Against the backdrop of detecting harmful lead compound in turmeric, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked the authorities concerned to restrict export of the widely consumed spice and uphold the country's image abroad, officials said.
It suggested imposing a complete ban until completing proper testing by the appropriate authorities or limiting the export to only the lots those are certified by the government authorities concerned, they said.
The PMO recently asked the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) of taking necessary measures based on a confidential report prepared by the government that found presence of lead beyond the acceptable limit for human health, particularly children.
It instructed examining properly by the law enforcing agencies and food departments and take actions in preventing the mix of harmful lead in the item, according to the report obtained by the FE.
Following a recent study jointly conducted by the International Centre for diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Stanford University, USA, the PMO recommended taking next course of steps through collection of turmeric samples from different production areas as well as processing factories.
The joint study found that some spice processors and traders were using lead to brighten the color of the turmeric powder, causing serious health concerns.
When contacted, Chairman of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) Syeda Sarwar Jahan said: "We've already cautioned all the stakeholders not to use (produce, process, store, transport, buy and sell) the adulterated turmeric powder."
Despite the warning, the traders concerned have been producing, processing, storing, buying and selling such powder, she added. "We've got huge lead compound in the turmeric, destroyed those and fined the traders/ producers concerned. Mobile court is working on it."
According to a BFSA notice, some samples of turmeric powder collected from some unscrupulous traders contained lead chromate pigment which was used to artificially brighten the colour of the spice.
In different parts of Dhaka, a team of BFSA, in cooperation with icddr,b visited wholesale markets to detect turmeric that contained lead chromate. In some areas, they found adulterated turmeric, a BFSA source said.
The BFSA chairman further said they would take necessary steps after getting reports from different districts.
The joint study, which was published in Environmental Research journal on September 23 last, was conducted on samples collected from 09 districts where huge amount of turmeric is produced. The harmful lead chromate was found in the turmeric powder from seven districts out of nine.
According to the documents of the PMO, chemical analysis was conducted on 524 samples of turmeric, pigments, dust, and soil that were collected from different areas across the country.
The research result found that the lead level in the collected samples is about 500 times higher than the statutory levels. On an average, 690 micrograms of lead existed per gram of turmeric, the document shows. Acceptable level of lead in Bangladesh is 05 micrograms in per deciliter.
Lead is one kind of toxic substance that is particularly dangerous for pregnant mothers. It can cause undersized growth and birth fault in unborn babies. It may lead to damage important parts of human body, including heart diseases, digestive and pulmonary diseases, brain and nerve systems, according to the documents.
When contacted, Associate professor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr. Shamim Ahmed said lead is one kind of toxic substance that enhances health risks manifold.
He said excessive level of lead in consumer products could damage important parts of human body including brain, nerve system, kidney, heart and sometimes causes death.
"It can also cause undersized growth and birth fault in unborn baby, which is also dangerous," Mr Ahmed said.
He suggested strict monitoring and market regulation to discourage use of lead in any product that people consume for living.
Bangladesh, the fifth largest turmeric producing country in the world, supplies 3.0 per cent of global turmeric demand and it is gradually increasing. India alone produces over 80 per cent of the turmeric in the world.
Bangladesh produced over 0.182 million metric tonnes of turmeric in the last fiscal year, Director (Crops Wing) of Department of Agricultural Extension Abdur Razzak told the FE.
