One
of the most common questions that consumers ask after being exposed
to CCA wood
and learning about the toxic chemicals that are embedded in this product,
is "how can I get help?". They want to know where to get
quality medical treatment, what kind of treatments are available,
and how much they cost.
Anyone who learns that they have been exposed to heavy metals, like
the arsenic or chromium found in CCA wood, has good cause for concern.
As detailed in our Health
Hazards section, these toxic metals act as poisons, carcinogens,
teratogens, mutagens, and endocrine disruptors.
Of course,
the greatest concern is still arsenic. Arsenic can cause the greatest
amount of damage, and its harmful effects are cumulative. Exposures
to arsenic can be acute, chronic, or even intermittent, and each kind
of exposure requires a different medical treatment protocol.
This document explores the different degrees of arsenic exposure and
the treatment protocols used to treat arsenic poisoning. [Editor's
note: The chromium in CCA wood is also toxic, since as much as half
of this chromium can be in the form of hexavalent chromium. While
this page focuses primarily on arsenic exposure and treatment, the
concerns about and treatments for chromium exposure are similar.]
Those
with acute exposure to arsenic poisoning generally report symptoms
such as vomiting and intense abdominal pain, watery or bloody diarrhea,
mental confusion or disorientation, and they may be dehydrated.
Those
with chronic, moderate exposure may complain of pins-and-needles
sensation in the feet or hands (parasthesia), a metallic taste in
their mouth, or garlic odor to their breath, may exhibit white lines
that run horizontally across the fingernails known as "Mees lines",
may have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, rashes, headaches,
mood swings, memory loss, irritability, etc.
Those whose exposure is intermittent, or more short term, may
experience other symptoms such as rashes, muscle and joint pain, fatique,
flu-like symptoms, headaches, abdominal pain, mood swings, memory
loss and irritability. It is important to note that the symptoms of
arsenic and chromium exposure can vary widely.
The
first step in treatment is to try to ascertain the level of exposure,
as arsenic is quite poisonous, and in heavy doses can cause renal
failure and death. In many cases, it would be a good idea to visit
an emergency room immediately, if one suspects that their symptoms
are related to CCA treated wood exposure.
One BANCCA reader, who knew she had been heavily exposed to the toxins
in CCA treated wood, shared her urine arsenic test results with us,
and asked our opinion. She was concerned that the test results showed
that her arsenic levels were extremely high. When we reviewed her
test results, we noted that her arsenic levels were 2.9 times higher
than the level the ATSDR considered "abnormal"! We recommended
that she immediately go to a medical clinic or emergency room for
treatment, which she fortunately did (see disclaimer).
The emergency room physician administered D-penicillamine to treat
her for arsenic and heavy metal poisoning. This episode underscores
the need for physicians and nurses to be alert to the test results
of patients exposed to arsenic in treated wood and ensure that their
patients get proper treatment.
If one has been exposed to arsenic and chromium, the two potent toxic
chemicals in CCA wood, a urine test should be taken within a day or
two of the exposure, if possible. If more than a week has passed since
the exposure, the urine test may not be as effective, as about 2/3
of the arsenic absorbed by the body is known to pass from the body
in the first 2-3 days. If more than a week has passed, a blood test
or hair analysis may be ordered by the emergency room physician. (A
hair analysis will usually detect arsenic exposure in the last 9-12
months.) The physician may perform other tests including X-rays, neurological
tests, ECGs, and 24 hour urine tests.
For severe cases of arsenic exposure or poisoning, the treatment protocol
is detailed on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR) Web site here.
One of the approved treatment methods for arsenic is chelation
therapy. The ATDSR Web site comments, "Chelating agents
administered within hours of arsenic absorption may successfully prevent
the full effects of arsenic toxicity." This treatment should
be given and supervised by a trained physician in a hospital setting.
The use of chelation therapy may be able to "curtail the distribution
of arsenic and reduce the body burden [of arsenic]."
Physicians
use several different compounds for chelation therapy, especially
in an emergency room setting, including BAL, DMPS, D-penicillamine,
DMSA and EDTA chelation.
In
acutely symptomatic patients, the dimercaprol, also known as
BAL (British anti-Lewisite), is usually recommended. This chelation
medicine can have serious side effects, so it requires constant monitoring
by a nurse or physician.
Physicians in Europe use a chelation drug called Dimerval or DMPS
for heavy metal poisoning, but it is not approved for use in the U.S.
Another
chelation drug commonly used for arsenic chelation therapy is D-penicillamine
or Cuprimine, which is given orally. While this drug has been used
effectively in treating acute arsenic poisoning in children, other
studies have shown it to be ineffectual. In addition, it can have
serious side effects and should not be given to patients who are allergic
to penicilline. Because of this, D-penicillamine has begun to lose
favor as the treatment of choice for arsenic poisoning.
DMSA, or 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, is now being used more
widely as is 20 times safer than dimercaprol (BAL). It has been used
for lead poisoning in adults and for arsenic poisoning in children.
Doctor Golzar Hossain of Bangladesh, India- an area rife with arsenic
exposure, highly recommends DMSA for treatment of arsenic poisoning
in his
online paper. According to Dr. Hossain, "The use of chelation
therapy is imperative in all symptomatic arsenic poisoning."
Chelation
therapy should be continued until the 24-hour urinary arsenic level
falls below 50 µg/L, or the physician has released the patient
from treatment. However, many who have been released by their physicians,
still retain a portion of these toxic metals in their systems and
continue to suffer serious side effects from toxic metal exposure.
A recently-published book, "Toxic Metal Syndrome - How Metal
Poisonings Can Effect Your Brain" states the following:
"Research
has proven that toxic metals such as aluminum, mercury, lead, iron,
cadmium and a host of others accumulate in our brains, and over
time may cause a variety of disturbing behavioral symptoms - from
memory loss to Alzheimers dementia... these metals can be flushed
from our systems with a method called chelation therapy. This treatment
has proven effective for over two decades." (1)
About
Chelation Therapy
As for the rest of us who have low-to-moderate heavy metal exposures,
which may have occurred several weeks or even several months ago,
what kind of treatment can we pursue? What are our options? For many,
the answer is chelation therapy.
This
section details how chelation therapy, primarily EDTA chelation therapy,
has proven effective for many people who have been exposed to heavy
metals.
But
first, some background on EDTA chelation therapy. The chemical most
widely used worldwide for chelation therapy is EDTA, which
has a 50 year treatment history. EDTA can be given intravenously,
orally, or as a low-dose suppository. EDTA, or ethylenediamine
tetra-acetic acid, is a synthetic amino acid, that is sometimes used
as a food preservative. It also acts as a "chelating agent".
A chelating agent is a chemical that binds, or attaches itself, to
a heavy metal molecule, such as lead, and aids its movement from one
place to another.
EDTA
chelation therapy is know to effectively remove many different heavy
metals from the body and can reduce the production of free radicals
and prevent their destructive influence. EDTA chelation is always
given in concert with extensive mineral and vitamin supplementation,
as EDTA will also remove minerals from the body along with the toxic
metals. It is very important to take the right amount of mineral supplements
when undergoing any form of chelation therapy.
There are several heavy metals (elements) that are poisonous to humans.
Lead, Mercury, Arsenic (found in CCA), and Aluminum are the four most
common metals that are toxic when they exist in our bodies in excess.
Others metals that are also toxic and can be removed from the body
using EDTA chelation include Cadmium, Chromium (found in CCA), Copper
(found in CCA), Cobalt, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Nickel (2)
.
In most
cases, the normal excretion pathways of our bodies are not able to
completely eliminate these poisonous metals from our systems. As levels
accumulate, premature aging, disease and even early death becomes
the consequence. In spite of this, and often times unwittingly, we
continue to have dentists place Mercury fillings in our teeth, we
use products that contain Aluminum, such as deodorants and antacids,
we are exposed to Arsenic when we handle treated wood and generally
live in a sea of poisonous pollution and toxins. Even the air we breathe
in many locations contains numerous toxins which can affect our health.
This
is where chelation can be of benefit. A Chelating agent has the ability
to totally envelop an atom or particle of a poisonous heavy metal.
In
the case of heavy metals, the chelation principles are simple. Lead
and arsenic molecules cannot pass through the kidney system by themselves.
The EDTA/Lead, EDTA/Arsenic, or EDTA/Aluminum chelated compound, or
other heavy metal and EDTA compound easily passes through the kidney
and leaves the body.
But,
that is not the only benefit of EDTA Chelation. Chelation therapy
also removes heavy metals from the cells of the endothelial lining
of the artery walls. Heavy metal intoxication of these endothelial
cells seem to prevent these cells from producing Nitric Oxide, which
can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Inside
your body, nitric oxide is produced by endothelial cells that line
your blood vessels, and acts as a messenger molecule by telling the
blood vessels when to relax and expand. When adequate nitric oxide
is produced, it causes the release of an "endothelial-relaxing
factor," which is needed by the arterial system to expand and
contract with each heartbeat. Nitric oxide causes all of the capillaries
and little blood vessels to relax and go to their widest-open position.
This allows unrestricted blood flow and helps regulate blood flow
and pressure, so that oxygen-carrying blood is delivered to your tissues
and organs (3,4).
But, if the endothelial cells contain lead or other heavy metals,
nitric oxide production is impaired, resulting in endothelial dysfunction,
or the inability of the arterial system to
expand and contract. This is a major cause of hypertension and has
also been linked to high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, diabetes, blood
clots, infection, and heart failure.(5)
In this case, the capillaries and blood vessels are in a half-closed
position.
Also,
Nitric Oxide seems to be a natural anti-biotic of sorts and prevents
low-grade infectious agents (ie. Chlamydia, Epstein Barr Virus, Cytomegalovirus)
from "infecting" the soft plaque that has yet to be hardened
by calcium. So, removing heavy metals from the body leads to the reawakening
of the natural processes within the cells and improves circulation
in a natural way, therefore circumventing the problems related to
plaquing and possibly even slowing down the plaquing process.
Types of EDTA Chelation Therapy
There
are 3 main types of EDTA Chelation therapies available: oral chelation,
intravenous chelation and low-dose chelation . The most widely-known
type is the Intravenous or I.V. EDTA Chelation therapy. However, Oral
EDTA chelation and low-dose EDTA chelation have become widely available
in the past few years.
Oral
chelation involves taking EDTA in a capsule or powder form, along
with vitamin and mineral supplements. Its effectiveness is not known.
Intravenous EDTA chelation therapy has become more and more
popular over the years, and now intravenous chelation therapy clinics
can be found in most major cities in the United States. The treatment
typically involves an intravenous drip-feed of EDTA in solution, and
each treatment takes about 3 hours and usually costs $75-100 per treatment.
The typical dosage is 2-3 grams of EDTA.
Intravenous EDTA Chelation therapy has its disadvantages. Some have
reported side effects from this form of EDTA treatment, but most side
effects are generally minor. Others avoid this type of chelation therapy
altogether, because of the time commitment involved, or because of
the fear of needles, or because of the expense of the treatments,
which most insurance companies do not cover. Also, IV EDTA chelation
therapy is typically only available at a specialized clinic that offers
this treatment, usually only found in major cities.
EDTA
chelation suppositories are a recent addition to the types of
EDTA chelation therapy. This new form of chelation works very well
and has all of the advantages of intravenous chelation therapy, but
none of the disadvantages. These advantages include:
1. Lower
dosage - it can be taken daily over a 30 day period. Children's
sized dosages are even available.
2. Lower Cost - the cost of a 30 day supply of chelation suppositories
is less than $300, which equates to 7-10 intravenous treatments at
around $1000 or more.
3. Convenience - EDTA suppositories are taken at night while
you sleep, at times convenient to your schedule, which means less
time off from work. By comparison, I.V. chelation treatments can require
6-10 hours per week at a clinic to administer.
4. Easy-to-use
- Suppository-based chelation therapy can be self-administered
in the privacy of your own home, and is pain-free, as there is no
I.V. needle.
For more information on over-the-counter chelation therapy products,
please visit Vivagen
Health Products web site.
Notes
& References:
1. Casdorph, Richard,
Walker, Morton, "Toxic Metal Syndrome - How Metal Poisonings
Can Effect Your Brain", 1995.
2. Cranton, Elmer M.D., "A Textbook on EDTA Chelation Therapy,
2nd edition", 2001, pgs. 534-536.
3. Huang, P.L. and E.H.
Lo (1998) Prog. Brain. Res. 118:13
4. Moncada, S. (1999) J.
Roy. Soc. Med. 92:164.
5. Harrison,
D.G. (1997) J. Clin. Invest. 100:2153.