Overview
Özden measured cadmium and lead by ICP-OES in 54 unpackaged dried herbs and spices from Istanbul markets. Means in Table 2 are of positive samples only. Most samples exceeded the WHO cadmium limit for herbal products, while lead stayed below the WHO limit.
Key numbers
- Turmeric: cadmium 0.67 ± 0.08 mg/kg and lead 5.64 ± 0.81 mg/kg (14 of 15 positive) (Table 2, p. 394).
- Ginger: cadmium 0.43 ± 0.09, lead 5.46 ± 0.92 mg/kg (15 of 15 positive) (Table 2, p. 394).
- All positives: cadmium 0.25 to 0.78 mg/kg, lead 3.04 to 6.45 mg/kg; 45 of 54 above the WHO cadmium limit of 0.3 mg/kg (p. 394).
Methods (brief)
Dried samples (0.1 to 0.3 g) were digested with 8 mL 65% nitric acid in a closed microwave system and analysed by ICP-OES (Optima 7000 DV). LOD 0.08 (cadmium) and 0.13 mg/kg (lead); LOQ 0.25 and 0.4 mg/kg; CRM recoveries 86 to 104%.
Evidence Fitness
Moderate sample sizes with CRM recoveries, but means exclude non-detects, which biases them upward. The spices are ingredient proxies for ranch-dressing-low-calorie, which is not measured or linked.