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Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

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Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#51

Post by durkie »

hinkley wrote: post #48
sidewndr46 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of how scurvy was apparently well known in the age of sail but sort of forgotten with the industrial revolution. It showed back up again in Arctic expeditions from what I understand.

I don't recall where the the Arctic expeditions slot into this saga, but for ages we understood the lemon link but we hadn't identified Vitamin C yet. So there was a moment in time where the British Royal Navy was carrying around concentrated lime juice to fight scurvy (hence, Limey). Only the vendor that made the lime juice processed it in copper vessels, destroying most of the vitamin C. It doesn't take much vitami…

There was a competing theory that scurvy was prevented by eating fresh meat, and that's easier to get in the arctic: https://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#52

Post by EricE »

dunham wrote: post #17
CoastalCoder wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yikes. Are their any trustworthy, mainstream sources of spices in the U.S.? E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead? EDIT: I just saw a sibling comment about a company named "American Turmeric". I'm curious about more mainstream sellers, who might possibly monitor other spices as well. I'd prefer to not play whack-a-mole on a spice-…

I buy from thespicehouse.com - they seem to be careful, but I haven't inquired about turmeric. I should send them an email. (I prefer them over Penzey's, which is the same family, because they have dried fenugreek leaves.)

seconded - high quality and friendly service. Hard to ask for more.

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#53

Post by EricE »

bigbillheck wrote: post #50
CoastalCoder wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yikes. Are their any trustworthy, mainstream sources of spices in the U.S.? E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead? EDIT: I just saw a sibling comment about a company named "American Turmeric". I'm curious about more mainstream sellers, who might possibly monitor other spices as well. I'd prefer to not play whack-a-mole on a spice-…

It's hard to go wrong with Penzey's : https://www.penzeys.com/pages/consumer-reports

Only for half of the company, according to their CEO

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#54

Post by adamwong246 »

newaccount74 wrote: post #29

I don't understand how lead pigments are still legal in some parts of the world at all. What kind of things need a bright yellow color that will slowly poison you if you touch it? Also, those handheld XRF spectrometers are amazing tech. I wish they were more affordable.

> "Why? For the same reason our reactors do not have containment buildings around them, like those in the West. For the same reason we don't use properly enriched fuel in our cores. For the same reason we are the only nation that builds water-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors with a positive void coefficient. It's cheaper." ~ Valery Legasov, Chernobyl

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#56

Post by EricE »

heywhatupboys wrote: post #13

This article screams "white american saviour" WHO in 2023 writes like this?? > Food Safety authority representatives, flanked by soldiers in camouflage uniforms, magenta berets and guns slung over their shoulders, strode down the center of a busy street market in Dhaka, the capital city. The crowds parted. > Men riding three-wheeled rickshaws pulled over. Street vendors stopped stirring their aromatic curries. The sp…

So I wasn't the only one that was unimpressed with the flowery anecdotes either?

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#57

Post by yndoendo »

hinkley wrote: post #48
sidewndr46 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of how scurvy was apparently well known in the age of sail but sort of forgotten with the industrial revolution. It showed back up again in Arctic expeditions from what I understand.

I don't recall where the the Arctic expeditions slot into this saga, but for ages we understood the lemon link but we hadn't identified Vitamin C yet. So there was a moment in time where the British Royal Navy was carrying around concentrated lime juice to fight scurvy (hence, Limey). Only the vendor that made the lime juice processed it in copper vessels, destroying most of the vitamin C. It doesn't take much vitami…

"The Accidental Scientist: The Role of Chance and Luck in Scientific Discovery" talks all about the different substances tried to prevent and cure scurvy. British sailors turned to have a daily ration of rum mixed with the lime juice.

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#58

Post by elzbardico »

camgunz wrote: post #32
natdempk wrote: post #3

See also "Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/ The problem with lead in tumeric seems to extend beyond Bangladesh.

Yeah! I read this maybe a couple years ago and now lead test anything w/ turmeric in it (tea, actual turmeric, etc.) Haven't come up positive yet though, thank goodness. Can recommend just lead testing things. Test kits are cheap, it's very easy to do, you really want to know if you're eating/drinking lead (especially if you have kids). Also can recommend getting a water filter. It doesn't really fix dishwashing but…

Where can I find those test kits?

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#59

Post by ramesh31 »

heywhatupboys wrote: post #13

This article screams "white american saviour" WHO in 2023 writes like this?? > Food Safety authority representatives, flanked by soldiers in camouflage uniforms, magenta berets and guns slung over their shoulders, strode down the center of a busy street market in Dhaka, the capital city. The crowds parted. > Men riding three-wheeled rickshaws pulled over. Street vendors stopped stirring their aromatic curries. The sp…

>WHO in 2023 writes like this??

All websites do, as their staff is entirely comprised of 23 year old English majors who equate this style with "good writing". The entire internet reads like a C+ sophomore term paper now.

Re: Turmeric’s unexpected link to lead poisoning in Bangladesh

#60

Post by hinkley »

durkie wrote: post #51
hinkley wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't recall where the the Arctic expeditions slot into this saga, but for ages we understood the lemon link but we hadn't identified Vitamin C yet. So there was a moment in time where the British Royal Navy was carrying around concentrated lime juice to fight scurvy (hence, Limey). Only the vendor that made the lime juice processed it in copper vessels, destroying most of the vitamin C. It doesn't take much vitami…

There was a competing theory that scurvy was prevented by eating fresh meat, and that's easier to get in the arctic: https://idlewords.com/2010/03/scott_and_scurvy.htm

> Vitamin C can be destroyed by heat and light. High-heat cooking temperatures or prolonged cook times can break down the vitamin. Because it is water-soluble, the vitamin can also seep into cooking liquid and be lost if the liquids are not eaten.

In "The Terror" (A supernatural horror story by Dan Simmons, set in the lost Franklin expedition) it is raw meat that saves the indigenous people from scurvy. Which is probably not too inaccurate.

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