do the best we can and then accept that we won't be able to avoid everything.

That's one thing. It's entirely another when everyday products come with stickers that announce the toxic chemicals they contain.

One Redditor received a baking pan from Walmart as a gift. On it, they found a sticker announcing that it contained lead, cadmium, and titanium dioxide. They posted a photo of the sticker and announced, "I elected not to use it."

It's impossible to know from one sticker if the amount of lead in this particular pan is dangerous. While research from the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology does note that lead in cookware may be a venue of exposure to look at more carefully, the research hasn't revealed how significant of a finding that is.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the Food and Drug Administration says products with any amount of lead should not be sold in the United States. However, they also note that there's no way to tell how this is being enforced or what the FDA is doing about the problem.

If this concerns you, make sure you vote for politicians who care about issues like these, so they can make laws that reinforce the FDA's guidelines. Otherwise, remember that lead exposure takes many forms. If you're worried about it in your yard, consider spreading zeolite, a common ingredient in cat litter, to absorb it.

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Redditors had different responses to the label.

"The problem with the scary labels is that they don't differentiate between infinitesimal risks and more probable risks," one said. "I'm sure it's perfectly safe when used correctly. Just don't break it and serve the broken pieces," someone else added.

However, another shared, "How is this being sold? I guess this is a reminder to look at labels more carefully."

Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home?

Majorly 😥