Why Is There Lead in Everything?
Written by:
Maia James

I’m sure you’ve noticed the growing spotlight on lead contamination in food and everyday products. A lot of you are wondering: Are we suddenly surrounded by lead, or has it always been part of the environment in one way or another? And, most importantly, how worried should we actually be?
In this post, we’ll dive into why lead seems to be everywhere all of a sudden and how you can take balanced, informed steps to minimize exposure—without sacrificing your sanity.
Can We Trust the Scary Studies?
First of all: We at Gimme of course support efforts to increase transparency and public awareness about lead exposure risks. Lead, as well as other heavy metals, is a dangerous toxin with real health consequences.
On the other hand, we also worry about how much it stresses everyone out to have bloggers and influencers posting heavy metal test results for what seems like EVERYTHING.
Third-party testing is critically important–it’s why we put such an emphasis on brands showing us their COAs when we review products like multivitamins or protein powders. The labs performing the tests are validated and must adhere to standards set by regulatory bodies like the EPA and FDA. Ideally, multiple samples are tested from each brand.
What is not clear to us is how accurate the results of testing are when conducted by someone who is operating outside of an institutional or academic framework. This is especially true when the levels of lead found contradict the results from reputable, independent, non-profit organizations like Clean Label Project.
Have People Always Been Exposed to Heavy Metals?
Humans have always been exposed to some amounts of heavy metals. Arsenic, lead, and cadmium are naturally present in the Earth’s crust, and these have always ended up in soil and water supplies. When crops were grown in contaminated soil or water was drawn from polluted sources, small amounts of these metals could enter the human diet, even in ancient times. Heavy metals like mercury have always been present in oceanic ecosystems due to natural geological processes, and seafood accumulates these metals over time as well.
Nonetheless, heavy metal contamination is definitely more of a problem in the modern era, since the use of leaded gasoline and paint (and to a lesser degree, pesticides) have significantly increased the levels of lead in the environment over the course of the last century.
I like this part of a recent post by Emily Oster to put all of this in perspective: “The reality is that lead exposure — at least over a several-decade time frame — has dramatically decreased. There have been huge reductions in lead levels in children as a result of removal of lead in gasoline and paint and from regulations on its use in food production.”
What Can We Do to Keep Our Families Safe?
We know that a lot of foods–both in their whole form and when the are processed and packaged–contain elevated levels of lead and other metals. Still, I have not given up eating rice or seaweed, both of which can be on the higher end of heavy metal contamination.
Here’s what I think is a reasonable course of action: Since we know that some foods—especially root veggies, which includes cassava (this is why so many gluten-free foods seem to have higher heavy metals levels)–often are more contaminated, it’s sensible to replace these with less contaminated options some of the time. Here’s an example: I still definitely eat tuna fish, but since we’ve known for decades about its mercury risks, I often opt for canned salmon instead when I make a sandwich.
Once again, the simplest solution is a varied diet. Feeding your kids a range of different foods will ensure that they aren’t getting too much of any one ingredient (and its potential contaminants). This is easier said than done, of course, but if your child is eating cassava chips for every snack, I think it’s reasonable to swap some of those out for, say, a whole wheat cracker. It’s also worth noting that meat and dairy–while not without their own issues–are less likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than plant foods. So, perhaps a string cheese stick can sub in for those cassava chips a few days a week.
Lead in Everything: Bottom Line
If you’re really worried about having unsafe levels of lead in your body from your diet, you can get a finger prick test (for yourself or your children). And speaking of those tests: They’ve dramatically decreased the threshold for what is considered elevated lead levels. This is definitely a good thing, as lead is dangerous at even low levels, but it means that when I was a kid, what was considered an average lead level via that test could now be considered elevated.
In the end, and as with most things, our kids are actually better off than we were when it comes to lead exposure. Children born hundreds of years ago may have less exposure to heavy metals, but life expectancy in 1800 was literally half of what it is today. I’ll take being alive in 2024, heavy metals in my chips and all.
Stay sane,


Maia, Founder & CEO
Note: This article contains affiliate links or sponsored content, which means that if you make a purchase, we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that meet our strict standards for non-toxicity and that we use (or want to use!) ourselves. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make Good Stuff!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.