Residents across Ealing have been warned to take extra care with spices bought abroad after a person in Northolt fell ill after consuming coriander brought back from holiday that was found to contain dangerous levels of lead.
Ealing Council said tests found “dangerous levels” of lead in spices the individual had brought back from south-east Asia, prompting an investigation with the UK Health Security Agency. The person was taken unwell and later found to have high levels of lead in their blood.
Laboratory analysis found one sample of coriander contained 3,400mg of lead per kilogram, far above the UK legal limit of 0.9mg per kg, the council said. Officials warned that consuming as little as 2 grams of the contaminated coriander would exceed safe levels.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “The awful experience this resident has had shows the risks some unscrupulous sellers are willing to take to make a little extra profit.”
She urged residents to contact trading standards with any concerns and advised travellers to buy spices only from reputable sources.
