
Stanford researchers find lead in turmeric - tepidandroid
https://news.stanford.edu/2019/09/24/lead-found-turmeric/
======
generatorguy
>The researchers did not find direct evidence of contaminated turmeric beyond
Bangladesh, and they point out that food safety checks by the importing
countries have incentivized large-scale Bangladesh spice processors to limit
the amount of lead added to turmeric destined for export. However, the
researchers caution, “the current system of periodic food safety checks may
catch only a fraction of the adulterated turmeric being traded worldwide.” In
fact, since 2011, more than 15 brands of turmeric – distributed to countries
including the U.S. – have been recalled due to excessive levels of lead.

~~~
blue_devil
>In fact, since 2011, more than 15 brands of turmeric – distributed to
countries including the U.S. – have been recalled due to excessive levels of
lead.

I could not find references about this one, but I found:

Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/)

------
gyuserbti
I've noticed turmeric is increasingly used as a natural colorant in the US.
This makes me a bit worried about lead slipping through, with turmeric being
used in that way.

------
imvetri
Why can't researchers also find a smart way to put restrictions on business
and corporations killing the nature?

Man, first we will have to put some moral-science as their mandatory subject
to clear..

------
EricE
Forwarded the article to a friend who relies on Turmeric already knew about it
and claimed it was "big Pharma" trying to discredit alternative medicine
through innuendo and flat out lies.

As with most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

------
nikolay
Turmeric from India is loaded with lead as well - including the Organic kind.

~~~
bakul
If you have proof, you should provide it.

~~~
nikolay
There were articles year ago, but here's one [0] I found quickly, which lists
at least 2 Indian importers. Given that even most generics made in India are
contaminated and often - recall, I can't trust anything coming from a corrupt
country.

[0]:
[https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC5415...](https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC5415259&blobtype=pdf)

------
Santosh83
It has been traditionally used in India for its anti-inflammatory properties
for centuries.

