Lead contamination in South Asian turmeric sparks urgent health concerns

Stephen Luby, researcher, Stanford UniversityLead is a remarkably harmful toxin. Even within the context of limited resources, we have to find ways to focus on reducing exposure to it."

You call for a complete phase-out of lead by 2035. What do you see as the key hurdles to achieving this goal, especially in countries with limited regulatory enforcement?

When we consider the great success of removing chlorofluorocarbons from the atmosphere, the technological innovations in aerosol propellants and in refrigerants occurred in high-income countries within companies that understood that regulation was on the horizon. By the time the Montréal protocol came into force, low-income countries could purchase new-generation propellants in refrigerants that were affordable and did not exert such damage to the Earth's protective ozone layer.

Lead contamination disproportionately affects marginalized communities. What policy interventions or public health measures could ensure that these vulnerable populations are protected?

Lead chromate in turmeric is a form of food fraud that can have devastating long-term effects. What immediate steps can governments and international organizations take to halt this practice, and how can consumer awareness be raised?

In your research on lead-acid batteries, you highlight their significant contribution to global lead use. What alternative technologies hold the most promise for replacing lead-acid batteries, and how can these solutions be made accessible to developing nations?

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Stanford University