A task force has been established to help people who got lead poisoning after ingesting products from Sheng Tang Chinese Medicine Clinic (盛唐中醫) and Jiu Fu Chinese Medicine Clinic (九福中醫), the Taichung Legal Affairs Bureau said yesterday.
As of Wednesday, 195 people who had been to the Taichung-based clinics had undergone health checks elsewhere, with 21 diagnosed with lead poisoning, the Taichung Health Bureau said.
The clinics on Friday last week were ordered to shut down following allegations that they had provided products containing cinnabar and lead tetroxide, which were banned in Taiwan in 2005.
Photo courtesy of Taichung City Government Health Bureau
Authorities have received 280 samples of products from the clinics, 164 provided by the clinics at the request of the health bureau and 116 from people who got products from the clinics, the health bureau said, adding that it would continue its investigation and monitor developments.
Taichung Legal Affairs Bureau Director Lee Shan-chih (李善植) said that the 21 people involved in the case exceeds the threshold of 20 required to start a class-action lawsuit.
The legal bureau is to work with the Consumers’ Foundation to help the people affected to seek compensation from Sheng Tang and Jiu Fu, as well as Shin Long Medicine Co (欣隆藥業), which supplied the clinics, Lee said.
It has established a dedicated window, where people can submit receipts and laboratory results from tests done on products they obtained from the clinics, as well as medical documents showing abnormal levels of lead in their blood and medical bills, all of which can help in a class-action lawsuit, he said.
There are nine hospitals in Taichung that can test blood for heavy metals and treat people with the condition, the health bureau said, adding that there are ample medical supplies to treat lead poisoning.
People who have used products from Sheng Tang and Jiu Fu can bring unused portions or packaging to the Taichung Office of Food and Drug Safety to find out whether they contained illegal substances, the health bureau said.
Separately, the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association on Wednesday said that it would pay 50 percent of costs for tests to detect heavy metals in blood that people seek through the Consumers’ Foundation.
Visits to traditional Chinese medicine clinics have dropped by 20 percent since these reports emerged, association Director-General Ko Fu-yang (柯富揚) said in a statement.
It is understandable that people are concerned, but doctors, too, are concerned about people suddenly halting their medication, especially for chronic diseases, Ko said, adding that his association is offering the subsidies in the hope that people would feel at ease and resume taking their medication.
Additional reporting by Lo Chi
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