Bill would eliminate 10 ppm limit and delay stronger protections for years
Olympia, WA⸺Today, the Washington state Senate passed SB 5975, legislation that would weaken Washington’s landmark restrictions on lead contamination in cookware and delay critical public health protections for years. The bill passed 42-7.
“There is no safe level of lead, especially for children and pregnant women,” said Dr. Ryan Babadi, Science Director for Toxic-Free Future. “We should not allow high levels of lead contamination in everyday cookware.”
In 2024, Washington state adopted limits on lead in cookware after King County investigators found dangerously high levels of lead in cookware. In response, lawmakers led by Rep. Gerry Pollett adopted a standard of 5 parts per million (ppm) for lead in cookware sold into Washington.
In 2025, due to industry pushback, the legislature weakened the standard to 10 ppm and gave manufacturers additional time to comply, establishing a temporary 90 ppm limit beginning in 2026, with the 10 ppm standard scheduled to take effect in 2028.
SB 5975 weakens the law even more. The bill eliminates the 10 ppm standard entirely and delays meaningful protections by requiring that the State Department of Ecology conduct an assessment and rulemaking, a process that will likely take eight years or longer. During that time, children, pregnant women, and families could continue to be exposed to preventable lead contamination from everyday cookware.
“The bill goes too far,” said Laurie Valeriano, Executive Director of Toxic-Free Future. “There is no justification for postponing health protections for all cookware that reduce lead exposure for children, especially when safer, affordable pots and pans that meet the stronger standard are already available.”
“With local partners, we are doing events in the community where we are providing replacement pans when people bring in their old pans. We were easily able to buy a wide range of safe pans to provide to the public that tested well below the 10 ppm standard, at a range of price points,” said Heather Trim, Executive Director of Zero Waste Washington. “Everyone I have talked with about the lead in cookware problem has asked if we could test their pots and pans. This is a big concern for people.”
“Lead exposure remains a serious public health concern, particularly for children and pregnant people. Strong, science-based standards in consumer products provide clarity for manufacturers and protection for families,” said Matthew Weintraub of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County. “The Hazardous Waste Management Program and Public Health together devote more than $2 million dollars per year to reduce lead exposure in children. This bill would increase those public costs.”
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Stephanie Stohler, Toxic-Free Future, (202) 921-4952, [email protected]
Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington, (206) 351-2898, [email protected]
Matthew Weintraub, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, (206) 775-5939, [email protected]