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April 14, 2004

Used for Hindu religious rituals, product caused lead poisoning in local family

When a Woodbridge family was found to have severe lead poisoning, the township Health Department set to work immediately to make sure the case remained the only one of its kind.

Local health officials determined in March that a 13-month-old baby and her parents had been ingesting a cosmetic product called Sindoor, which the parents had used as a coloring agent in their food. Employed in Hindu religious rituals, Sindoor is a blood-red powder typically applied to the hair or forehead by married women to represent their marital status. It contains various levels of lead, in some instances as high as 60 percent. Also known as vermillion, Sindoor is never supposed to be eaten, and even contact with the skin may cause allergic reaction or poisoning.

Though commercial Sindoor products are variously labeled with warnings against eating the substance, it is still sometimes used as a food additive, giving food a reddish color believed to be appetizing.

"Once you have a problem isolated and confined, you have to provide education that prevents it from happening again," says Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. "Our Health Department is highly adept at preparing the appropriate educational materials and delivering them to the people who need them."

Following the report of the family's poisoning, Woodbridge Health Department investigators visited 10 stores that sell Sindoor and similar ornamental products. Each store was given advisory notices to post. The notices were written in English, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil.

A warning flyer was sent to area restaurants, delis and fast food eateries to advise against using Sindoor in their food preparation. Notices were also posted at the four Township libraries, which are frequented by many families with young children.

A letter was sent to pre-schools throughout the township warning educators to be alert for any signs of Sindoor use or food-related poisoning in general among their students. "Children under the age of six are very susceptible to lead poisoning, and the symptoms vary," says Health Department Director Patrick Hanson. "A simple blood test by a physician can determine whether a child has lead poisoning."

"Stopping an outbreak is only the first part of the battle in a public health emergency," says Mayor Pelzman. "The second phase involves giving people information to make better, healthier choices."

For additional information about lead poisoning or lead screening, call Woodbridge Township Health Department Nursing Division at 732-855-0600 ext. 5011.