Public Health Risks from Heavy Metals and Metalloids Present in Traditional Chinese Medicines

Cooper, K.; Noller, B. N.; Connell, Des; Qian, Yu; Sadler, Ross; Olszowy, Henry; Golding, Gary; Tinggi, Ujang; Moore, Michael R.; Myers, Stephen P

doi:10.1080/15287390701434885

Cited by 89 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Further, acute oral dose exposure of 20-30 g reportedly has caused fatalities in humans while exposure to lower amounts may cause GI irritation, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea (ATSDR, 1989;DeStefano et al, 2010). Cadmium, mercury, and lead poisoning have equally been reported in herbal products used in Brazil (Caldas et al, 2004) and higher cadmium concentration have been found in aerial plant parts than in the roots (Cooper et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Cadmium Levels in Cured Meat Products Marketed in Nigeria - Implications for Public Health

Adejumo

Fasinu²,

Odion³

et al. 2016

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Cadmium Levels in Cured Meat Products Marketed in Nigeria - Implications for Public Health

Adejumo

Fasinu²,

Odion³

et al. 2016

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Verschiedene Studien, auch in Europa, haben gezeigt, dass TCD mit Schwermetallen belastet sein können, in einigen Fällen sogar im toxischen Bereich [13]. Zwischen 3 und 75% der Fertigpräparate hatten einen erhöhten Gehalt der Schwermetalle Blei, Quecksilber oder Arsen [14,15,16,17]. In einer aktuellen Studie fanden sich je nach Berechnung bei 1-69% der Proben gesundheitsschädliche Werte [18].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Qualität und Sicherheit chinesischer Arzneidrogen in Deutschland - ein Update

Hempen¹,

Huber²

2014

Complement Med Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hintergrund: Arzneimittel (TCA) der traditionellen chinesischen Medizin (TCM) hatten in der Vergangenheit zum Teil erhebliche Mängel bezüglich Qualität und Sicherheit. Der aktuelle Wissensstand hierzu wurde evaluiert. Material und Methoden: Experteninterviews mittels standardisierter Fragebögen, systematische Literaturrecherche für Studien aus Deutschland publiziert in 1998-2013, systematische Anfrage bei den Überwachungsbehörden und Giftnotrufzentralen sowie Untersuchung der Prüfzertifikate des TCM-Granulates «Tianwang buxin dan» von 8 in Deutschland verfügbaren Quellen und Analyse dieses Granulates auf Blei, Cadmium und Quecksilber. Ergebnisse: Aktuelle Qualitäts- und Sicherheitsrisiken bestehen in Selbstmedikation, Internethandel, TCM-unerfahrenen Apotheken und bei Granulaten. 11 zwischen 1998 und 2008 publizierte Studien untersuchten die Qualität und Sicherheit von TCA in Deutschland. Auch in den neueren Studien fanden sich teilweise Grenzwertüberschreitungen für Schwermetalle, Pestizide und mikrobiologische Kontaminanten von TCA. Beim Centrum für Therapiesicherheit in der Chinesischen Arzneitherapie (CTCA) gingen in den Jahren 2004-2012 insgesamt 28 Meldungen zu unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen ein. Ein sicherer Zusammenhang wurde in 2 Fällen (allergische Reaktion, Kreislaufreaktion) festgestellt, ein wahrscheinlicher Zusammenhang bestand bei 7 der 28 Meldungen. 61 von 104 (59%) Zertifikaten von «Tianwang buxin dan» aus 8 Bezugsquellen konnten erhalten werden. 45 der 61 Zertifikate (74%) entsprachen den Anforderungen nach der Apothekenbetriebsordnung. Mängel bestanden unter anderem in fehlenden Testungen (Identität, Aflatoxine, Mikrobiologie, Pestizide). Grenzwerte wurden weder in den Zertifikaten noch in den von uns veranlassten Analysen überschritten. Schlussfolgerung: Qualitätsmängel und Sicherheitsrisiken von TCA bestehen weiterhin, müssen allerdings differenziert betrachtet werden. Meldungen zu Nebenwirkungen sind sehr selten.

show abstract

“…It is generally assumed that the severity of poisoning is related to the total amount of poison ingested, and assessment of health risk associated with arsenic exposure from human ingestion of traditional medicines has typically taken this tactic (Ernst, 2002;Cooper et al, 2007). However, in many cases, a significant portion of some forms of mineral arsenicals are poorly absorbed into the body and would be unavailable to cause systemic damage.…”

Section: Bioavailability Of Orpiment Realgar and Arsenolite/arsenicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Toxic metals or metalloids, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, are frequently found in traditional medicines, raising justifiably escalating public concerns (Ernst, 2002;Cooper et al, 2007). Indeed, at least for arsenicals, many traditional medicines call for intentional addition of mineral arsenicals based on their presumed or defined therapeutic properties (Ernst, 2002;Miller et al, 2002;Evens et al, 2004;Chinese Pharmacopeia Committee, 2005;Efferth et al, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineral Arsenicals in Traditional Medicines: Orpiment, Realgar, and Arsenolite

Liu

Lu²,

Wu³

et al. 2008

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

192

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mineral arsenicals have long been used in traditional medicines for various diseases, yet arsenic can be highly toxic and carcinogenic. Arsenic in traditional medicines typically comes from deliberate addition for therapeutic purposes, mainly in the form of mineral arsenicals, including orpiment (As 2 S 3 ), realgar (As 4 S 4 ), and arsenolite (contains arsenic trioxide, As 2 O 3 ). Inorganic arsenic is now accepted in Western medicine as a first line chemotherapeutic agent against certain hematopoietic cancers. This perspective analyzes the pharmacology and toxicology of these arsenicals used in traditional medicines. Orpiment and realgar are less soluble and poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, whereas the bioavailability of arsenic trioxide is similar to inorganic arsenic salts such as sodium arsenite. Pharmacological studies show that arsenic trioxide and realgar are effective against certain malignancies. Orpiment and realgar are used externally for various skin diseases. Realgar is frequently included as an ingredient in oral traditional remedies for its antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, anticonvulsive, and anti-schistosomiasis actions, but the pharmacological basis for this inclusion still remains to be fully justified. Toxicological studies show that cardiovascular toxicity is the major concern for arsenic trioxide and that the gastrointestinal and dermal adverse effects may occur after prolonged use of mineral arsenicals. Little is known regarding the possible secondary cancers resulting from the long-term use of any of these arsenicals. Similar to the safety evaluation of seafood arsenicals, total arsenic content alone appears to be insufficient for mineral arsenical safety evaluation. Arsenic speciation, bioavailability, and toxicity/benefit should be considered in evaluation of mineral arsenical-containing traditional medicines.

show abstract

Public Health Risks from Heavy Metals and Metalloids Present in Traditional Chinese Medicines

Cited by 89 publications

References 6 publications

High Cadmium Levels in Cured Meat Products Marketed in Nigeria - Implications for Public Health

High Cadmium Levels in Cured Meat Products Marketed in Nigeria - Implications for Public Health

Qualität und Sicherheit chinesischer Arzneidrogen in Deutschland - ein Update

Mineral Arsenicals in Traditional Medicines: Orpiment, Realgar, and Arsenolite

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About