How much Lead is in salt? Which salt is safest to use for cooking? Is Himalayan salt safe? (2024)

If you work with (or own) a salt company and have more recent (or more accurate/ more specific) test results than what is listed below, please do share that with me and I will update this article! Thank you! (Please scroll to the bottom of this article for details requested to confirm your salt’s Lead levels.)

Published: October 21, 2020
Updated: September 1, 2023

Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles (like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with clicks on our affiliate links, if you would like to support the independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention advocacy work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!

Additional Reading For Those Interested in This Topic

1. The Myth of “Beneficial Minerals” in Dirty Salt
2. XRF Testing of a Typical Salt Lamp
3. The preferred (low-Lead, Lead-safe) Salt of Lead Safe Mama, LLC
4. Our Original (2013) Article About Lead in Chocolate
5. An Overview of the Concern for Lead in Baby Food
6. Safer Choices for Food (from a Lead-Perspective)
7. Article About the Cumulative Impact of Multiple (minor) Sources of Lead on Humans
8. And, here’s a link to the documentary feature film we directed and produced.

A collaboration with readers of the Lead Safe Mama website

LeadSafeMama.com is different from pretty much every other website out there — much of the work here at Lead Safe Mama is a collaborative effort with readers and friends. When it comes to the consumer goods test results posted here on LeadSafeMama.com, while I do XRF testing of consumer goods because I often have access to an instrument and am trained and certified in doing the testing, my readers and friends and supporters choose what we test and report on and they also help pay for the testing.

There are other collaborative efforts with Lead Safe Mama readers and friends, and this article about Lead in salt is one example of that. The information in this article is an ongoing effort by one long-time Lead Safe Mama friend (Gina), and the collaboration here is that she has agreed to share her independent research publicly. I am going to do my best to explain what these Lead readings mean for you and to further document her initial findings. You can also participate in the collaboration too, by letting me know which salt you use at home, and (if you can find it) what the reported Lead levels for that salt are. I will update this article with new information as I hear from my readers! There is quite a bit of new information in the comments of this article as well – and I encourage you to scroll down and read the comments for updates from readers. Thank you for your engagement and participation in this conversation.

So what is this list?

I am so grateful that, in response to inquiries by other concerned parents in our Facebook group, Gina took the time to compile this list. So what is this list? It’s a list — a work in progress — of various companies that produce (mine, collect, gather), package, and sell salt for use in cooking, along with how much Lead (in parts per billion) is known to be in each brand of salt (in most cases, as reported by the producer of the product). Gina and other Lead Safe Mama friends and readers either contacted companies directly for this information or found it online in their publicly available product information. In some cases, they were able to collect this information from other independent sources who did testing of products from that brand.

And … why was this list put together?

This list was compiled with the intention that it would be an informal summary of Lead levels in salt for parents to reference in making safer choices for their families. As such, all of the items in the list below are not yet linked to documentation supporting the Lead levels for that brand (confirming the numbers posted in the list below), but over the coming days and weeks, I will research each one as a follow-up to Gina’s work and post any available data sheets for each product here on this website — linking them to the statements below. Since Gina last updated this list in January 2018, I will update it with any new information as I find it (including product images and links to those products) so it is as current as possible. If you have reason to believe that any of the information noted below is incorrect, please let me know.

Important to note: parts per million (ppm) vs. parts per billion (ppb)

• Some of the companies noted below list the Lead levels for their salt products in parts per million (ppm) in their publicly available documents rather than parts per billion (ppb).
• As an example ratio, 1 ppm is equal to 1,000 ppb.
• When a company states in its documentation that its salt has “less than 1 ppm” of Lead, we have translated that to ppb (“less than 1,000 ppb”).
• We did this so all of the measurements are reported below in the same whole number standard (ppb), and because food Lead levels should be reported only in parts per billion (ppb) — as Lead is known to be toxic to humans in food (and water) at levels in the single and double digit ppb range.

Examples of current standards for context and reference:

• Current Organizational & U.S. Federal Regulatory Standards:
  • Bottled water is considered illegal for Lead content if it has more than 5 ppb.
  • Water in school fountains isconsidered toxic andunsafe for children (according to theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics)when Lead levels exceed 1 ppb.
  • Tap water is considered to be unsafe for human consumption if it exceeds the (relatively high; not protective of human health) U.S. Federal standard of 15 ppb.
  • Fruit juice is considered unsafe for children at 50 ppb and up.
  • Dried fruit is considered toxic for consumption at 100 ppb and up.
  • Candy is considered toxic for consumption at 100 ppb and up.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
How accurate is the testing being reported by salt companies?

• Companies who are reporting their levels as “less than 1,000 ppb” or “less than 2,000 ppb” may actually have much lower Lead levels, but are not doing testing down to an appropriately low threshold of detection for a product intended to be ingested by humans.
• If their low threshold of detection is 1 ppm or 2 ppm, it is simply not accurate enough for food testing, given food standards for Lead toxicity are measured in the 1 to 100 ppb range.
• In the absence of more accurate testing, we (unfortunately) need to assume the worst-case scenario — for example, a “less than 1000 ppb” might be 200 ppb or 500 ppb; it could also possibly be as high as 999 ppb.

“How concerning are the levels reported?Idon’tuse very much salt!”

Some might argue that because salt is consumed in such small quantities, a measurement threshold in the ppm range is sufficient. I disagree with this concept, given the extreme toxicity of Lead when ingested — even at very low levels. The negative impacts of Lead on the body are also cumulative over time. So, ongoing daily exposure to a very small amount adds up. Additionally, it is important to note that (per the study cited below) the claim of “beneficial minerals” in Himalayan salt appears to also be a myth — not only can Himalayan salt be toxic, but it also may not be “good for you” in the ways sales pitches assert it may be.

A recent Australian study determined that in order to ingest a useful quantity of the beneficial minerals from Himalayan salt, one would have to consume a toxic amount of that salt and therefore a toxic dose of the heavy metals in that salt as well!

“People would need to consume six teaspoons of pink salt for those nutrients to make a meaningful contribution to their diet, which far exceeds dietary guidelines [for salt intake].”*

*Here’s the link to the October 19, 2020 article quoted above about that study. Ironically, this study claims to be “the first one” discovering the dangers of pink Himalayan salt — yet this is a topic we have been discussing in The Lead Poisoning Prevention With Lead Safe Mama Group on Facebook for nearly a decade now.

• Here’s an article I wrote about the concern for Lead in pink salt in 2017.
• Here’s a second article I wrote about pink salt in 2019.

Thanks for being here! Thanks for reading. Please share this article (and the full list below) with your friends, family, and others you care about. As always, please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them personally as soon as I have a moment.

Tamara Rubin
Owner – Lead Safe Mama, LLC
Portland, Oregon

Continue reading below the image.

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of my links I may receive a percentage of what you spend at no additional cost to you. High Lead-salt products are linked to their Amazon listing below NOT in order foryou to purchase them, but so you can see the listing as it is “in the wild.”

Originally Compiled by Gina Rolfsmeier
Updated: October 22, 2020

Note: “<“ means “less than”
“ppm” = parts per million
“ppb” = parts per billion
1 ppm = 1,000 ppb
0.1 ppm = 100 ppb
0.01 ppm = 10 ppb

“Ratings”Context: As a Lead-poisoning prevention activist and mother of Lead-poisoned children it is my stance that salt should be held to the same standards (for Lead toxicity) as other food items (water, candy, dried fruit, etc.) With this context as a guiding principle, salt should fall below 100 ppb in order to be considered safe for normal daily use in your kitchen. Accordingly, my evaluating statements/ratings noted in the lists below (“acceptable,” “moderately unsafe,” and “unsafe“) are based on that context. There is not currently a governmentagency closely monitoring these levels and evaluating the health implications of regular daily use of salt with higher Lead content for us as consumers. In the absence of appropriate testing and appropriate regulatory standards, consumers need to err onthe side of caution.

Additionally, this list is by no means comprehensive, as there arecountless variations of salts made bydozens (if not hundreds) of salt companies around the world. If you have a particular salt you useand are curious about, please let me know and I will see about adding it to the list andresearching the Lead level (as found by independent testing sources).

Group #1) Salts in the “Less than 50 ppb” range
ACCEPTABLE — BEST CHOICES
This is the only sub-category of the salts listed that I would consider 100% acceptable.

1. Fusion Matcha Salt: 20 ppb
2. Jacobsen Salt Co Sea Salt: 25 ppb – or below(This is the brand I choose to buy for my family!)
3. Cyprus Black Mediterranean Sea Salt (from SaltWorks): <30 ppb
4. Bali Pyramid Balinese Salt: 30 ppb
5. SALTVERK Icelandic Salt: 30 ppb (I also love Icelandic Salt!)

Continue reading below the images.

Group #2) Salts in the “50 to 100 ppb” range
ACCEPTABLE — ALTERNATE CHOICES
These are possible alternates if you cannot find salt in the first category:

1. Bolivian Rose Andes Mountains Mineral Salt (from SaltWorks):72 ppb
2. Original Himalayan Crystal Salt:<100 ppb
3. Mediterra Mediterranean Sea Salt (from SaltWorks):<100 ppb

Group #3) Salts in the “100 to 200 ppb” range
MODERATELY UNSAFE
Use only in very limited quantities or make another choice for your family.

In the absence of further (and more accurate) testing for any salt with “less than” reading in this section, it is prudent to considerthese salts moderately unsafe for consumption.

1. Health Ranger Himalayan:<120 ppb
2. Kirkland (Costco) Sea Salt: <120 ppb
3. July 2024 – we moved Redmond Real Salt from this category to Group #4, based on our independent testing

Continue reading below the images.

Group #4) Salts in the “200 to 500 ppb” range
(= “Less than 0.5 ppm”)
UNSAFE

In the absence of further (and more accurate) testing for any salt with “less than” reading in this section, it is prudent to considerthese salts unsafe for consumption.

1. Le Paludier Fleur De Sel: 237 ppb
2. Kirkland Signature (Costco) Himalayan Pink Salts: 250 ppb
3. Himala Salt (“The purest salt on earth”): 250 ppb
4. Sunfood Himalayan: 250 ppb
5. Redmond Real Salt: 290 ppb– link to July 2024 3rd Party Lab Report
6. Jevatee Himalayan Salt: 350 ppb
7. Elements of Spice Salt: 412 ppb
8. In July of 2024 we moved Selina Celtic Sea Salt to Group #5 based on Independent 3rd Party Testing
9. Natures Cargo Sea Salt: 450 ppb
10. Le Paludier Sea Salt: 473 ppb
11. Alea Red Hawaiian Sea Salt:<500 ppb
12. Hiwa Kai Black Hawaiian Sea Salt: <500 ppb
13. Pure Ocean Premium Sea Salt (by SALTWORKS) — (previously named Pure Ocean Atlantic Sea Salt), country of origin: Australia (previously sourced from Brazil): <500 ppb (updated 2/19/2019 — click here to see testing report.)

Continue reading below the images.

Group #5) Salts in the “500 to 1,000 ppb” range
(= “Less than 1 ppm”)
UNSAFE

In the absence of further (and more accurate) testing for any salt with “less than” reading in this section, it is prudent to considerthese salts unsafe for consumption.

1. Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt: 626 ppb Lead (link to lab report and article)
2. Maldon Sea Salt: 700 ppb*
   • *Maldon has self-reported (in August of 2023) an updated Lead level for their salt of “less than 10 ppb” – which is an effective negative for Lead. We do not have a report to share publicly that confirms this, and (until we do) we will leave this salt in this category for the time being. You can read our communication exchange with Maldon (and related considerations) on this link.
3. Ancient Ocean Himalayan:<1,000 ppb
4. Aussie Flake Sea Salt: <1,000 ppb
5. Artisan Salt Company Fleur De Sel (Country of origin: France): <1,000 ppb
6. Fronteir Co-Op Himalayan Pink Salt: <1,000 ppb
7. Fronteir Sea Salt: <1,000 ppb
8. El Dorado Mesquite Salt: <1,000 ppb
9. Paragon Australian Sea Salt: <1,000 ppb
10. Sel Gris French Sea Salt: <1,000 ppb

Continue reading below the images.

Group #6) Salts in the “1000 to 2,000 ppb” range
(= “Less than 2 ppm”)
UNSAFE

In the absence of further (and more accurate) testing for any salt with “less than” reading in this section, it is prudent to considerthese salts unsafe for consumption. REMINDER: If a company provides a “LESS THAN” number for their test result, their test result could be any amount below the stated number. With this advocacy work we are requesting greater transparency and more accurate / more specific test results (down to double digit ppb) be made publicly available by companies.

1. Sel Gris De Guerande Sea Salt: 1,300 ppb
2. Fusion Black Truffle Salt: <2,000 ppb
3. Morton Table/Pickling Salt: <2,000 ppb

Continue reading below the images.

Brands that would not provide data OR had no response to this inquiry:

1. Hain Sea Salt:Would not provide data
2. Penzys:Would not provide data
3. San Francisco Salt Company Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt:Would not provide data
4. Trader Joes Salts:Would not provide data
5. Mountain Rose Herbs Salts:Does not do any heavy metals testing on salt
6. Diamond:no response
7. Himalaya:no response
8. Cerulean Seas:no response

Concluding Points

1. Salt should be below 100 ppb Lead to be considered safe for regular daily consumption and I personally would not use salt with my family if it tested positive for Lead at 50 ppb and above.
2. Salt manufacturers should be more transparent in making Lead levels available to consumers.
3. Salt manufacturers should be required to do more accurate third-party testing of their products so that all salt readings for Lead are given in whole ppb numbers, to the lowest possible threshold of detection (ideally at least to a level of accuracy with a low threshold of detection of 25 ppb or lower).
4. Consumers are creatures of habit,buying the same products for decades. They stick to a brand once they have chosen it. If you are like most consumers in this way (and are likely to buy the same brand of salt every time you purchase salt) please choose wisely and do your research before making that choice.
5. It just takes a microscopic amount of Lead to poison a human and we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to eliminate all known sources of Lead from our children’s lives (limiting and removing any potential exposure whenever possible).

Thanks again for reading! Let me know if you have questions!

Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama

NOTE TO SALT COMPANIES:

If you work with a salt company and you have recent (independent, third-party) test results you would like to share with me (in a PDF form that I can publish on this website and link to your company listing above) please email me at TamaraRubin@mac.com. I will also update the list above accordingly if your test results are different than the ones reported here.

Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on one of my links I may receive a percentage of what you spend at no additional cost to you.