title: Lead poisoning from drinking Kombucha tea brewed in a ceramic pot.
abstract: Kombucha tea is an alternative therapy that is gaining popularity as a remedy for a diverse range of ailments. We report two cases of symptomatic lead poisoning requiring chelation therapy in a married couple who had been drinking Kombucha tea for six months, brewing the tea in a ceramic pot. We postulate that acids in the tea eluted lead from the glaze pigment used in the ceramic pot, in a manner analogous to elution of lead from crystal decanters by wine and spirits.
authors.affiliation: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW. gduggin@renicu.rpa.cs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Estell
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duggin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ferson
mesh_terms: D002516:Ceramics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015913:Chelation Therapy; D003296:Cooking; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013662:Tea
chemical_list: D013662:Tea