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Lead pigment in turmeric is the culprit in a global poisoning mystery (2024)

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349 points perihelions | 5 comments | 11 Jul 25 15:33 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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loopdoend ◴[11 Jul 25 16:37 UTC] No.44534215[source]▶
Wish there were some way to detect impurities like this at home.
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1. whiw ◴[11 Jul 25 17:15 UTC] No.44534711[source]▶
I am not a chemist, so take this with a pinch of salt: wouldn't lead chromate + sodium bicarbonate make lead carbonate, a white precipitate? Sodium bicarbonate is likely in your kitchen cupboard already.
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2. whiw ◴[11 Jul 25 17:18 UTC] No.44534747[source]▶
I meant lead carbonate, not lead oxide.
3. BenjiWiebe ◴[11 Jul 25 17:24 UTC] No.44534819[source]▶
Not a chemist either but lead oxide is actually more soluble in water than lead chromate, so a double replacement reaction won't favor lead chromate -> lead oxide.
4. adrianN ◴[11 Jul 25 17:34 UTC] No.44534917[source]▶
Pretty hard to see precipitated dust at concentrations in the ppm range.
5. kragen ◴[11 Jul 25 20:02 UTC] No.44536304[source]▶
WP tells me lead chromate's solubility in water is 0.00001720 g/100 mL, so, no, it won't.