MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999 Jan; 48(2): 27-9.

Adult lead poisoning from an Asian remedy for menstrual cramps--Connecticut, 1997.

Follow-back procedures to determine the source of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) are integral parts of the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program (ABLES) in 27 states. Although an estimated 90%-95% of cases of elevated BLLs reported to the states in the ABLES program result from occupational exposures, nonoccupational exposures also are identified by this system. This report describes a case of adult lead poisoning attributed to an Asian remedy for menstrual cramps, "Koo Sar" pills, following an investigation by the Adult Lead Registry of the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH), Division of Environmental Epidemiology and Occupational Health.