A group of American researchers have claimed that "certain Indian spices may be linked to lead poisoning in children".
Daniel Brabander, an associated professor of geosciences at Massachusetts-based Wellesley College, and fellow Harvard researchers have linked at least four cases of lead poisoning
in children to the use of Indian spices or ceremonial powders.
"... (the) market basket survey in the metropolitan Boston area found one-quarter of the Indian spices and other food stuffs tested contained detectable lead levels, and more than
half of the ceremonial and religious powders also contained detectable lead," a recent statement from Wellesley College said.
In the four cases of leading poisoning, all children had improved blood lead levels after receiving treatment and/or after their parents discontinued use of spices or powders.
"The cases prompted researchers to analyse 86 imported spices and 71 ceremonial powders available at Boston-area stores.
"The results showed 22 of the 86 spices and food productsband 46 of the 71 ceremonial powders contained detectable lead levels," the statement noted.
According to the researchers, immigrant children may be especially at risk for lead poisoning due to repeated exposure to these products.
As per the report, although the powders are not meant for consumption, infants may have inadvertently be exposed by hand-to-mouth transference of topically applied powders or by
the hands of parents who handle the powders and then prepare foods for the infant's consumption.
"One of the unique aspects of this work is that it goes beyond simply determining how much lead is present in Indian spices and cultural powders," Brabander said.
"We evaluated the fraction of this total lead that is bioaccessible, or that readily dissolves in the stomach, and in the case of the high-lead sindoor samples, determined how
the lead is chemically bound in the materials," he added.
Going by the researchers, some ceremonial sindoor powders that had been previously banned or recalled by the US health regulator - Food and Drug Administration - were still available for sale and contained over 50 per cent lead.
Attributing to the researchers, the statement said that similar Indian spices and ceremonial powders are also available for purchase on the Internet.