Turmeric Sampling Request

Dear CSA Students,

A research team at Stanford has recently found that lead chromate is being added to turmeric to make spices (turmeric) a brighter yellow. The team has confirmed that this is a big problem in Bangladesh, but we are interested in seeing if the problem is also prevalent in other parts of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka). 

We know that many of you will be traveling across South Asia over the break. We are hoping that you wouldn't mind collecting some turmeric samples for us from your local wholesale markets. 

We have an attached protocol, but the collection is very simple. It involves putting some turmeric in a few bags and asking a few questions about the source. You don't need to go to the market yourself: someone else can also collect the samples. Then just bring the samples back to campus. We are only looking for ~150 g of turmeric, so there shouldn't be a weight problem. 

If anyone is interested in helping, please just email us (Jenna - forsythje [at] stanford.edu (forsythje[at]stanford[dot]edu); Dinsha - dmistree [at] stanford.edu (dmistree[at]stanford[dot]edu)).