Warning: Popular Spice Sold in New York Discount Stores May Contain Dangerous Toxin

The FDA is raising alarm that several popular spice products sold in New York may be contaminated with a chemical that can cause serious side effects.

Warning from the The Food and Drug Administration

The FDA is urging New Yorkers to check their spice cabinets if they recently purchased cinnamon. The organizations said they found traces of lead in numerous ground cinnamon products that were mainly sold at discount stores.

The administration warned that lead exposure can lead to serious side effects and that prolonged exposure to lead via these products may be unsafe.

The affected ground cinnamon brands are as follows:

• Supreme Tradition products sold at Dollar Tree or Family Dollar
• La Fiesta products sold at La Superior SuperMercados
• Marcum products sold at Save A Lot
• MK products sold at SF Supermarket
• Swad products by Raja Foods sold at Patel Brothers
• El Chilar products sold at La Joya Morelense

If you have these brand products that were purchased at these stores, the FDA has the list of expiration dates and codes of the affected foods. If you have a match, the FDA says you need to discard them immediately.

The administration is also asking the manufacturers to recall the affected products.

Dangers of Lead Poisoning

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young kids exposed to lead can suffer brain or nervous system damage. The toxic chemical has also been found to slow a child's growth and development.

Additionally, it can cause problems in a child's hearing, learning, behavior and speech.

Lead poisoning in adults can lead to high blood pressure, difficulties with memory, mood disorders, abdominal pain, joint or muscle pain, reduced sperm count, and miscarriage or stillbirth in pregnant woman.

Prolonged exposure means more severe side effects as it is extremely toxic to numerous organs and tissues, like the heart and nervous system.

The CDC warns that even the smallest amount of lead can lead to serious health complications. There is no known safe exposure level of lead.

The FDA also notes, "Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure" and encourages those who believe they may have been exposed to lead via these cinnamon products to speak with their healthcare provider.

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