PEOPLE – Health officials are sending out a warning after a woman died from using hemorrhoid ointment that contained a “highly dangerous amount” of lead.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that a Sacramento woman purchased a hemorrhoid ointment from Vietnam, called Cao Bôi Trĩ Cây Thầu Dầu (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract), through a Facebook ad. A relative then shipped the product to her from Vietnam.
The woman later died of severe lead poisoning. After testing the ointment, the CDPH found that the product contained 4% lead, a “highly dangerous amount.”
According to California’s Calaveras County Public Health, the ointment has been marketed primarily through Vietnamese Facebook groups as a “miracle” treatment for hemorrhoids with suggested intra-rectal application.
Even small amounts of lead, which can be absorbed through the skin, can cause serious health problems.
…article continued below
– Advertisement –
Symptoms of lead poisoning can vary, causing mild to severe symptoms including fatigue, muscle or joint pain, nausea, headaches, severe stomach cramping, seizures, coma and death …