2 Kansas city children suffer led poisoning from contaminated cosmetic

At least two Kansas City children suffered from lead poisoning from a contaminated cosmetic used commonly in Myanmar, the city's Health Department said. Health officials said the contaminated product was in a metal container inside a cardboard cover showing a woman wearing a pink dress, The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday. The label, written in Burmese, translated to "Sondraque, in the Myanmar tradition, the princess uses Thanakha," a paste made from tree bark that has several uses, the health department said. The product is predominantly sold in ethnic stores or online and may lack information about the product's manufacturer or distributor. "Imported makeup such as thanakha has frequently been found to be contaminated with lead," said nurse Amy Roberts, manager of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. "If you have this product, you should stop using it, throw it away, and only use products with ingredients clearly labeled on the container. You should also get a blood lead test." Lead exposure can cause serious health effects including brain damage, kidney damage, cardiovascular damage and learning disabilities. High doses of lead may cause seizures and death.