The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is warning residents not to use a Vietnamese herbal ointment called \u201cCao B\u00f4i Tr\u0129 C\u00e2y Th\u1ea7u D\u1ea7u\u201d (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract) because it contains lead and can be fatal.<\/p>\n
A woman in Sacramento died in March after developing severe lead poisoning from using the\u00a0Vietnamese herbal ointment<\/a>, which has been promoted for treating hemorrhoids with a suggested intra-rectal application. The product was purchased on Facebook and mailed to the United States by a friend or relative in Vietnam. It is unclear if this product can be purchased from informal marketplaces in the United States.<\/p>\n According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the ointment was tested and contains 4% lead (39,000 ppm) \u2013 a highly dangerous amount of lead. Exposure to any amount of lead can cause harmful effects on the body that create lifelong learning, behavioral, reproductive, cardiovascular, and other health problems.<\/p>\n Lead poisoning may not have visible signs or symptoms and symptoms can vary person to person. Symptoms depend on the amount of lead in a product, how often it is used, and for how long.<\/p>\n Symptoms can include:<\/p>\n The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the CDPH, urges anyone who used Cao B\u00f4i Tr\u0129 C\u00e2y Th\u1ea7u D\u1ea7u (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract) to:<\/p>\n Anyone who has used the ointment can download a letter to take to their health care provider with instructions for blood lead testing. You can download the letter from CDPH in\u00a0English<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Vietnamese<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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