The AFU and Urban Legend Archive Medical cast iron poisoning Select a topic - - - - - - - - Home Searches AFU FAQ - - - - - - - - AFU Animals Books Celebrities Classic Collegiate Death Disney Drugs Food GIF Language Legal Medical Misc Movies Politics Products Religion Science Sex Songs TV - - - - - - - - Other sites

From: york@mbcrr.dfci.harvard.edu (Ian A. York)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Aluminum and Iron from cookware : NOT IN FAQ
Date: 21 Mar 1995 15:31:03 GMT

In article <3kmnef$24r@lastactionhero.rs.itd.umich.edu> misha@umich.edu (Michele Tepper) writes:
>Scott Sehlhorst <s-sehlhorst@ds.mc.ti.com> wrote:

>>someone is claiming that her husband has terrible arthritis, caused by iron
>>poisoning, further caused by use of a cast iron skillet.
>
>I don't know about the aluminum pans, but as a cast iron fan I'm
>skeptical about the "iron poisoning" claim. If there *is* such a thing
>as iron poisoning, I doubt one could get it from cooking in cast iron.
>Cast iron pans do add iron to whatever you're cooking in them, but in
>trace amounts.

Well, here's what MedLine has to say (after being down for days - I went through MedLine withdrawal; not a pretty sight.) It looks as if neither cast iron, nor iron from your utensils in general, are serious concerns in the overall scheme of things; although iron can be pretty damn toxic, you are not likely to get that much from your frying pans, and it looks to me as if stainless steel is worse than cast iron anyway.

This is presented in two halves: first, implications of iron in arthritis, then the possibility of iron from cast-iron frying pans. Sorry about the extensive quoting, but it seemed relevant.

Incidentally, if any of you are in the process of writing a review in a medical journal, and you're thinking that "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" would make a snappy title - IT'S BEEN DONE, DAMMIT!

Kind CN. Blackham A. Morris CJ.
Effect of intravenous iron-dextran (Imferon) infusion on antigen induced monarticular arthritis in rabbits. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 51(11):1237-41, 1992

"Thus although intravenously infused iron-dextran appears to 'prime' the rabbit arthritic joint transiently with the potential for iron stimulated oxygen free radical damage, other factors may determine its occurrence."

Andrews FJ. Morris CJ. Lewis EJ. Blake DR. Effect of nutritional iron deficiency on acute and chronic inflammation. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 46(11):859-65, 1987

"Mild nutritional iron deficiency significantly reduced the severity of adjuvant induced joint inflammation . . . These observations support the view that iron has a selective influence on joint mediated inflammation."

Blake DR. Lunec J.
Copper, iron, free radicals and arthritis. British Journal of Rheumatology. 24(2):123-5, 1985

Kuligowski J. Halperin KM.
Stainless steel cookware as a significant source of nickel, chromium, and iron.
Archives of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology. 23(2):211-5, 1992

"Stainless steels are widely used materials in food preparation and in home and commercial cookware. Stainless is readily attacked by organic acids, particularly at cooking temperatures; hence iron, chromium, and nickel should be released from the material into the food. Nickel is implicated in numerous health problems, notably allergic contact dermatitis. Conversely, chromium and iron are essential nutrients for which stainless could be a useful source. Home cookware was examined by atomic absorption spectroscopy: seven different stainless utensils as well as cast iron, mild steel, aluminum and enamelled steel. The materials were exposed to mildly acidic conditions at boiling temperature. Nickel was a major corrosion product from stainless steel utensils; chromium and iron were also detected. It is recommended that nickel-sensitive patients switch to a material other than stainless, and that the stainless steel cookware industry seriously consider switching to a non-nickel formulation."

Reilly C.
The dietary significance of adventitious iron, zinc, copper and lead in domestically prepared food.
Food Additives & Contaminants. 2(3):209-15, 1985

"The uptake of iron, zinc, copper and lead by food cooked under domestic conditions in utensils made of different metals (cast iron, aluminium, plain and tinned copper) was investigated. It was found that the metal content of the food was generally related to the metal in immediate contact with the food during cooking. Daily dietary intake could vary from 11 to 6 mg of iron, 11 to 9 mg of zinc, 2 to 1 mg of copper and 0.4 to 0.1 mg of lead, depending on the cooking utensils used. . . . The nutritional and toxicological significance of such adventitious sources of metals in the diet are discussed. The need to consider them when investigating the metal intake of individuals is stressed."