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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

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you can assume someones internal views by use of word, especially such a term with a complex history that means different things to different people. The way you present it seems to have more problems than the 'not care' use case.

The quotation marks denote a very specific form of usage, one that generally implies a disregard/disrespect for those who use the word legitimately. Using the word isn't the issue, it's How you use it. Like using the word Jew. It's fine if you're saying "I'm a Jew" but not fine if you say "Get a load of that Jew over there". Is that clear enough?

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

#142
post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quotation marks denote a very specific form of usage, one that generally implies a disregard/disrespect for those who use the word legitimately. Using the word isn't the issue, it's How you use it. Like using the word Jew. It's fine if you're saying "I'm a Jew" but not fine if you say "Get a load of that Jew over there". Is that clear enough?

[flagged]

It’s funny, I’d have said that calling everything woke or seeing wokeness everywhere was a pseudo-religion.

Criticising something is fine, but doing it by calling the issue ‘work’ just doesn’t seem to add to any argument.

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

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

'Woke' is a very loaded word. A heads up that if you use it in the way you just did, people will assume certain things about you. Unless you don't care, in which case continue so that everyone knows what assumption they should make.

[flagged]

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

#144

I'm a little surprised at the initial confusion about the source of lead, or perhaps it's the way the article has been written. As someone who grew up in India, our school textbooks in the 90s had a list of common food adulterants, and turmeric adulteration with lead chromate was common knowledge to middle schoolers. I recall the curriculum included how to detect adulteration with simple at home tests. After turmeric…

It's not real knowledge until some white person from a prestigious foreign university visits and works it into their Ph. D. thesis.

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

#145
post #82

I'm a little surprised at the initial confusion about the source of lead, or perhaps it's the way the article has been written. As someone who grew up in India, our school textbooks in the 90s had a list of common food adulterants, and turmeric adulteration with lead chromate was common knowledge to middle schoolers. I recall the curriculum included how to detect adulteration with simple at home tests. After turmeric…

How can I test for lead in my tumeric? Edit: found this page which is amazing https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/

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

#146

I'm a little surprised at the initial confusion about the source of lead, or perhaps it's the way the article has been written. As someone who grew up in India, our school textbooks in the 90s had a list of common food adulterants, and turmeric adulteration with lead chromate was common knowledge to middle schoolers. I recall the curriculum included how to detect adulteration with simple at home tests. After turmeric…

It's not real knowledge until some white person from a prestigious foreign university visits and works it into their Ph. D. thesis.

One would think that they could've solved the mystery easily without such white woman if everyone knew about that, but apparently one would be wrong. Generations of people poisoned by this practice and everyone was just fine with it?

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

#147

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.

Lead pigments are still legal in the United States[1], and were only banned in the EU a few years ago[2]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4434842/ [2] https://speciation.net/News/EU-court-rules-Commission-author...

In Europe, many countries banned lead paints for household use already in the 1920'ies or even earlier. In 2003 there was an EU wide harmonization outlawing lead paints. The article you linked to is apparently about some lawsuit where the EU commission had allowed an exception to this.

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

#148
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Woke' is a very loaded word. A heads up that if you use it in the way you just did, people will assume certain things about you. Unless you don't care, in which case continue so that everyone knows what assumption they should make.

[flagged]

Do you agree that 'woke' is a loaded word?

Do you agree that by using that word in that way it signals a certain type of political/ideological viewpoint?

Do you agree that if someone did not want to signal that viewpoint it they should know?

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

#149
post #17

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.)

I emailed Bill Penzey a few years ago, asking if they did testing for lead in their turmeric, got no response.

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

#150
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Woke' is a very loaded word. A heads up that if you use it in the way you just did, people will assume certain things about you. Unless you don't care, in which case continue so that everyone knows what assumption they should make.

[flagged]

This has gotten ridiculously meta...
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