Friday, March 11, 2005

Update on Mercury Poisoning- Where to buy the kit

Those of you who know me will know (or at least you'll know now!) that I can get a little paranoid about my health. Yes, I am one of those people that can read a list of symptoms and say, "hmmm... maybe..." In defense of myself, the things I get paranoid about are at least slightly probable. Last month I had a growth on the side of my nose checked for skin cancer. The doctor said it was probably just skin tissue, but I had a friend who had just had to get a significant portion of her nose dug out because the first doctor she went to said that her growth was just tissue. Hers turned out to be cancerous tissue and she had to then get part of her eyelid skin removed to patch it up. She told me to make them test me. So I did, (it was just skin tissue.) So, you see... that's just sensible, right?

Now that I've read the story in O magazine about mercury poisoning, I want to get tested. Turns out that it is expensive: $250! So, I typed in "Free mercury testing" in my search bar and found $25 testing. Greenpeace and the Environmental Quality Institute are doing research on mercury poisoning and offering heavily discounted test kits. I ordered one today. I think taking this particular test is smart, especially if you are thinking of having babies anytime soon. Research shows that mom's who have high levels of mercury in their blood have babies with high levels, which can cause learning disabilities. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Luckily (and embarrassingly,) I almost never have what I'm worried that I have.

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