Company fined for selling ayurvedic pills with high amounts of lead; customer poisoned and warded

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) received a memo dated Oct 16, 2024, from Tan Tock Seng Hospital stating that a female patient had presented with increased fatigue and shortness of breath during physical activity, and chest discomfort.

She was diagnosed with anaemia due to lead poisoning and had to be hospitalised. She had obtained the pills from Union Yoga Ayurveda’s Kembangan branch after an ayurvedic consultation.

In November 2024, HSA officers went to the company’s Kembangan branch and seized some of the bottles. The company later surrendered more bottles following the recall of the product from its branches.

According to HSA’s previous press release, it tested the product and found lead levels that exceeded the permissible limit for traditional medicines by thousands of times.

Lead is a toxic heavy metal, and acute exposure to high levels may cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, anaemia, liver inflammation and brain injury.

Long-term exposure to very high levels of lead may also cause toxic effects to the body, including the kidneys, digestive and nervous systems, said HSA.

After HSA published a press release warning the public against using the product, a mother came forward to say her daughter had low haemoglobin levels. She was later found to have high lead intoxication.

The directors of the company admitted to buying the bottles for S$10 each and selling them at S$47. They admitted that they had not sent the pills for testing.

The prosecutor sought a fine of S$15,000.

In mitigation, the company’s representative said it was “a mistake” and he respected the outcome whatever it was.

For each count of selling a medicinal product exceeding the quantity of allowed lead, the company could have been fined up to S$$5,000 per charge. If the guilty party had been a person, he would have faced up to two years’ jail.