Dinsha Mistree

All Publications

• Evidence of turmeric adulteration with lead chromate across South Asia. The Science of the total environment Forsyth, J. E., Mistree, D., Nash, E., Angrish, M., Luby, S. P. 2024: 175003

  Abstract

  Food adulteration with toxic chemicals is a global public health threat. Lead chromate adulterated spices have been linked with lead poisoning in many countries, from Bangladesh to the United States. This study systematically assessed lead chromate adulteration in turmeric, a spice that is consumed daily across South Asia. Our study focused on four understudied countries in the region that produces >80 % of the world's turmeric and collectively includes 1.7 billion people, 22 % of the world's population. Turmeric samples were collected from wholesale and retail bazaars from 23 major cities across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal between December 2020 and March 2021. Turmeric samples were analyzed for lead and chromium concentrations and maximum child blood lead levels were modeled for regions where samples had detectable lead. A total of 356 turmeric samples were collected, including 180 samples of dried turmeric roots and 176 samples of turmeric powder. In total, 14 % of the samples (n = 51) had detectable lead above 2 mug/g. Turmeric samples with lead levels greater than or equal to 18 mug/g had molar ratios of lead to chromium near 1:1, suggestive of lead chromate adulteration. Turmeric lead levels exceeded 1000 mug/g from Patna (Bihar, India) as well as in Karachi and Peshawar (Pakistan), resulting in projected child blood lead levels up to 10 times higher than the CDC's threshold of concern. Given the overwhelmingly elevated lead levels in turmeric from these locations, urgent action is needed to halt the practice of lead chromate addition in these turmeric supply chains.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175003

  View details for PubMedID 39053552

• Food safety policy enforcement and associated actions reduce turmeric lead chromate adulteration across Bangladesh. Environmental research Forsyth, J. E., Baker, M., Nurunnahar, S., Islam, S., Islam, M. S., Islam, T., Plambeck, E., Winch, P. J., Mistree, D., Luby, S. P., Rahman, M. 2023: 116328

  Abstract

  Turmeric adulterated with lead chromate pigment has been previously identified as a primary source of lead exposure in Bangladesh. This study assesses the impact of a multi-faceted intervention between 2017 and 2021 to reduce lead-tainted turmeric in Bangladesh. The intervention involved: i) disseminating findings from scientific studies via news media that identified turmeric as a source of lead poisoning, ii) educating consumers and businesspeople about the risks of lead chromate in turmeric via public notices and face-to-face meetings, and iii) collaborating with the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority to utilize a rapid lead detection technology to enforce policy disallowing turmeric adulteration. Before and after the intervention, evidence of lead chromate turmeric adulteration was assessed at the nation's largest turmeric wholesale market and at turmeric polishing mills across the country. Blood lead levels of workers at two mills were also assessed. Forty-seven interviews were conducted with consumers, businesspeople, and government officials to assess changes in supply, demand, and regulatory capacity. The proportion of market turmeric samples containing detectable lead decreased from 47% pre-intervention in 2019 to 0% in 2021 (n = 631, p < 0.0001). The proportion of mills with direct evidence of lead chromate adulteration (pigment on-site) decreased from 30% pre-intervention in 2017 to 0% in 2021 (n = 33, p < 0.0001). Blood lead levels dropped a median of 30% (IQR: 21-43%), while the 90th percentile dropped 49% from 18.2 μg/dL to 9.2 μg/dL 16 months after the intervention (n = 15, p = 0.033). Media attention, credible information, rapid lead detection tools and swift government action to enforce penalties all contributed to the intervention's success. Subsequent efforts should evaluate if this is an example of an effective intervention that can be replicated to reduce lead chromate adulteration of spices globally.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116328

  View details for PubMedID 37286126

• The Global Survey of Public Servants: Evidence from 1,300,000 Public Servants in 1,300 Government Institutions in 23 Countries PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW Schuster, C., Mikkelsen, K., Rogger, D., Fukuyama, F., Hasnain, Z., Mistree, D., Meyer-Sahling, J., Bersch, K., Kay, K. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1111/puar.13611

  View details for Web of Science ID 000947917900001

• The Bribery Double Standard: Leveraging the Foreign-Domestic Divide STANFORD LAW REVIEW Mance, A. A., Mistree, D. 2022; 74 (1): 163-222

  View details for Web of Science ID 000755207700003

• Instructional interventions for improving COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, behaviors: Evidence from a large-scale RCT in India. Social science & medicine (1982) Mistree, D. n., Loyalka, P. n., Fairlie, R. n., Bhuradia, A. n., Angrish, M. n., Lin, J. n., Karoshi, A. n., Yen, S. J., Mistri, J. n., Bayat, V. n. 2021; 276: 113846

  Abstract

  Seeking ways to encourage broad compliance with health guidelines during the pandemic, especially among youth, we test two hypotheses pertaining to the optimal design of instructional interventions for improving COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. We randomly assigned 8376 lower-middle income youth in urban India to three treatments: a concentrated and targeted fact-based, instructional intervention; a longer instructional intervention that provided the same facts along with underlying scientific concepts; and a control. Relative to existing efforts, we find that both instructional interventions increased COVID-19-related knowledge immediately after intervention. Relative to the shorter fact-based intervention, the longer intervention resulted in sustained improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behavior. Instead of reducing attention and comprehension by youth, the longer scientific based treatment appears to have increased understanding and retention of the material. The findings are instrumental to understanding the design of instruction and communication in affecting compliance during this and future pandemics.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113846

  View details for PubMedID 33773476

• Responding to COVID-19 Through Surveys of Public Servants. Public administration review Schuster, C. n., Weitzman, L. n., Sass Mikkelsen, K. n., Meyer-Sahling, J. n., Bersch, K. n., Fukuyama, F. n., Paskov, P. n., Rogger, D. n., Mistree, D. n., Kay, K. n. 2020

  Abstract

  Responding to COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges for public sector practitioners and addressing those challenges requires knowledge about the problems public sector workers face. This Viewpoint essay argues that timely, up-to-date surveys of public sector workers are an essential tool for identifying problems, resolving bottlenecks and enabling public sector workers to operate effectively during and in response to the challenges posed by the global pandemic. This article presents the COVID-19 Survey of Public Servants, which is currently rolled out in several countries by the Global Survey of Public Servants Consortium to assist governments in strategically compiling evidence to operate effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  View details for DOI 10.1111/puar.13246

  View details for PubMedID 32836447

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7283646