Mexican Tamarind Lollipops Are Banned for Lead Poisoning

State health authorities have embargoed a Mexican-made candy lollipop because it contains “excessively high” levels of lead and poses a significant health risk.

The lead-poisoning threat comes from an imported tamarind candy lollipop labeled as the Dulmex brand “Bolirindo,” according to a bulletin from the California Department of Health Services.

The product is a soft, dark brown tamarind-fruit candy lollipop on a white or orange-striped stick. The orange-red wrapper has Bolirindo in white lettering and a figure of brown tamarind fruit.

The DHS began an investigation of the product after a 2-year-old Orange County child was found to have very high levels of lead in a routine blood test. The child had eaten the lollipops. Two other cases of lead poisoning associated with the candy have been identified in Stanislaus County.

The candy wrappers, which some children lick or chew, contain 21,000 to 22,000 parts per million of lead while the sticks contain about 400 ppm of lead and the candy itself about 0.2 ppm. Lead poisoning damages the central nervous system and can cause severe learning and behavioral disorders.

Parents who are concerned that their children may have consumed the candy should ask their children’s doctor to take a blood test to measure lead levels. For more information, call the California Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch at (510) 622-5000.

To report anyone selling the candy, call the state health agency’s complaint hotline at (800) 495-3232.