Event Details

Lead poisoning in Ontario is rare, and often missed by clinicians due to typically non-specific symptoms. Lead exposure from Ayurveda and other traditional medicines is also under recognized. In this presentation, the audience will learn about the clinical, environmental and public health aspects of lead poisoning, through the lens of a multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional investigation. Speakers from Health Canada, Toronto Public Health (TPH), and Public Health Ontario (PHO) will discuss their roles in investigating a recent case of lead poisoning from use of contaminated Ayurvedic medicines.

Intended Audience: Public health professionals, primary care clinicians

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

    1. Describe the clinical features of lead poisoning and possible sources of exposure to lead.
    2. Describe potential health risks from Ayurvedic and other unregulated treatments.
    3. Discuss the role of different health and regulatory partners in investigating natural products implicated in adverse health outcomes, using a case of lead poisoning in     Ontario.

JinHee Kim, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC, is the Physician Lead, Environmental and Occupational Health, at Public Health Ontario.

Anna Miranda, MES, BASc, CPHI(C), is the Associate Director, Healthy Environments, Toronto Public Health.

Celina Bak is the Manager of Health Product Compliance and Enforcement Unit in the Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch at Health Canada.

Bobbie Chiu is the Acting Regional Manager of Health Product Compliance Central in the Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch at Health Canada.

The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.

Public Health Ontario Rounds are a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Other colleges, including the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, may accept RCPSC accredited events on a per-hour basis. Please contact your relevant college should you have any questions.

In order to receive written documentation for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, please check "Yes" beside the question "Do you require CME credits?" on the registration form.

For more information or for a record of registration for other Continuing Education purposes, please contact capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.

Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.