Lead Exposure of Four Biologically Important Common Branded and Non-branded Spices: Relative Analysis and Health Implication

Overview

This is the peer-reviewed journal publication of the work that appears as a preprint in the HMI library under cite_key alam2022-dhaka-spices-lead. Alam et al. measured lead in 72 powdered spice samples collected from three local markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh, covering cumin powder, red pepper chili, turmeric, and coriander, split between branded and nonbranded products. Lead was quantified by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) after hot-plate acid digestion. The main finding is that the nonbranded category generally had slightly higher lead (Pb) than the branded equivalent except for coriander powder. Cumin powder branded samples ranged from below LOD to 2.80 mg/kg (average 0.91 mg/kg), and nonbranded cumin samples ranged from below LOD to 5.56 mg/kg (average 1.67 mg/kg). All estimated daily intakes were below the maximum tolerable daily intake used by the authors except for nonbranded turmeric and nonbranded red pepper.

Key numbers

Lead concentrations by spice category (mg/kg, dry weight or spice-as-sold powder basis, FAAS):

Spice	Branded mean (mg/kg)	Branded range (mg/kg)	Nonbranded mean (mg/kg)	Nonbranded range (mg/kg)
Cumin powder	0.91	<LOD-2.80	1.67	<LOD-5.56
Red pepper chili	not stated	<LOD-0.48	not stated	<LOD-3.84
Turmeric powder	not stated	<LOD-13.83	not stated	<LOD-37.29
Coriander powder	not stated	0.28-8.19	not stated	0.29-0.65

LOD for FAAS Pb not stated explicitly in extracted text; values reported as “<0.27 mg/kg” in preprint version may represent LOD/2 or LOD substitution.

Key cumin-specific findings:

Branded cumin mean Pb: 0.91 mg/kg; nonbranded cumin mean Pb: 1.67 mg/kg
Both means are below the Codex Alimentarius spice Pb limit of 2.0 mg/kg (Codex STAN 193-1995 as amended 2023) but the nonbranded maximum (5.56 mg/kg) substantially exceeds it
Average Pb in cumin was higher than in red pepper chili but lower than in turmeric and coriander (branded) or lower than turmeric (nonbranded)

Exposure estimates for cumin (from paper’s Table 2 or equivalent):

Category	EDI (source units)	THQ	CR
Branded cumin	0.046	0.011	3.89E-07
Nonbranded cumin	0.088	0.021	7.46E-07

Intake rate used: 3.5 g/day for cumin per Bangladeshi population data cited by authors.

Methods (brief)

FAAS: standard reference solutions of Pb prepared from 1000 mg/kg stock, serial dilution; carcinogenic slope factor 0.0085 mg/kg/day for Pb (USFPA, USDOE, FAO/WHO cited). Hot-plate wet digestion with HNO3/HClO4. Three local Dhaka markets sampled. Data expressed as mean +/- SD.

Near-duplicate note

This paper is the peer-reviewed publication of the preprint at doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2087533/v1 (cite_key: alam2022-dhaka-spices-lead). Both pages are retained because the published version has a distinct DOI, underwent peer review, and may carry minor revisions. The cumin.md page should cite the published version where both are available.

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