Do calcium supplements contain dangerous amounts of lead?
The existence of lead in over-the-counter calcium supplements has been known for well over 2 decades. The fact that the medical community is increasingly recommending calcium supplementation for specific patient populations has resulted in this issue being reexamined. Approximately 5% of the adult population in the United States consumes calcium supplements. Within this population, certain patient groups may be at a higher risk for developing health problems from ingestion of lead-containing supplements, including chronic renal failure patients, lactating women, children, and persons intolerant of milk products who consume large amounts of supplements. In a recent study, Ross et al examined the lead content of 21 formulations of over-the-counter calcium carbonate (7 “natural source” formulations and 14 “refined” formulations), one prescription-only brand of calcium acetate, and one noncalcium synthetic form. The researchers found that 4 of the 7 “natural” products and 4 of the 14 “refi
