[Chung Lien Kulin Brand] Anshen Bunai Pian

Starting date:

May 24, 2012

Posting date:

May 24, 2012

Type of communication:

Foreign Product Alert (FPA)

Subcategory:

Natural health products

Source of recall:

Health Canada

Issue:

Product Safety, Poisoning Hazard

Audience:

General Public

Identification number:

RA-15090

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These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Source of alert

Hong Kong Department of Health

Product names

[Chung Lien Kulin Brand] Anshen Bunai Pian

Manufacturer / Place of origin

Unknown

Product description

[Chung Lien Kulin Brand] Anshen Bunai Pian is promoted as a traditional Chinese medicine used for restlessness and insomnia symptoms in adults.

Reason for warning

The Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) warned consumers to not use this product after it was found to contain mercury at levels 55 times higher than DH permissible limits.



This mercury level exceeds Health Canada's permissible limits as well.



Ingestion of excessive amounts of mercury, which is a heavy metal, poses serious health risks because it may accumulate in vital organs of the body. Children are most susceptible to the toxic effects of heavy metals.

Possible side effects

The toxic effects of mercury include irritability, tremors, memory loss, insomnia, concentration problems, and kidney and brain damage.

What you should do

Canadians who have this product are advised not to use it, and should consult with a health care professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of this product.

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find the product listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

Background

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have either an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.

As of the date of this posting, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this product have been reported in Canada.

Report a health or safety concern

• Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.
• Visit Health Canada's Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax.

Media enquiries

Health Canada

613-957-2983

Public enquiries

613-957-2991

1-866-225-0709

Images

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