Lead in ginkgo pills. Arsenic in herbals. Bugs in a baby’s colic and teething syrup. Toxic metals and parasites are part of nature, and all of these have been found in “natural” products and dietary supplements in recent years.
Set aside the issue of whether vitamin and herbal supplements do any good. Are they safe? Is what’s on the label really what’s in the bottle? Tests by researchers and private labs suggest the answer sometimes is no.
One-quarter of supplements tested by an independent company over the past decade have had some sort of problem. Contaminants. Contents that did not match label claims. Ingredients that exceeded safe limits. Some contained real drugs masquerading as natural supplements.
Industry groups say quality problems are the exception rather than the rule.
