The Oregon Health Authority said Thursday that investigators have identified six children in Oregon – including at least one in Lincoln County — with elevated blood lead levels after eating pouches of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Purée applesauce.
The elevated blood lead reports follow a safety and recall alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late October warning parents and caregivers against buying or feeding the pureed applesauce to young children.
As of Wednesday, the OHA said public health investigators have found six cases of elevated blood lead levels in children in Lincoln, Lake, Multnomah and Washington counties who ate the WanaBana product.
WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Purée is distributed nationwide through retailers including Dollar Tree, Amazon and other online stores.
While WanaBana has agreed to voluntarily recall all of the apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches regardless of their expiration dates, the OHA said some people may have bought the product before the recall announcement.
Parents or caregivers concerned about a child’s exposure to the product should contact their health care provider to request a blood test, the agency said.