Contaminated blood thinner heparin called a worldwide problem

A contaminated blood thinner from China has become a worldwide public health problem, with 10 other countries detecting the often-toxic ingredient, according to federal investigators. The compound, which mimics the real blood thinner heparin but which costs less to make, may have been added deliberately somewhere along a production chain that began on farms in China. Food and Drug Administration officials issued a warning letter that banned future U.S. shipments from the plant in China that supplied the widely used blood thinner until the safety issues are resolved.