Hi Gloria - your coffee sounds like a delicious and delightful experience! I wouldn't worry about the cinnamon. One point I failed to convey in the newsletter is that even though the amount of lead deemed harmful is less now than it was when California created its MADL, MADLs are so overly cautious to begin with that in the case of lead, exceeding it by a bit still doesn't bring an adult anywhere close to the exposure now associated with harm. Unless you're 3 years old (I gather from your comment you're a bit older than that), 1/4 tsp of a Consumer Reports "Okay" cinnamon should be fine assuming there's nothing unusually lead-y about your eating habits and environment (e.g., living next to a smelter).
There seems to be a missing decimal point in the weight figure (0005 kg). A teaspoon is approximately 5ml and that's 5g of water, so a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon powder is approximately 0.5 g, or 0.0005 kg (maybe a little less if it's very dry, or more in a humid area).
More precisely, I measured some cinnamon powder in bulk and in my conditions a quarter teaspoon (1.25ml) weighs just over 0.6g, not 0.5g as I estimated above. If this contained 1 ppm lead that would be 0.6 micrograms, not 5 micrograms? There seems to be roughly a factor of 10 difference, and the Consumer Reports bridge seems to be overestimating the lead level, at least based on this description of their method.
Cinnamon moderation seems sensible, as with all things, but lead doesn't seem to be a big risk, now that we have stopped adding it to gasoline. Even if the buns contain some.
Thank you - I've added the decimal point. (That was my mistake rather than the fault of the Consumer Reports director who emailed me the details.)
I imagine the difference between your measurement and CR's stem from how they operationally defined "a quarter teaspoon". I'm not sure how they did this, but decisions do have to be made about the height of the cinnamon in the spoon, for instance, and whether there's any tamping when placed on the spoon.
Lead is decreasingly a risk but remains dangerous, especially to kids, because it's still present in the paint and plumbing of pre-1978 houses, as well as in soil, imported products, etc. So, a small percentage of kids do end up with concerningly high blood levels each year.
I'm left wondering if the cinnamon sellers themselves do any testing of their product? Is it a coincidence that Morton & Bassett powder, which I think of as a pricey brand, had the lowest level that time they tested, or does Morton & Bassett know better how to select their cinnamon grower? I love cinnamon so will probably buy that kind. For about 20-odd years I've been buying what they sell in the bulk organic spices at the local gourmet market.
The manufacturers do claim to test, but they're not obligated to share details, so we don't know how often or how well the testing is done.
As a consumer, it's so hard to know what to do with data like we see in the CR report! I sometimes buy bulk spices too. I plan to continue, while being careful to use the "Best" brands of cinnamon for anything I make for my grandkids.
In the newsletter, I had thought about emphasizing that adults are a lot less vulnerable than young people to low levels of exposure to lead, but I didn't want to downplay the risks, given that much is still unknown. I also wouldn't want anyone to live in fear. What makes most sense to me is to be careful about fish, chocolate, cinnamon, and other products where we do have choices that vary a lot in heavy metal content.
Thank you for another interesting newsletter. I totally missed the Consumer Reports’ cinnamon slap!
I’m an intermittent faster (16:8), so on most days, I consume one meal, usually between 1-9 pm. As an energy source, I enjoy a morning concoction which is a foamy blend of my own bulletproof coffee. The ingredients are brewed coffee, 1-2 tsp of EVOO, 2 tbs of coconut or almond milk, 1/4 tsp of turmeric, and (you guessed it) 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon (added strictly for taste and olfactory stimulation). It smells delicious and brings back sweet memories of my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls.
My brand of cinnamon, “Simply Organic,” is listed in the article you referenced and deemed “Okay to use,” but that’s not OK with me. And, I agree, it’s not okay for the neurodevelopment of our children. 😊
Hi Gloria - your coffee sounds like a delicious and delightful experience! I wouldn't worry about the cinnamon. One point I failed to convey in the newsletter is that even though the amount of lead deemed harmful is less now than it was when California created its MADL, MADLs are so overly cautious to begin with that in the case of lead, exceeding it by a bit still doesn't bring an adult anywhere close to the exposure now associated with harm. Unless you're 3 years old (I gather from your comment you're a bit older than that), 1/4 tsp of a Consumer Reports "Okay" cinnamon should be fine assuming there's nothing unusually lead-y about your eating habits and environment (e.g., living next to a smelter).
There seems to be a missing decimal point in the weight figure (0005 kg). A teaspoon is approximately 5ml and that's 5g of water, so a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon powder is approximately 0.5 g, or 0.0005 kg (maybe a little less if it's very dry, or more in a humid area).
More precisely, I measured some cinnamon powder in bulk and in my conditions a quarter teaspoon (1.25ml) weighs just over 0.6g, not 0.5g as I estimated above. If this contained 1 ppm lead that would be 0.6 micrograms, not 5 micrograms? There seems to be roughly a factor of 10 difference, and the Consumer Reports bridge seems to be overestimating the lead level, at least based on this description of their method.
Cinnamon moderation seems sensible, as with all things, but lead doesn't seem to be a big risk, now that we have stopped adding it to gasoline. Even if the buns contain some.
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/leadtoxicity/biologic_fate.html
Thank you - I've added the decimal point. (That was my mistake rather than the fault of the Consumer Reports director who emailed me the details.)
I imagine the difference between your measurement and CR's stem from how they operationally defined "a quarter teaspoon". I'm not sure how they did this, but decisions do have to be made about the height of the cinnamon in the spoon, for instance, and whether there's any tamping when placed on the spoon.
Lead is decreasingly a risk but remains dangerous, especially to kids, because it's still present in the paint and plumbing of pre-1978 houses, as well as in soil, imported products, etc. So, a small percentage of kids do end up with concerningly high blood levels each year.
(https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/php/data/national-surveillance-data.html)
I'm left wondering if the cinnamon sellers themselves do any testing of their product? Is it a coincidence that Morton & Bassett powder, which I think of as a pricey brand, had the lowest level that time they tested, or does Morton & Bassett know better how to select their cinnamon grower? I love cinnamon so will probably buy that kind. For about 20-odd years I've been buying what they sell in the bulk organic spices at the local gourmet market.
The manufacturers do claim to test, but they're not obligated to share details, so we don't know how often or how well the testing is done.
As a consumer, it's so hard to know what to do with data like we see in the CR report! I sometimes buy bulk spices too. I plan to continue, while being careful to use the "Best" brands of cinnamon for anything I make for my grandkids.
In the newsletter, I had thought about emphasizing that adults are a lot less vulnerable than young people to low levels of exposure to lead, but I didn't want to downplay the risks, given that much is still unknown. I also wouldn't want anyone to live in fear. What makes most sense to me is to be careful about fish, chocolate, cinnamon, and other products where we do have choices that vary a lot in heavy metal content.
Hey Dr. Springer!
Thank you for another interesting newsletter. I totally missed the Consumer Reports’ cinnamon slap!
I’m an intermittent faster (16:8), so on most days, I consume one meal, usually between 1-9 pm. As an energy source, I enjoy a morning concoction which is a foamy blend of my own bulletproof coffee. The ingredients are brewed coffee, 1-2 tsp of EVOO, 2 tbs of coconut or almond milk, 1/4 tsp of turmeric, and (you guessed it) 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon (added strictly for taste and olfactory stimulation). It smells delicious and brings back sweet memories of my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls.
My brand of cinnamon, “Simply Organic,” is listed in the article you referenced and deemed “Okay to use,” but that’s not OK with me. And, I agree, it’s not okay for the neurodevelopment of our children. 😊