Arsenic in 16-month-old

  After my 3-year-old daughter had a severe vaccine reaction in December, my husband and I found a holistic doctor to start seeing our children. I requested that we run metal tests on both of my daughters, and we did hair follicle tests. The results came back and I was expecting to see elevated aluminum and possibly mercury levels from the vaccines, and there was indeed slightly elevated levels of aluminum. There was also extremely high levels of Potassium in both of my children. But what really snagged our attention (and the doctor's!) was the off-the-charts levels of Arsenic. My 16-month-old daughter's levels were higher than my 3-year-old's, but they were both really high. The doctor wants to start chelation right away (which we can't really afford right now), but he also is strongly encouraging us to find out the source of the arsenic! We live in a very populated part of Ohio, that meets EPA standards for Arsenic in the water supply (and we use a filter). It isn't an area of high naturally-occurring Arsenic. We do not have a deck or any treated wood around to cause the Arsenic, and the kids rarely play on public playground equipment. We initially suspected our ant killer from last summer, but I found it and it's totally organic and the active ingredient is chive oil. My 3-year-old daughter is a vegetarian by nature and has never eaten meat.  Occasionally, she will eat a chicken nugget or two, but it's rare. My youngest loves meat and eats it a lot. We are completely stumped as to what is causing the high levels of Arsenic. All the sources I've found researching indicate that if it's not from suicide or homicide, it's most likely from food. What foods could be causing such high levels of Arsenic?! The doctor said he hasn't seen Arsenic even show up on a metals test in a long time, much less be as high as my kids' is. They aren't in daycare. They are with me or my husband nearly 100% of the time, and we certainly aren't poisoning them! We desperately need answers!

[Renee Radenberg]

Arsenic is found in fish and shell fish, however, high amounts are of the harmless form of arsenic. It is harmful to humans from pressure treated woods and the burning of the woods. Another main source is drinking water and suggests getting your water tested that comes into your home. Hoped this helped you.