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

npr.org

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

#221

Post by Joel_Mckay »

account42 wrote: post #213
Joel_Mckay wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are very sensitive indicator drops used for identifying ceramic glazes containing lead on antique porcelain. There are also handheld scanners that cost more than a car. And yes, people in the community scan every imported toy and or food item they see to start the FDA ban process when necessary. Should buy local when you can anyway. =3

Tumeric isn't something grown locally in most places. And for powder you are pretty much always getting imports.

I think you mean it isn't unrealistically cheap locally, or from reputable certified organic farmers.

Have a great day =3

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

#222

Post by OJFord »

account42 wrote: post #218
OJFord wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And @dead commenter, yes I'm well aware it's botanically a rhizome, just like ginger. Colloquially, even culinarily, that's not common and it's not particularly helpful to say, many people not knowing what it is, and it's certainly not an important distinction to make here. I also know tomatoes are fruits, but in the comment section on the importance of eating fruits it would hardly be helpful to give as an example '…

Is there even any chase outside botany where rhizome vs. root is a meaningful distinction? At least tomatoes are sometimes treated as culinary fruit.

I cook a great deal and they could all be classified as fruits for all I care, I'm still going to use them for their flavours/properties which means probably none of them going in a fruit salad.

No, I think it matters about as much as whether python is statically or dynamically typed to a user of an API.

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

#223

Post by account42 »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #220
account42 wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those tests are not sensitive enough to check for food contamination.

The contamination is powdered paint containing white lead pigment, and many of these 20ppm to 500ppm test kits are designed for paint surface testing. If you are color blind and cant see pink very well, than get someone to help or go the lab test route. Best of luck =3

I think you're the one in need of luck if you're going to rely on paint tests for food safety.

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

#224

Post by account42 »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #221
account42 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tumeric isn't something grown locally in most places. And for powder you are pretty much always getting imports.

I think you mean it isn't unrealistically cheap locally, or from reputable certified organic farmers. Have a great day =3

No I mean it isn't grown locally for sale at all.

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

#225

Post by Joel_Mckay »

account42 wrote: post #223
Joel_Mckay wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The contamination is powdered paint containing white lead pigment, and many of these 20ppm to 500ppm test kits are designed for paint surface testing. If you are color blind and cant see pink very well, than get someone to help or go the lab test route. Best of luck =3

I think you're the one in need of luck if you're going to rely on paint tests for food safety.

Normal people don't consider paint food, and don't eat the test kits.

The "Do not ingest" labels are on the side for people that may assume otherwise. lol =3

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

#226

Post by downrightmike »

markhahn wrote: post #92
SoftTalker wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But government won't cheat?

Yes, that is correct. At least in the west, governments are actually filled with quite earnest, diligent people, not cheating. It's possible to find narrow cases where industry manages to bias government, but it's not like "ignore the lead in this turmeric".

Which is why the current admin is fighting so hard to get rid of the good people

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

#227

Post by account42 »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #225
account42 wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're the one in need of luck if you're going to rely on paint tests for food safety.

Normal people don't consider paint food, and don't eat the test kits. The "Do not ingest" labels are on the side for people that may assume otherwise. lol =3

To bad for you that the contaminated turmeric doesn't come with "do not ingest" labels as well.

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

#228

Post by bigbadfeline »

ericmay wrote: post #124
abeppu wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But if you ascribe even the slightest but of agency to any of the non-Americans involved, you have to wonder if this problem will come back. From the article: > 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. Americans have disassembled US…

> The agency of Americans is also contributing to this reccuring. I’m going to push back very, very hard on ascribing any sort of blame on anyone other than those who are committing these acts. Least of all the American taxpayer, regardless of whether or not dismantling USAID is a good idea. If the rest of the world is so helpless that all hope depends on Americans to solve even problems such as this and it’s our fau…

> I’m going to push back very, very hard on ascribing any sort of blame on anyone other than those who are committing these acts.

Pushing back to remove blame from anybody that could potentially solve the problem? And place it exclusively on those who have all incentives to perpetuate and grow it?

That kind of blind moral grandstanding is why we live in idiocracy.

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

#229

Post by phendrenad2 »

Amezarak wrote: post #76
phendrenad2 wrote: post #57

I think this NPR article is too quick to put a positive spin on this. They have made a nice little story here with a happy ending. Farmers had blackened turmeric -> they used a random yellow die they found -> massive lead spike in everyone's bloodstream -> Americans came in with a xray gun and saved the day -> no more lead in the blood. But if you ascribe even the slightest but of agency to any of the non-Americans i…

I don't think the NPR reporter is deliberately spinning the story. I think a lot of people don't really believe that other people are really different from them. The reporter would never knowingly poison people for money, so it's not comprehensible to them that lots of people in the world just don't care whether they do or not. The only reason in their minds that people would do such a thing are economic desperation…

I dunno, NPR seems perfectly capable of reporting on crimes in general.
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