Lead Poisoning Risk Linked To Best Bentonite Clay, FDA Warns

Federal regulators have issued a warning to consumers not to use Best Bentonite Clay due to high levels of lead that could result in lead poisoning. 

The FDA issued a Best Bentonite Clay consumer alert on March 23 after laboratory analysis found that it contained high levels of lead. There are no cases of lead poisoning linked to the clay.

The agency is urging customers not to purchase the clay due to the lead poisoning risks. The agency urges anyone who has used it or given it to a child to consult a health care professional immediately.

Bentonite clays, which are used as clay masks or ingested, are sold as naturalistic remedies. Some believe that Bentonite clay was used by ancient cultures to remove toxins from the body. There is no scientific proof that it has such an effect, however.

Best Bentonite Clay is sold on Amazon.com and on www.bestbentonite.com. It is sold in powder form and mixed with water and either eaten or applied to the skin. However, the website has a warning that it is not a drug and it is not being sold for the purpose of human consumption.

The website also notes that the FDA has demanded the removal of all customer testimonials. The company has replaced the page with an editorial critical of the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry for not allowing the company to market the clay as a cure or treatment.

“Historically the FDA has required new drugs to undergo expensive and elaborate multi-phased clinical trials, which are out of the grasp of any ordinarily interest who might want to demonstrate the efficacy of a non-patentable (and therefore unprofitable) herb, mineral, food or spice,” the editorial states.

This is the second bentonite clay product the FDA has moved against this year. In February, the agency issued a similar lead poisoning warning against Alikay Naturals’ “Bentonite Me Baby” clay beauty product.

The CDC estimates that 535,000 children ages 1-5, or about 2.6% of such children in the U.S., have levels of lead in their blood that place them at risk for adverse health effects. To come up with that number, the CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the years 1999 to 2002, and 2007 through 2010.

Lead poisoning for children is already known to increase the risk of nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures or convulsions, growth or mental retardation, coma and even death.