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I immediately tested the 5 year old Sadaf tumeric in my kitchen cabinet using a 3M lead testing kit I happened to have in my house. Thankfully it came out negat

I immediately tested the 5 year old Sadaf tumeric in my kitchen cabinet using a 3M lead testing kit I happened to have in my house. Thankfully it came out negative!

perihelions 1y ago
That doesn't sound technically plausible to me—there aren't any inexpensive tests. Do you mean something like this 3M product[0], that's intended for paint not food, and is documented as "LeadCheck™ Swabs reliabily detect lead in paints at 0.5% (5,000 ppm). 3M™ LeadCheck™ Swabs may indicate lead in some paint films as low as 0.06% (600ppm)."? If so, those aren't remotely suited for this purpose—those detection lower-bounds represent astronomically high amounts of lead, for a food item. The highest end of Pb contamination in turmeric in Bangladesh (as in OP) is, from a cursory search, maybe 483 ppm [1]. Regulatory limits in the US are in the low parts-per-billion [2]. This metal bioaccumulates over a lifetime. [0] (.pdf) https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1581338O/3m-leadcheck-instruction-manual-english.pdf https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1581338O/3m-leadcheck-in... [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25214856/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25214856/ ("Contaminated turmeric is a potential source of lead exposure for children in rural Bangladesh" / "Results: Lead concentrations in many turmeric samples were elevated, with lead concentrations as high as 483 ppm") [2] https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/fda-proposes-new-limits-for-lead-in-baby-foods-a2167994237/ https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/fda-pr...
- LarsDu88 1y ago
  Thanks for this heads up. This will be useful information for other people with the same idea I had.
  - peterbecich 1y ago
    A lab such as https://aihlabs.com/ https://aihlabs.com/ may be able to test food
    - account42 1y ago
      https://aihlabs.com/lead-testing/ https://aihlabs.com/lead-testing/ doesn't mention food tests and $50 is probably not something most will want to pay every time when buying a new pack.
bunderbunder 1y ago
Those 3M lead testing kits are designed to detect lead at concentrations on the order of, I don't know, what, like, a million times the limits set in food safety standards? https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3M-leadcheck-report.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3M-leadche...
ashwinsundar 1y ago
There is a much easier and reliable way to test it -> https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/#:~:text=Test%2014%20%3A%20Detection%20of%20lead%20chromate%20in%20turmeric%20whole https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/#:~:text=Test%2014%20%3A%2...
- williamscales 1y ago
  I don't see any method for lead chromate in turmeric powder, unless I'm missing something.
  - gitaarik 1y ago
    It's used for coloring, because it makes it apparently gives it the same color as good real tumeric
    - williamscales 1y ago
      OK, so the method given for artificial coloring on that page. I'm curious if that works for lead chromate. It seems so simple that it must have been tried in this case? Regardless I'll file it away to at least try on stuff to avoid what colors it can detect.
  - thaumasiotes 1y ago
    It's the one below the one ashwinsundar linked, "detection of artificial colour in turmeric powder". The test is: when you add the powdered turmeric to water, natural turmeric will give the water a "light" yellow color, while adulterated turmeric will give it a "strong" yellow color. This is not a test that I'd characterize as "easy" or "reliable".
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
    - account42 1y ago
      Yeah, I wouldn't trust this test without a reference sample for comparison.

I immediately tested the 5 year old Sadaf tumeric in my kitchen cabinet using a 3M lead testing kit I happened to have in my house. Thankfully it came out negative!

perihelions 1y ago

That doesn't sound technically plausible to me—there aren't any inexpensive tests. Do you mean something like this 3M product[0], that's intended for paint not food, and is documented as "LeadCheck™ Swabs reliabily detect lead in paints at 0.5% (5,000 ppm). 3M™ LeadCheck™ Swabs may indicate lead in some paint films as low as 0.06% (600ppm)."? If so, those aren't remotely suited for this purpose—those detection lower-bounds represent astronomically high amounts of lead, for a food item. The highest end of Pb contamination in turmeric in Bangladesh (as in OP) is, from a cursory search, maybe 483 ppm [1]. Regulatory limits in the US are in the low parts-per-billion [2]. This metal bioaccumulates over a lifetime. [0] (.pdf) https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1581338O/3m-leadcheck-instruction-manual-english.pdf https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1581338O/3m-leadcheck-in... [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25214856/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25214856/ ("Contaminated turmeric is a potential source of lead exposure for children in rural Bangladesh" / "Results: Lead concentrations in many turmeric samples were elevated, with lead concentrations as high as 483 ppm") [2] https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/fda-proposes-new-limits-for-lead-in-baby-foods-a2167994237/ https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/fda-pr...

LarsDu88 1y ago
Thanks for this heads up. This will be useful information for other people with the same idea I had.
- peterbecich 1y ago
  A lab such as https://aihlabs.com/ https://aihlabs.com/ may be able to test food
  - account42 1y ago
    https://aihlabs.com/lead-testing/ https://aihlabs.com/lead-testing/ doesn't mention food tests and $50 is probably not something most will want to pay every time when buying a new pack.

bunderbunder 1y ago

Those 3M lead testing kits are designed to detect lead at concentrations on the order of, I don't know, what, like, a million times the limits set in food safety standards? https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3M-leadcheck-report.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/3M-leadche...

ashwinsundar 1y ago

There is a much easier and reliable way to test it -> https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/#:~:text=Test%2014%20%3A%20Detection%20of%20lead%20chromate%20in%20turmeric%20whole https://eatrightindia.gov.in/dart/#:~:text=Test%2014%20%3A%2...

williamscales 1y ago
I don't see any method for lead chromate in turmeric powder, unless I'm missing something.
- gitaarik 1y ago
  It's used for coloring, because it makes it apparently gives it the same color as good real tumeric
  - williamscales 1y ago
    OK, so the method given for artificial coloring on that page. I'm curious if that works for lead chromate. It seems so simple that it must have been tried in this case? Regardless I'll file it away to at least try on stuff to avoid what colors it can detect.
- thaumasiotes 1y ago
  It's the one below the one ashwinsundar linked, "detection of artificial colour in turmeric powder". The test is: when you add the powdered turmeric to water, natural turmeric will give the water a "light" yellow color, while adulterated turmeric will give it a "strong" yellow color. This is not a test that I'd characterize as "easy" or "reliable".
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - account42 1y ago
    Yeah, I wouldn't trust this test without a reference sample for comparison.