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Health department: Woman dies of lead poisoning after using hemorrhoid ointment

According to a written statement from the department, that the woman purchased the Vietnamese product in March through Facebook. A relative then shipped it to her from Vietnam. After using the ointment, the woman experienced symptoms related to lead poisoning and has since died.

California Health Department officials are warning the public not to use a Vietnamese hemorrhoid ointment that contains a “highly dangerous amount of lead” and has been linked to the death of a Sacramento woman, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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According to a statement from the department, the woman purchased the Vietnamese product in March through Facebook. A relative then shipped it to her from Vietnam. After using the ointment, the woman experienced symptoms related to lead poisoning and has since died.

According to the CHD, samples of the product showed the ointment had about 4% lead, which is considered a “highly dangerous amount,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The Vietnamese product, which comes in a small, round green container, is called Cao Bôi Trĩ Cây Thầu Dầu (Castor Oil Hemorrhoid Extract).

The health department says if you have the product in your home you should put the jar of ointment in a sealed plastic bag and call (510) 620-3620 or email toxoutbreak@cdph.ca.gov.

It is not known if the product is sold in the U.S. Health officials are telling residents not to use it.

Because lead can be absorbed through the skin, officials warned in the statement that they “recommend blood lead testing for all household members, especially children since they may have contact with the ointment,” officials wrote in the statement.

Symptoms of lead poisoning include high blood pressure, difficulty sleeping, stomach cramping, mood disorders, pain in joints and muscles, seizures and coma, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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