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.
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 …
