Case of elevated blood lead in a South Asian family that has used Sindoor for food coloring

• Published in: Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 301 - 303
• Main Authors: Vassilev, Zdravko P, Marcus, Steven M, Ayyanathan, Karpukarasi, Ciuffo, Vincent, Bogden, John D, Kemp, Francis W, Ruck, Bruce, Jennis, Thelma, Jani, Nisha, Halperin, William
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.01.2005
• Subjects: Asian Americans; Cosmetics - poisoning; Female; Food Coloring Agents - adverse effects; Food Contamination; Humans; Infant; Lead - blood; Lead Poisoning - blood; Lead Poisoning - diagnostic imaging; Male; Milk, Human - chemistry; Radiography; Spectrophotometry, Atomic
• ISSN: 1556-3650; 1556-9519
• DOI: 10.1081/CLT-200066087

After a routine blood testing, a local pediatrician discovered that a 13-month-old boy had an elevated blood lead level (BLL) of 57 microg/dL. Since the baby was mostly breast-fed, the pediatrician did a blood test on the mother, and the result showed a BLL of 85 microg/dL. As the mother denied any history of pica behavior, the pediatrician suspected a source of lead to which the entire family might have been exposed and tested the father's BLL. The results showed a BLL of 95 microg/dL, and the pediatrician informed the poison center. The subsequent epidemiological investigation revealed that the parents had used a product called Sindoor for food coloring. Laboratory analyses showed that the product contains more than 57.8% of acid-extractable lead by weight. Given the extremely high content of Pb in this product, Sindoor poses a serious risk of lead poisoning if it is used for food coloring.