Fact check: Yes, colloidal silver can turn your skin blue, medical experts say

Molly Stellino, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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Fisher draws medicine into a syringe.

The claim: 'It’s impossible for colloidal silver to turn you blue'

Some people on social media are promoting the use of colloidal silver, which some claim can boost the immune system and fight bacteria and viruses.

Experts say there's no proof silver is an effective remedy, and it can have harmful side effects as well.

But an Oct. 17 Instagram post pushes back against one potential side effect, claiming it can't affect skin color.

“It’s impossible for pure colloidal silver to turn you blue. That’s why the FDA hasn’t been able to ban it. … Not one person has turned blue. Ever,” the post reads.

The image attached to the post shows Paul Karason, who turned blue and became famous for it after taking 10 ounces of the substance every day for several years.

Within a week, the Instagram post garnered more than 200 likes. Two versions of the post appeared on Reddit. Together, they received more than 2,000 upvotes, which are a way for users to signal support or approval for a post.

But the claim is false. There are many documented instances of peoples’ skin turning blue after ingesting colloidal silver. Karason is just one of those cases.

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USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment. One user responded but did not provide evidence to support the claim.

Health officials confirm colloidal silver can turn skin blue

Colloidal silver products contain small pieces of silver that float in liquid. For years, people have claimed it can heal cuts and scrapes, boost your immune system and treat cancer. All these claims are unfounded, according to medical professionals.

Ingesting too much colloidal silver can lead to a blue-grey tint on skin, eyes, organs, nails and gums, according to the Mayo Clinic’s web page on colloidal silver. This condition is called argyria, and it does not go away once ingestion has stopped.

The National Institutes of Health reports that argyria occurs when silver builds up in the body’s tissue. People have developed the condition from homemade and commercial colloidal silver products.

The most notable instance of this happening is Karason, who is depicted in the Instagram post. His skin turned blue after he took daily doses of a homemade colloidal silver concoction.

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Stan Jones, a Libertarian who ran for a Montana Senate seat in 2002, also drew attention because his skin was a shade of grayish blue.

There’s proof of colloidal silver-induced argyria in academic literature, too.

One publication documented a 73-year-old man who developed argyria after ingesting colloidal silver for five years. Another paper in the BMJ, a medical journal, details how a 63-year-old man’s skin changed color after regularly taking it for 12 months.

No confirmed health benefits associated with colloidal silver

It’s not safe to ingest colloidal silver, says Dr. Brent Bauer, the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program.

“As of this moment, there is not a single published randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial on PubMed that shows that ingesting colloidal silver is beneficial for any human medical purpose,” Bauer said. “There are numerous reports of toxicity.”

In rare cases, taking colloidal silver can cause kidney damage and seizures.

“Until a large scale, peer-reviewed study is published showing unequivocal safety and efficacy of colloidal silver, most consumers would be far better served by focusing on eating whole foods, exercising every day, doing at least 30 (minutes) of daily mind-body practice, maintaining strong social support and practicing excellent sleep hygiene,” Bauer said.

The Mayo website notes the Food and Drug Administration has taken action against some makers of colloidal silver for making unproven health claims.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that "it’s impossible for colloidal silver to turn you blue." Documentation from medical institutions and news reports provides proof that ingesting colloidal silver can make skin turn blue. This condition is called argyria.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Ingesting colloidal silver can cause skin to turn blue