A New Sign of Mercury Poisoning?

Noel Peterson, ND

Finally, Columbia University School of Medicine thinks that mercury from fish could be toxic and might even warrant chelation therapy!! The following was written by Dr. Paul Dantzig from the dermatology department at Columbia University School of Medine!

Chronic mercury poisoning is becoming a health concern because of extensive pollution of water and fish, and the increasing consumption of fish in the human diet. Mercury is extremely toxic to the body, especially the central nervous system, but diagnosis is difficult because of the lack of specific signs. A total of 11 patients were observed to have a nonpruritic or mildly pruritic discreet papular and papulovesicular eruption that correlated with high blood mercury levels. The mercury evidently came from increased seafood consumption. All of the patients improved when they were placed on either a seafood-free diet or chelation therapy. Physicians should suspect mercury poisoning in patients who eat a high-seafood diet who present with an asymptomatic or mildly pruritic papular or papulovesicular eruption. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2003;49:1109-11.)

Department of Dermatology, Columbia University School of Medicine New York, New York, USA.

Funding sources: None. Conflicts of interest: None identified.

*Reprint requests: Paul I. Dantzig, MD, Department of Dermatology, Columbia University School of Medicine 30 E 60th St, Suite 705 New York, NY 10022, USA Email: pidmd@aol.com