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Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

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Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#41

Post by OJFord »

vasusen wrote: post #4

I grew up in India and now live in the US. My mom recently got some ground turmeric from our own farm when she visited us. I am was stunned by how much more duller, brownish-yellow it was compared to the turmeric I buy in Indian stores in the US. Those are usually really bright yellows. Now, I am really scared that even stuff sold in California is probably lead paint tainted turmeric.

I don't think you need to worry buying it from a store that's imported it properly - the article says it was found in the US in Bangladeshi communities where it had been brought back to the US in their suitcases.

The difference could be due to sun-drying (I assume?) on your family's farm vs. industrial scale freeze/spray drying, for example. Or some (non-lead, non-colouring) additive that prevents it oxidising and dulling over time perhaps. I think argon is often used (rather than air) in packaging for that purpose.

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#42

Post by adrianN »

whiw wrote: post #26
loopdoend wrote: post #2

Wish there were some way to detect impurities like this at home.

I am not a chemist, so take this with a pinch of salt: wouldn't lead chromate + sodium bicarbonate make lead carbonate, a white precipitate? Sodium bicarbonate is likely in your kitchen cupboard already.

Pretty hard to see precipitated dust at concentrations in the ppm range.

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#43

Post by prairieroadent »

crazygringo wrote: post #39
prairieroadent wrote: post #16

there has to be a way for us as a society to introduce a level of accountability into our so called "food" supply chain without the burden of regulation... perhaps it's as simple as spending more educating our kids about agriculture amendment: seems to be an unpopular take... my point being regulation is a workaround for a population that is worst than uneducated, miseducated, especially in regards to agriculture and…

> to introduce a level of accountability... without the burden of regulation Why? What's wrong with regulation? The whole point of regulation is safety and accountability and fairness. Yes things can be over-regulated, but then the solution is to regulate properly, not over-regulate. The reason we don't have libertarian or anarchist societies is because they fundamentally can't solve the problems around safety, accou…

my point is that regulation is a burden, not that it isn't the next step... from my point of view regulation is a workaround for our nightmare of an education system where giving kids a proper schooling is considered dangerous and a threat to national security

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#44

Post by OJFord »

ashwinsundar wrote: post #40
OJFord wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Article explicitly says it was being added to the whole root during buffing, before grinding. It doesn't seem like something people need to worry about buying it at shops abroad imported properly though - when it was found in the US it was people bringing it home in their luggage.

Yes but the coloring is easier to visually detect on the whole root, versus the powder (according to article). If you see bright yellow whole turmeric at a store, run away! FYI real, fresh turmeric is a dull orange color with a tan papery skin. It still stains the hands and cutting board when chopped, but that's normal. As the root dries, it turns a dull yellow-orange.

I know; it stains teeth and toothbrushes too, requiring a mad amount of brushing and mouthwash to get approximately nowhere.

('My friend' hasn't bought it fresh since!)

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#45

Post by amanaplanacanal »

crazygringo wrote: post #39
prairieroadent wrote: post #16

there has to be a way for us as a society to introduce a level of accountability into our so called "food" supply chain without the burden of regulation... perhaps it's as simple as spending more educating our kids about agriculture amendment: seems to be an unpopular take... my point being regulation is a workaround for a population that is worst than uneducated, miseducated, especially in regards to agriculture and…

> to introduce a level of accountability... without the burden of regulation Why? What's wrong with regulation? The whole point of regulation is safety and accountability and fairness. Yes things can be over-regulated, but then the solution is to regulate properly, not over-regulate. The reason we don't have libertarian or anarchist societies is because they fundamentally can't solve the problems around safety, accou…

I wonder if we should think about getting rid of limited liability corporations? Hit the capitalist class where it hurts.

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#46

Post by toast0 »

genewitch wrote: post #13
vasusen wrote: post #4

I grew up in India and now live in the US. My mom recently got some ground turmeric from our own farm when she visited us. I am was stunned by how much more duller, brownish-yellow it was compared to the turmeric I buy in Indian stores in the US. Those are usually really bright yellows. Now, I am really scared that even stuff sold in California is probably lead paint tainted turmeric.

article says "you can't tell when it's ground" - that is, specifically, they put lead chromate in the "buff" stage, so the roots look like they were dried properly. In the same way that a lot of apples and the like will be buffed and then a soft wax coat applied so lots of apples are very shiny at the store. if the turmeric is ground before sale i doubt there's any reason to use lead chromate.

> if the turmeric is ground before sale i doubt there's any reason to use lead chromate.

If the roots are wholesaled to the grinder, and the grinder doesn't know that bright means poisoned, they might prefer brighter looking roots. The ground tumeric will be poisoned.

Similarly, if the roots are poisoned and discriminating buyers aren't buying then because they're too bright, you can still grind it and sell it, and the color will blend.

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#47

Post by oharapj »

vasusen wrote: post #4

I grew up in India and now live in the US. My mom recently got some ground turmeric from our own farm when she visited us. I am was stunned by how much more duller, brownish-yellow it was compared to the turmeric I buy in Indian stores in the US. Those are usually really bright yellows. Now, I am really scared that even stuff sold in California is probably lead paint tainted turmeric.

Can someone validate the water test for lead adulterated turmeric? https://youtu.be/tXWPf0HQd5U?si=-SkT4EQB9SvMx7io

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#48

Post by yread »

genewitch wrote: post #23
ashwinsundar wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No I think the opposite conclusion is correct - turmeric starts out whole, and can be either ground down at that point or dried and sold whole. In the whole state, it's much easier to detect that lead chromate was applied. If the turmeric is ground before sale, it's even easier to apply lead chromate and make the whole version "appear" healthier to the next processor who grinds it down and then sells the powder. If y…

Then why isn't this an issue in Bharat, as mentioned in the article?

Of course it is an issue. The government has a page to detect adulteration

https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#49

Post by zargon »

OJFord wrote: post #41
vasusen wrote: post #4

I grew up in India and now live in the US. My mom recently got some ground turmeric from our own farm when she visited us. I am was stunned by how much more duller, brownish-yellow it was compared to the turmeric I buy in Indian stores in the US. Those are usually really bright yellows. Now, I am really scared that even stuff sold in California is probably lead paint tainted turmeric.

I don't think you need to worry buying it from a store that's imported it properly - the article says it was found in the US in Bangladeshi communities where it had been brought back to the US in their suitcases. The difference could be due to sun-drying (I assume?) on your family's farm vs. industrial scale freeze/spray drying, for example. Or some (non-lead, non-colouring) additive that prevents it oxidising and du…

If a company doesn’t explicitly state their supply chain controls in situations like this, I’m going to assume they’re possibly inadequate. This is the Amazon era, where things like knowing where what you’re selling came from is considered too much effort.

Re: Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

#50

Post by lejalv »

tomalpha wrote: post #31

I wonder if this has survived the recent cutbacks to USAID? And recently they are celebrating some big news on the lead fighting front: This week, UNICEF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new $150 million initiative to combat lead poisoning

    "It is long overdue that the world is coming together," says Samatha Power , who runs USAID.
That is a 404. And the homepage has a Notification of Administrative Leave

    As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally (...)
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