PORTLAND, Ore. — Dangerously high levels of lead were found in a skin cream advertised to treat eczema in young children, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
The OHA is asking people to avoid using the skin cream, known as "Diep Bao," while it's being investigated.
One baby in Washington County and another in Multnomah County had elevated blood lead levels after their parents used Diep Bao on their faces to try to treat eczema, OHA said. Both babies are less than a year old.
Eczema is a common condition among young kids that causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin.
Health officials ran lab tests on samples of the products used on both babies. The test result that came back on the sample from Washington County showed it contained 9,670 parts per million lead, while the Multnomah County sample had 7,370 ppm lead.
The Food and Drug Administration does not place a regulatory limit on lead in medications, but it's 10 ppm for cosmetics, according to the OHA.
"This means that the Washington County sample contained nearly 1,000 times the maximum allowable limit for lead in cosmetics and the Multnomah County sample contained more than 700 times the allowable limit for lead," said Ryan Barker, OHA's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program coordinator.
Health officials said they are not concerned about skin absorption of the cream, but rather, young children accidentally swallowing the residue.
Only the two tubes of Diep Bao have been tested and it's currently unknown whether other tubes of the cream contain high levels of lead. Retailers in Singapore and Vietnam sell Diep Bao online and the OHA doesn't believe it's being sold in stores in the Portland area.
The OHA, Washington County Public Health and the Multnomah County Health Department are working with the FDA to investigate.
Anyone who has a tube of Diep Bao who would like to get it tested for lead can contact the Multnomah County Leadline at 503-988-4000 or email leadline@multco.us.
Symptoms of lead poisoning in kids
The OHA said children in particular are vulnerable to lead poisoning. If a child is exposed to enough lead over weeks or months, the lead could affect their brain development and cause permanent damage to their central nervous system, which could cause long-term health problems.
"At very high levels, lead can cause all kinds of organ damage. People can have abdominal pain, nausea, weakness," said Dr. Jennifer Vines, the lead health officer for the Portland area.
On average, 270 people in Oregon are diagnosed with lead poisoning each year and about a third are kids younger than six years old, the OHA said.