Both recalls share something in common. The recalls were initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following analysis undertaken with the FDA's own analytical laboratories. One analysis was triggered by a tip-off and the other was through the course of random testing.
Many recalls are "voluntary recalls" initiated by the company. This is either the as a result of a company finding something awry with internal quality control or following a regulatory inspection, where there is a potential risk of a product adulteration. Recalls as the result of direct testing are rarer.
The first recall relates to a product called Crema Piel De Seda (Silky Skin Cream). The product is manufactured in Mexico, by a company
called Viansilk, and it is labeled in Spanish. The cream is marketed at Latino communities in the U.S. The product
was found to have traces of mercury, to the extent that this could cause kidney damage.
From mercury poisoning there is also risk of nerve damage as well as brain damage in children.
The second product is a medicinal clay. The clay is branded Bentonite Me Baby. With this product, laboratory testing has found atypically
high traces of lead. This product has a higher profile and is found in major chains like target. FDA is advising consumers not purchase the affected products and to discard any that they have in their homes.
