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> …and none of this mentions the recent discovery that turmeric supplements were being cut or substituted with lead chromate, which apparently, if surprisingly,
by BlueTemplar 3y ago
> …and none of this mentions the recent discovery that turmeric supplements were being cut or substituted with lead chromate, which apparently, if surprisingly, is cheaper. At least it is indisputably bioactive….
- stevenAthompson 3y agoLead chromate is fine for the most part. The LD50 for rats is only 5,000 mg/kg. It's still used in pigments widely. In humans it would take a heroic dose to do anything nasty.
- BlueTemplar 3y agoHuh, so were all those claims about fakes being a big health issue overblown ?? Even for kids ??
- stevenAthompson 3y agoThe FDA knows better than I do, and I'm glad they issued recalls. There's no reason for any lead chromate to be in anything you consume. That said I read several of the recall notices and the recalls were for products containing like 50-100ppm of lead chromate, not lead, in something people typically consume less than a gram per day of in supplemnt form. Even for a child it would take regular use of large amounts to add up to any real impact. This was the FDA showing zero tolerance, as they should, but I don't think anyone was actually harmed, and it's not a reason to panic.
- BlueTemplar 3y agoI was thinking about Bangladesh, not the USA : https://m.timesofindia.com/lead-chromate-was-being-used-to-brighten-turmeric-it-damaged-adult-health-and-child-iq-costing-trillions/articleshow/106582709.cms https://m.timesofindia.com/lead-chromate-was-being-used-to-b... (Their "costing trillions" claim might be overblown.)
- stevenAthompson 3y agoThanks for that link. It's a fascinating story. My perspective, and my comments, were US biased.