Subject: Calabash Chalk, a Traditional African Remedy Containing Lead and Arsenic, Has Been Found In New Jersey
Date: 2/9/2010; 11:39:25
Message#: 101540-2-9-2010-PHUP
Please review the following message from Virginia Wheatley, Research Scientist 2, Food and Drug Safety Program, NJDHSS, concerning calabash chalk, a traditional African remedy for morning sickness that contains lead and arsenic.
This is a follow-up to the previous LINCS message, dated February 10. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) has learned that calabash chalk, which contains high levels of lead and arsenic, is definitely being sold in at least one African/Caribbean retail establishment in New Jersey. The distributor is located in New York City. NJDHSS reported this information to FDA and to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, who has also been conducting recent investigations related to calabash chalk. No further information regarding sales of this product in NJ is currently known.
NJDHSS requests that local health departments look for calabash chalk during routine inspections of African/Caribbean markets and specialty stores. If the product is found, please obtain distributor name and address and report this to Virginia Wheatley at (609)826-4935 or virginia.wheatley@doh.state.nj.us. Small quantities of product should be destroyed on site. For guidance on destroying larger quantities of product, local health departments can contact NJ Department of Environmental Protection Division of Solid & Hazardous Waste at (609)633-1418. NJDHSS will investigate any distributors of this product in NJ. Distributors in other states will be reported to FDA and the respective state health department.
Calabash chalk is sold as a large pellet or in bulk, and resembles balls of clay or mud (see attached picture). It is usually sold in small plastic bags with a handwritten label.
NJDHSS advises healthcare professionals and pregnant or breastfeeding women about the risk of calabash chalk because of its high levels of lead and arsenic. Calabash chalk, also known as nzu, poto, clabash clay, calabar stone, mabele, argile, and la craie, has recently been found at African specialty stores and African markets in Texas, Rhode Island, New York, and now, New Jersey. In Rhode Island, tested samples contained lead levels up to 29 ppm.
Consumption of calabash chalk can cause serious adverse health effects. For example, a developing fetus is particularly at risk for brain and nervous system damage from lead exposure. Extremely high levels of lead can be fatal. Arsenic is a carcinogen, and long-term exposure can lead to a range of adverse health effects, including cancers of the urinary bladder, lung, and skin.
Healthcare providers are asked to report any adverse events that may be related to use of calabash chalk to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program online [at www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm], by phone 1-800-332-1088.
Consumers who have been ingesting the product should stop using it immediately and contact their health care provider.
We will keep you updated as more information becomes available. For any questions regarding this issue, please contact Virginia Wheatley at 609-826-4935 or virginia.wheatley@doh.state.nj.us.
This information has been distributed to: DHSS Senior Staff; DHSS Staff; LINCS Coordinator Backups; LINCS Coordinators; LINCS Epidemiologists; LINCS Health Educators; LINCS Health Officer Assistants; LINCS Health Officers; LINCS Health Planners; LINCS IT Specialists; LINCS Partnership Coordinators; LINCS Public Health Nurses; LINCS Regional Health Planners; LINCS Team Members; LOCAL Health Officers; LOCAL Public Health; Emergency Medical Services Organizations; Health Care Organizations
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