Your story provides many words to the wise. No level of lead is safe. And, thanks for the O Olive Oil link! That’s really helpful.

Thanks so much for this thread! I just had some real balsamic vinegar (not the fake “balsamic” called “di Modeno” which also apparently has a problem with lead) mailed from a Frisco store, and saw the warning label for the first time. I’m in Colorado, and for all our vaunted health-consciousness, we had no idea of this problem. I just ordered some of the lead-free balsamic from O Olive Oil.

To any people tempted to dismiss this as too much worrying about yet more health scares: I spent several years of sheer hell with a nasty case of lead poisoning from old plumbing that also killed several of our pet chickens. (We’d replaced all the old lead pipes in our historic house, but hadn’t realized that some other old pipes had lead-based sealant where they were joined. The old sealant was corroding, and our water was loaded with it.) My debilitating symptoms of joint inflammation and swelling, skin splitting, hair falling out, etc.. were misdiagnosed as severe rheumatoid arthritis. Even for adults, the excruciating physical problems aren’t as bad as the cognitive “brain fog” and depression. I was lucky: for adults, even the severe symptoms I had are pretty reversible with enough chelation. If’ we’d had any kids, they’d probably have been permanently handicapped. When it was finally diagnosed, I did some research in a biochemistry class on the effects of lead on the nervous system.. I discovered in reading science journals that there are plenty of specialists who want to see the official “maximum safe level” of lead in food and water set at _zero_. I.e. there _is_ no safe lead level. (Husband had been more conscientious about using the water filter, and escaped the problem, as did our spoiled cats, who insist on filtered water. A cautionary tale!)

Some people’s bodies tend to react very healthily, excreting lead (or other heavy metals). Others tend to accumulate it; nobody knows why. But for those who’ve ever had a problem with lead, we never want to risk those symptoms again. And heavy metals aren’t like microbes, which can generate an immune response to protect against future exposures. Each tiny or not-so-tiny exposure just makes things worse, whether it’s from food, from drinking water, from beverages stored in leaded crystal, from sanding down old paint, from air around some industrial sites…

It’s worth every bit of trouble we take to avoid even a tiny amount of lead or mercury, especially when it’s a question of kids getting exposed. Thanks again!

But in the conversation, I noticed the phrase “vinegar made from grapes,” which makes me wonder about wine. And does white balsamic pose the same risks? And about those risks, I share other readers’ desires for actual ppm data (some perspective).

Thanks for posting the information, and thanks to everyone for your comments. As an out-of-stater, it was helpful to find some context.

Joannie

I knew a very wise woman from Kentucky who swore by the healthful properties of apple cider vinegar. She drank a spoon of it mixed with water daily and attested that it was an aid to good digestion.

We are enjoying using the rice vinegar, though we do miss the balsamic. Still, it’s nice to have the peace of mind knowing that we are serving up good health rather than health problems at our family table.

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

How about this idea. Tell me how much of the stuff I have to eat in a week or month for it to actually cause damage. If it takes 60 gallons for balsamic vinegar a week to pose a threat to my health – then I’d know to limit my consumption to 58 or 59 gallons a week to mitigate the damage.

Just my thunking on the subject.