Toxic Remedy: A Case of a 3-year-old Child with Lead Colic Treated with lead monoxide (Greta)

Authors

Elena E. Cabb, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Emmanuel C. Gorospe, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Anne Rothweiler, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Shawn Gerstenberger, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2008

Publication Title

Clinical Pediatrics

Volume

47

Issue

1

First page number:

77

Last page number:

79

Abstract

This article reports the case of a 3-year-old male with an elevated blood lead level. The child had a history of consuming imported lead-contaminated candies resulting in abdominal pains for which he was given a Hispanic folk remedy, called greta, by his mother. The home remedy aggravated the child’s symptoms which prompted medical consultation. Analysis of the powdered folk remedy revealed a lead concentration of 140 000 ppm. This case highlights the complexities associated with identifying unfamiliar sources of lead poisoning, and their potential relationships to cultural practices.

Keywords

Alternative medicine; Alternative therapies; Child; Lead monoxide; Lead oxides; Lead poisoning in children – Case studies; Traditional medicine

Disciplines

Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Community-Based Research | Maternal and Child Health | Medicine and Health | Pediatrics | Toxicology

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited

Repository Citation

Cabb, E. E., Gorospe, E. C., Rothweiler, A., Gerstenberger, S. (2008). Toxic Remedy: A Case of a 3-year-old Child with Lead Colic Treated with lead monoxide (Greta). Clinical Pediatrics, 47(1), 77-79.