Applesauce Lead Contamination May Have Been Intentional: Reports

ACROSS AMERICA ? Federal health officials are investigating whether cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to high. blood lead levels among children in 22 states were intentionally contaminated, Politico and other news outlets are reporting.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating elevated lead levels in apple cinnamon applesauce pouches sold under three brands ? Weis, WanaBana and Schnucks ? and distributed by Amazon, Dollar Tree and other online retailers.

All three of the now-recalled applesauce brands were made at an Austrofood plant in Ecuador, where FDA officials announced last week they were focusing their investigation. The agency said health officials in Ecuador found that cinnamon from Austrofood's supplier had higher levels of lead than the country allows. The company, Negasmart, is facing sanctions while officials there track down the source of the cinnamon, the FDA said.

?We?re still in the midst of our investigation,? FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones told Politico in a story published Thursday. ?But so far all the signals we?re getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we?re trying to figure that out.?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 125 lead poisoning cases, mainly among toddlers, have been reported by state health officials in the 22 states. Of those cases, 46 have been confirmed, 68 are likely linked to the tainted applesauce and 11 are suspected.

Affected states are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Lead poisoning is extremely dangerous, more so for young children than older kids and adults, because their bodies are still developing and growing rapidly, according to the CDC. Long-term effects include damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems.

Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms, and parents who think their child was exposed to lead should immediately consult their physician, the FDA cautioned.

Anyone, regardless of age, can be affected. Short-term exposure can cause symptoms such as headache, abdominal pain or colic, vomiting, and anemia. Symptoms of longer-term exposure include irritability, lethargy, fatigue, muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning, constipation, difficulty concentrating, muscular weakness, tremor and weight loss.

The investigation began in June after two young siblings in North Carolina posted high blood lead levels after eating applesauce products. The usual causes, including old paint, contaminated water or tainted soil, were ruled out, sparking an international investigation.