Warning on herbal remedies

The investigation was reported by Mr Paul Tait, of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, and colleagues from the Flinders Medical Centre and the Environmental Health Branch of the Department of Human Services in Adelaide.

The investigation reveals the blood lead in the newborn reached levels 25 times the National Health & Medical Research Council's public health goal - the highest lead level ever recorded for a surviving infant.

A pregnant woman, who had recently emigrated from India, was found to have a haemoglobin level of 70g/L at 24 weeks' gestation. At 30 weeks' gestation, she presented with symptoms of abdominal pain and progressive confusion, culminating in seizures. Subsequent testing showed that the symptoms were due to lead poisoning.

The source of the lead poisoning was herbal tablets prescribed for treatment of a gastrointestinal complaint by a doctor practising traditional medicine in India.

The lead intake by the mother over nine months was believed to be at least 50 times the average weekly lead intake of Western populations.

A high level of mercury was also detected in some of the tablets.

Within 24 hours of birth, the infant was started on a course of chelation therapy to reduce the amount of lead in the body. The infant was discharged from hospital after several months, with evidence of deafness in one ear and a two-month delay in neurological development.

Although it is legal to import herbal remedies for personal use in Australia, testing programs for contaminants in herbal remedies are virtually non-existent.

The authors warned that acute lead poisoning has been reported from traditional and herbal medicines obtained from India, the Middle East, Mexico and Asia.

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

CONTACT: Dr Jim Fitzgerald (08) 8226 7134 (B/H); (08) 8270 4160 (A/H)

Dept of Human Services, S.A (0402) 890 310

Sarah Crichton, AMA (0419) 440 076