Why is lead dangerous?
Lead is a naturally occurring poisonous metal. If ingested, it damages important organs, including
brain and heart. In large quantities, it's fatal. It's especially dangerous for children. According to the
US Centers for Disease Control: “No safe blood lead level in children has been identified“. The
European Food Safety Agency says: “There's no evidence for a threshold for critical leadinduced
effects“ that is, there's no safe level. There are no immediate symptoms of lead poisoning if taken in
small amounts. It accumulates in blood, muscles and bones. There's no way to tell until it's too late.
Where does lead come from?
It occurs in ores found with zinc, silver and copper. It's used in leadacid batteries, bullets, radiation
shields and several other ways.
Earlier it was used in paints, pottery glazes, wa ter pipes and as a petrol additive. All this has been pro
hibited. In areas where regulation is weak, people continue to use or live with leadbased paint or water
pipes. Some plants like tobacco were earlier sprayed with a leadbased pesticide. Traditional medicine
systems, including Ayurveda, use lead in trace quantities. In India, sindoor may be made from red
lead. As a result, lead grains escape and fall on waterbodies, dust, especially roadside dust, and plants.
From there it may get into food.
What is MSG and is it dangerous?
MSG is a taste enhancer with the chemical name monosodium glutamate. It is the sodium salt of an
amino acid called glutamic acid, found in life forms. Although MSG is considered safe, it came under
a cloud after unconfirmed reports of the `Chinese restaurant syndrome', which people claimed arose
after eating Chinese food.This hasn't been scientifically established. MSG causes glutamate levels to
spike in blood, this may cause brain problems. In Europe, addition of MSG must be specified.A
concern with MSG is the sodium in it, which causes hypertension beyond certain levels. This is
similar to common salt. Adding MSG without controlling common salt may cause excessive buildup
of sodium and a heightened hypertension risk.
How is food quality regulated in India?
In 2006, the Food Safety & Standards Act was passed replacing and amalgamating earlier food safety
and adulteration laws. Under the new law, the top regulatory body is the Food Safety & Standards
Authority of India which works under the health ministry . It grants licences to industrial units for
production of food items and monitors functions to ensure that the Act is being followed. Processed
food units are supposed to be built and operated under specified conditions, with regular reporting on
the status. It's believed the machinery lacks manpower to monitor food safety countrywide.It has been
alleged the monitoring machinery is sometimes compromised, unscrupulous operators getting away with violations.
Lead is a naturally occurring poisonous metal. If ingested, it damages important organs, including
brain and heart. In large quantities, it's fatal. It's especially dangerous for children. According to the
US Centers for Disease Control: “No safe blood lead level in children has been identified“. The
European Food Safety Agency says: “There's no evidence for a threshold for critical leadinduced
effects“ that is, there's no safe level. There are no immediate symptoms of lead poisoning if taken in
small amounts. It accumulates in blood, muscles and bones. There's no way to tell until it's too late.
Where does lead come from?
It occurs in ores found with zinc, silver and copper. It's used in leadacid batteries, bullets, radiation
shields and several other ways.
Earlier it was used in paints, pottery glazes, wa ter pipes and as a petrol additive. All this has been pro
hibited. In areas where regulation is weak, people continue to use or live with leadbased paint or water
pipes. Some plants like tobacco were earlier sprayed with a leadbased pesticide. Traditional medicine
systems, including Ayurveda, use lead in trace quantities. In India, sindoor may be made from red
lead. As a result, lead grains escape and fall on waterbodies, dust, especially roadside dust, and plants.
From there it may get into food.
What is MSG and is it dangerous?
MSG is a taste enhancer with the chemical name monosodium glutamate. It is the sodium salt of an
amino acid called glutamic acid, found in life forms. Although MSG is considered safe, it came under
a cloud after unconfirmed reports of the `Chinese restaurant syndrome', which people claimed arose
after eating Chinese food.This hasn't been scientifically established. MSG causes glutamate levels to
spike in blood, this may cause brain problems. In Europe, addition of MSG must be specified.A
concern with MSG is the sodium in it, which causes hypertension beyond certain levels. This is
similar to common salt. Adding MSG without controlling common salt may cause excessive buildup
of sodium and a heightened hypertension risk.
How is food quality regulated in India?
In 2006, the Food Safety & Standards Act was passed replacing and amalgamating earlier food safety
and adulteration laws. Under the new law, the top regulatory body is the Food Safety & Standards
Authority of India which works under the health ministry . It grants licences to industrial units for
production of food items and monitors functions to ensure that the Act is being followed. Processed
food units are supposed to be built and operated under specified conditions, with regular reporting on
the status. It's believed the machinery lacks manpower to monitor food safety countrywide.It has been
alleged the monitoring machinery is sometimes compromised, unscrupulous operators getting away with violations.
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