Dietary Supplement Recalled for Dangerous Amounts of Lead

On June 28, 2002, Nature’s Way Products, Inc. of Springville, Utah, recalled four lots of its 100-count Nature’s Way brand Nettle capsules because these lots were found to contain excessive amounts of lead.

Consumption of lead, especially by children, can result in serious damage to the central nervous system, sometimes leading to permanent neurological damage. Toxicity in adults is also serious.

The affected lots of the product were distributed nationwide, primarily to health food stores, between October 2001 and May 2002. The affected lot numbers are 131237, 131238, 140738 and 215229. The capsules are packaged in white 150cc plastic bottles with green lids under the Nature’s Way brand label. The lot number is printed on the bottom of each bottle.

Nature’s Way describes Nettle on its Web site as a folk medicine primarily used for respiratory complaints and as an herb widely used in Germany for urinary problems associated with enlarged prostate. The following statement is also made about the Nettle product: “It contains no chemicals, additives or artificial coloring.”

This is not the first case of a dietary supplement containing toxic levels of a heavy metal such as lead. No one knows how prevalent the problem is because these products are for all practical purposes immunized from regulatory oversight by Congress. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) passed in 1994 prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from instituting Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines similar to those required for regulated prescription and nonprescription drugs. Regulated products are required to be tested for purity and contamination. The only GMP requirements for dietary supplement producers are similar to those for foods that require no testing comparable to that required for regulated drugs.

The prohibition against regulatory oversight written into DSHEA leaves consumers with a marketplace full of products fraught with unknown dangers.

What You Can Do

You should not use herbal and dietary supplements which are unregulated. The use of these products in children is risky as some products may contain toxic contaminants such as lead that can severely harm children or adults.

Consumers who have purchased any of the affected lots of the product are urged to contact Nature’s Way Products, Inc. at 1-800-283-3323 to return the product for a full refund.