Premium
Release of nickel and chromium in common foods during cooking in 18/10 (grade 316) stainless steel pots
Author(s) -
Guarneri Fabrizio,
Costa Chiara,
Cannavò Serafinella P.,
Catania Stefania,
Bua Giuseppe D.,
Fenga Concettina,
Dugo Giacomo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/cod.12692
Subject(s) - chromium , nickel , contact allergy , metallurgy , nickel allergy , food science , medicine , aqueous extract , materials science , allergy , toxicology , chemistry , contact dermatitis , traditional medicine , immunology , biology
Summary Background Literature data on the release of nickel and chromium from stainless steel cookware during food preparation are contrasting, have often been obtained with uncommon foods and/or procedures, and are thus not widely applicable. Objectives To assess the release of nickel and chromium from 18/10 (grade 316) stainless steel pots in cooking conditions that are common in an urban lifestyle. Methods Tomato sauce and lemon marmalade were cooked for 1 h, alone or with added EDTA , in used or unused stainless steel pots from different manufacturers. Additionally, aqueous solutions at p H 2.3, 7.7 and 9 were boiled for 1 h in the same pots. Metal release was assessed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results The release of nickel and chromium increased with cooking/boiling time, was higher with unused pots, at low p H or with EDTA , and was sometimes remarkably different between manufacturers. In all experiments, the amounts released were below known allergy‐triggering thresholds. Conclusions Under common conditions, the use of 18/10 stainless steel pots is considered to be safe for the majority of nickel‐allergic and/or chromium‐allergic subjects. However, the total amount of nickel contained in foods and released from pots may exceed the individual threshold for triggering allergy, potentially causing problems for highly sensitive patients, or, conversely, contribute to induction of immunotolerance by oral low‐dose exposure.