How to turn your skin blue—permanently

In 1995, Stan Jones, a Montana survivalist and Libertarian, became obsessed with the Y2K computer crash. As one who is in tune with conspiracy theories, he wanted to be prepared for the upcoming apocalypse, including a potential lack of antibiotics. He decided he needed to prepare his immune system by ingesting silver—which does have some sterilizing effects if applied topically. Unfortunately for him, he believed the claims that colloidal silver can prevent numerous diseases, including heart disease and cancer (no medical evidence supports these claims).

 Rather than purchase a ready-made elixir, Jones made his own heavy-metal “moonshine” in his backyard by dipping silver wires attached to 9-volt batteries into tubs of water—a method that dissolved way too many silver ions into his concoction. He drank it faithfully for four and a half years until Y2K fizzled out in January 2000. The result: his skin turned a Smurf-like grayish blue. 

He wasn’t sorry. In fact, he ran for the Senate in 2002, and, a year after losing, he maintains that “…it’s the best antibiotic in the world…being alive is more important than turning purple.”

 The blue skin condition is called argyria, which is caused by excessive exposure to silver (experts don’t know the amount needed to create this condition). One woman, whose has blue skin, says that her agyria is the result of taking nose drops prescribed by a doctor when she was eleven years old. She was told to take them “as needed.” The coloring is permanent. Not funny in her case.

 

In any event, think twice before taking home remedies to beef up your immune system--and that includes drinking Clorox.

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