Case Report: Potential Arsenic Toxicosis Secondary to Herbal Kelp Supplement

    January 2007 in “ Environmental health perspectives ”
    Eric Amster, Asheesh K. Tiwary, Marc B. Schenker
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    TLDR A woman's health issues were caused by arsenic poisoning from kelp supplements.
    A 54-year-old woman experienced worsening alopecia, memory loss, rash, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting over two years, which was eventually linked to her daily use of kelp supplements. Her urine arsenic level was 83.6 µg/g creatinine, significantly above the normal level. After discontinuing the supplements, her symptoms resolved, and arsenic levels became undetectable. Further investigation into commercially available kelp supplements found that 8 out of 9 samples contained arsenic levels exceeding FDA tolerance levels, with no warnings on the products. This case highlights the risk of heavy metal toxicity from dietary herbal supplements, exacerbated by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act's deregulation of such products. Clinicians are advised to consider dietary supplement use when assessing patients.
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