The "poison" in summer stir-fry is unpredictable for a while
Summer is here, and the vegetables that have just been purchased from the vegetable market are stir-fried in the newly purchased wok, and the crackling sound of oil explosion, accompanied by fragrant greens, should have aroused an appetite. However, this seemingly ordinary lunch became the starting point of Xiao Ming's family's nightmare - a serious food poisoning incident. Grandma, mother and Xiao Ming's stomach problems recurred, and the daughter's baby leukemia also worsened repeatedly, and the son, who was about to undergo surgery, had to postpone treatment...... All sorts of health problems followed.
Behind this seemingly sudden incident is a serious public health incident caused by a "poisonous iron pot". These inferior iron pots often enter the market as high-quality pots, and CCTV has repeatedly exposed the production process and hazards of poisonous iron pots. Stir-frying may seem ordinary, but it hides an invisible "poison" that causes irreversible damage to health. It should be taken as a warning and be vigilant in buying and using pots and pans!
The bloody lesson behind multiple exposures
As early as 2011, CCTV had exposed the true face of the "poisonous iron pot". The raw materials used in these iron pots are actually some discarded chemical barrels. These chemical barrels used to contain a variety of hazardous chemicals, such as methylene chloride, isopropanol, etc. In order to reuse these barrels, unscrupulous merchants process them into kitchen woks. This undoubtedly buries hidden health risks for the majority of consumers.
In 2013, CCTV exposed similar incidents again. A factory in Jiangxi Province still uses discarded chemical barrels to produce iron pots, and the process is extremely simple: the barrels are cut, pressed, welded, bleached, polished, and finally cast into a mouthful of inferior iron pots. These methods cannot dispose of toxins such as organic solvents and heavy metals left in the iron drums, but they are sold to the market as high-quality pots and pans.
Behind the many exposure incidents is the bloody damage to people's lives and health. During the use of these iron pots, toxins such as cadmium, chromium and lead in the pots will leach into the food, causing unpredictable consequences to human health.
Children are the most victims of this silent famine. Lead is the most common and harmful heavy metal in poisoned iron pots. It can permanently damage a child's nervous system, leading to mental retardation, abnormal emotional behavior, and decreased academic performance, affecting a lifetime. Adults can also experience symptoms of poisoning such as dizziness and diarrhea after exposure. Other heavy metals, such as cadmium and chromium, can also damage our liver, kidneys, digestive system, and cause cancer.
This invisible "famine", without artillery fire, is taking countless healthy lives. How many generations of people are also poisoning each other through the gift and inheritance of pots and pans, and they continue to deliver "invisible shells". We must face up to the problem of the "poisonous iron pot", cut the chain of poison transmission, and start from ourselves, starting from now.
Regulatory loopholes behind the chain of interests
Behind the flood of "poisonous iron pots", the loopholes in regulatory departments and industry standards cannot be ignored. The mainland's mandatory standards for cast iron pots only stay at the appearance and size of the product, but do not stipulate the quality of raw materials, which creates an opportunity for unscrupulous businesses. They exploit standard loopholes and regulatory gaps to make huge profits by "repurposing" discarded barrels into iron pots through simple manual operations.
Other links in the chain of interests are also worthy of vigilance: factories use inferior raw materials to save costs, reselling merchants to spread inferior products for high profits, and catering companies and individuals ignore safety hazards in pursuit of low-priced goods...... Profit-driven blind behavior has exacerbated the breeding and spread of "poisonous iron pot".
We cannot simply blame the poor regulation, but also look at the reasons ourselves. It takes time to improve regulatory standards and departmental responsibilities, and every one of us food consumers can control our mouths and hands from now on - not for small profits, not for cheap, cautious purchases, and keep the health of ourselves and our families.
The way to "self-help": how to identify inferior iron pots
In the face of the silent erosion of "poisonous iron pots", how can we defend our own safety lines? Since the appearance of inferior iron pots is basically the same as that of high-quality pots, we need to start from the details to identify more.
First of all, price is often a reflection of quality. High-quality pig iron pot is made of high-quality pig iron, which has a high production cost and is naturally not low. In order to reduce costs, inferior iron pots often purchase waste materials and refine defective products, and the pricing is obviously low, which should cause vigilance.
Secondly, the material and safety can also be indirectly judged by the feel. Inferior thin iron is easy to deform and light in weight; High-quality pig iron is stronger and has a moderate weight. Even if no obvious toxins are detected in the light-shelled and low-cost iron pot, it is not necessarily a high-quality product, so it is better to keep an eye on it.
Then, by deliberately sniffing, you can also judge the material and safety of the wok. Inferior iron pots or residual industrial chemicals often emit a pungent odor. This kind of smell indicates that the content of toxic and harmful substances exceeds the standard, and it is directly eliminated.
Finally, you can also focus on the manufacturer and sales channel. Iron pots sold by well-known pig iron pot brands or large stores have a certain credibility guarantee and relatively low risk. On the contrary, the three-no-iron pot should be kept out.
Of course, no single criterion can be 100% safe. Being skeptical and wary of the first choice is still a must for those of us who are members of the Food Consumer Self-Defense Force. The fight against inferior iron pots is not only a battle to defend one's own health, but also a small revolution to safeguard public health and social justice.