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Comment by pengaru | Hacker News Reader

  > Of these, 11 pills contained lead levels greater than the detection limit
  > and 1 pill contained 129,000 μg/g of lead (about 13% lead by weight),
  > strongly suggesting that the pills were the source of the lead toxicity.

13% of the pill by weight, yikes!

  > Four additional pills contained 7,900—33,000 μg/g of mercury.

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> and 1 pill contained 129,000 μg/g of lead (about 13% lead by weight)

Holy shit, that's like eating a lead air rifle pellet. Probably worse in fact, because it'll dissolve more

Nod, I'm pretty sure if you just swallowed an intact lead pellet you'd poop out a lead pellet.

Hazy recollections ahead. Lead, arsenic and mercury are explicit ingredients in ashes (bhasmam) form. Their claimed material properties are they are non toxic and reach the sick tissues faster than anything else. Concerns about heavy metal poisoning are raised in India when the west reports them about exported medicines. The modern medicine body IMA also complains. But even recently we got an arsenic based homeo medicine for covid.

I disagree adulterated turmeric being the lead source.

This is horrifying. What exactly in the manufacturing process could cause such egregious contamination?

Presumably it's upstream in the supply chain. See other comments about Turmeric adulterated w/lead to enhance its color (more $$).

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