Elevated Levels of Lead (Pb) Identified in Georgian Spices

Abstract

Background and Objectives The Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) completed a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) from September to December 2018 that included a nationally representative assessment of 1,578 children's blood lead levels (BLLs). The study found that 41% of children (age 2-7 years) had BLLs equal to or exceeding the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's reference level of 5 µg/ dL and that16% of the 1,578 children had BLLs exceeding 10 µg/dL [1-3]. Low-level lead exposure can result in a number of adverse health outcomes in the neurological and cardiovascular systems [4-6]. To investigate potential sources of lead exposure present in the homes of assessed children a team comprised of staff from the NCDC and the nongovernmental organization Pure Earth (NY, USA) conducted site visits to 25 Georgian homes and four bazaars in July 2019 assessing a range of media for lead content including soil, dust, paint, water, spices, toys, and cookware. Methods Sixteen of the 25 homes were selected on the basis of having a child with a BLL > 30 µg/dL, while nine were selected on the basis of having a child with a BLL < 5 µg/dL. The mean BLL in the < 5 µg/dL group was 2.81 µg/dL (range: 1.6-4.01) while the mean BLL in the > 30 µg/dL group was 35.43 µg/dL (range: 32.29-38.57). The mean age for children in the comparison group was 4.2 years (range: 2.7-5.7), while that for the elevated group was 5.1 years (range: 4.1-6.1). The sex of the children was not recorded. The homes were located in the following five regions: Adjara (n = 9); Guria (n = 5); Imereti (n = 7); Shida Kartli (n = 3); and Tbilisi (n = 1). Spices were procured in bulk and assessed from bazaars in Adjara (n = 2), Imereti (n = 1), and Tbilisi (n = 1). Bazaar assessments were not initially contemplated in the study design and were only conducted after spices were found to be adulterated with lead during home assessments. The bazaars were selected based on logistical convenience. As a result, no bazaars were assessed in Guria or Shida Karti. The study relied heavily on field-portable instrumentation confirmed in part by laboratory wet techniques. In total, 682 portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) measurements were taken, including those from cookware (n = 53); paint (n = 207); soil (91); spices (n = 128); toys (n = 78); and ' other' (n = 125) a category comprised of a

Reduction in Blood Lead Concentration in Children across the Republic of Georgia following Interventions to Address Widespread Exceedance of Reference Value in 2019

“…Median lead concentrations in six spices with elevated Pb ranged from 4-2418 times higher than acceptable levels. Median lead concentrations of all other media were within internationally accepted guidelines [22].…”

“…The documented high content of Pb in spices commonly used in Georgian cuisine confirms the presence of Pb at concentrations of potential concern in food items as one of the sources of exposure in this population [22]. Although further interventions are expected to have a cost, in general, there are substantial returns to investing in Pb exposure control, mainly targeted at early intervention in communities most likely at risk [32] and prioritizing environmental control measures over clinical management [33].…”

Prevalence of elevated blood lead levels and risk factors among children living in Patna, Bihar, India 2020

“…The use of the pXRF as a screening tool has been validated for soil [20,21], spices [22,23]; plastics [23]; cosmetics and dietary supplements [24] and paint [25]. There is currently no standard method for lead analysis in metal cookware; however, the use of the pXRF for screening metal content in aluminum cookware has previously been demonstrated [26].…”

“…A standard for previously painted surfaces is not available. We have adopted the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standard for painted residential surfaces of 1 mg/cm 2 to approximate 90 ppm [25].…”

Assessing Analytical Methods for the Rapid Detection of Lead Adulteration in the Global Spice Market

“…In soil and sediment applications, pXRF results correlated well with laboratory-based spectrometric measurements of Pb concentrations; 30−34 however, the comparison between pXRF and ICP-MS has not been rigorously documented for Pbcontaining spices. 5 In this study, we aimed to (a) investigate multiple qualitative and quantitative methods to detect adulteration with Pbcontaining compounds in spices (n = 69 samples), (b) compare their relative performances to detect Pb and Cr, and (c) assess advantages and limitations of each method based on the spice type. Rather than focusing on a single spice type or origin country, we present results from colorimetric and instrumental (XRF and ICP-MS) analyses of seven spice types, including powders, salt mixtures, and dried roots, purchased in four countries and containing a range of Pb concentrations.…”