Story Archive

Obliviot of the Week #1288

An unnamed man in Fall River, Mass., obtained old “silver” fillings from his grandfather, who was a dentist, and melted them down in his apartment to obtain the silver from them. He probably did get some silver from them: according to the ADA, “silver colored” fillings are a combination of metals including silver, tin, copper — and mercury. Plenty of mercury. Two days later, the 51 year old was hospitalized with mercury poisoning. Since the incident, a dog and two cats have died, and a 17 year old girl has been hospitalized as well. “There were elevated levels in the apartment,” Fall River District Fire Chief Michael Clark said, as well as other areas of the building. All the apartments have been declared uninhabitable, and residents have been evacuated until hazardous materials crews clean the entire building. (MS/WPRI Providence, WBZ Boston) ...It could be something poisoned his brain before this.