Recently, researchers have found that the turmeric available in India, Nepal, and Pakistan contains levels of lead that are dangerous, far beyond the allowed limit. Samples from 23 cities of South Asia in this study published in Science of The Total Environment were tested for lead concentrations, where around 14% of the samples contained lead concentration values higher than 2 µg/g, with a sample containing as much as 1,000 µg/g.
The maximum permissible level of lead in turmeric as set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is 10 µg/g, yet high levels of lead were found above this threshold at the following high-profile markets: Patna, Guwahati, Chennai. The highest level was encountered in Patna, which reached as high as 2,274 µg/g.
Conducted by researchers of Stanford University, Pure Earth, along with Freedom Employability Academy in India, this study has pointed out that lead exposure seriously impacts the functions of the body. Lead is similar to calcium, and through assimilation and incorporation into the bones, it eventually becomes lethal for the young minds. That explains how exposure has come to be linked with cognitive impairments, behavioral problems, as well as developmental delays in children.
One of the contamination sources is lead chromate, an industrial yellow pigment used extensively by the turmeric industry for coloring curries. Lead poisoning has been reported in many places, including Bangladesh and the U.S., due to another illegal practice that also involves applying lead powders on or inside surfaces.
In pursuit of this, researchers from several institutions are now calling for more research on the South Asia supply chain of turmeric, urging an imperative response to stop the addition of lead chromate to the turmeric trade. “Given the severely elevated levels of lead in turmeric from these places, urgent action needs to be taken to stop the addition of lead chromate to the turmeric supply chain,” researchers emphasized.