I got a call last night from my dad. Nearly 80, lives near Tampa Bay. He’s been plagued in the past year with neurological complaints, seems to have had a mild stroke etc.
well, seems they’ve also discovered that he has highly elevated levels of arsenic.
After the obligatory joking (gee, dad, most of the folks who’d want to kill you live in Michigan… ; “well, I guess I’ll have to get you something else for Christmas”…), his doctors’ suspicion is the diet - fresh shrimp, crabs and oysters from Tampa Bay. Dad reports that his doctor has found several cases of folks with eleveated aresenic down there.
As a life long mystery fan, I’ve naturally come across arsenic poisoning in literature. However, don’t want to rely on my memory of fiction writers. so, please help me out with the real deal as it were.
Is it true that there’s no way to get rid of the levels he already has (will he remain at whatever level or will it ulitmately reduce)?
I seem to recall, too that at one point, some folks would “eat arsenic”. They became dependant on it, believing that (I think) improved their skin ??? and that abrupt cessation would cause death, too???
any suggestions for what to watch for with dad? what we HAVE noticed in the past year or so is that he gets confused more easily, speaks less distinctly. (much of which may also be stroke or age related).
I live in Tampa Bay and I seem to remember about a year ago many people started complaining of symptoms similiar to your fathers. Upon investigation they discovered Arsenic baths buried basically in their backyards! People are claming that the water supply in the area is tainted because of it. Perhaps your father needs to take a look out in the woods behind his home!
Ps: It’s been awhile but I am almost 100% that it was arsenic they found.
IIRC, small doses of arsenic has interesting effects, including an increase in appetite, and a tendency towards oily skin and hair. Horse sharpers sometimes used arsenic to make old horses look fat and glossy, so they could sell them more easily. When the horses stopped getting dosed, they quit eating, and the arsenic that had built up in their fat cells was released–usually killing them. I assume the same thing would happen to a human. So, it would make your skin look smoother (oilier) and your hair shinier, and if you stopped eating it, it would kill you.
A more detailed and reliable listing of symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning can be found here. Acute poisoning has some pretty horrific effects, and chronic poisoning also increases cancer risks. AFAIK, the only treatment for the poisoning is to stop consuming it, although vitamins can mitigate symptoms to some degree. I suspect that once intake of the poison stops, the levels will gradually drop due to natural processes–but I’m not sure of that.
Of course, you should talk to real medical experts about this, and not rely on the denizens of a message board (however knowledgable).
Thanks ** balance. Pezpunk ** his doctor seems to think it’s related to those “bottom feeders” in the bay. (ftr he lives in Sarasota, in a housing area that’s only about 10 years old). appreciate the help.