Re[2]: [at-l] Dude, The Rash

[askowronek@mindspring.com (Amy)]

On Thursday, August 29, 2002, at 10:02 AM, Bob C. wrote:

>  The  original  formula  and I think the current formula contains quite
> a bit of
>  mercury and was labeled not to be used on humans. Despite this, a lot
> of people
>  have  used  it  over the years. I don't know if symptoms of mercury
> poison have
>  developed.  I  understand  the  mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland
> suffered from
>  mercury poisoning.
>

There are different ways you can be exposed to mercury.  As I understand
it, eating or breathing it is worse than skin contact.  Hatters breathed
it in.

There's a fascinating book I read once about Minimata's Disease,
describing
and showing what happened to a village in Japan after the villagers ate
fish with a lot of mercury in them.

I wonder how much mercury used to be in Bag Balm?  (compared to, say,
your average mercury oral thermometer)

-amy