Infantile lead poisoning from an Asian tongue powder: A case report & subsequent public health inquiry

Figures & data

Fig. 1.  Containers of tongue powder purchased in Bangkok, Thailand and used in the U.S. case described.

Table 1.  Compliance of ten Bangkok tongue powder preparations with Thai FDA standards

Sample	Arsenic	Lead	Cadmium
Thai FDA Standard	≤ 4 ppm	≤ 10 ppm	≤ 0.3 ppm
1	Yes	Yes	Yes
2	No (9.7)	No (4122.7)	No (0.72)
3	No (7.7)	No (9338.2)	No (0.69)
4	Yes	Yes	Yes
5	Yes	No (51.2)	No (0.96)
6	Yes	Yes	No (0.86)
7	No (6.8)	No (21.1)	No (1.81)
8	No (5.8)	Yes	Yes
9	Yes	Yes	Yes
10	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key: Products are either compliant or not (YES or NO) with Thai FDA standard. If non-compliant, the concentration of metal is given in ppm.