Man with Blue Skin - Silver Caused Argyria

The Man with Blue Skin, Paul Kararson, has earned the nickname "Papa Smurf" because of his blue skin and white beard.

It turns out that his skin turned blue from a condition known as Argyria, which came about from his self-treatment of drinking a Silver colloidal.

So why is Karason’s skin blue? Karason had dermatitis on his face and began breaking out from the stress of his father’s death. As treatment, Karason drank the colloidal silver for about 14 years.

“Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver in a liquid base.” (msnbc.com) Karason made his own by running an electrical current through distilled water with silver in it. This process is known as electrolysis.

Silver is known to have antibacterial properties and has been used for thousands of years to fight infections. The use of silver for infections stopped with the development of penicillin, which proved to be far more effective. However it was still found in some over-the-counter medicines until the FDA banned it in 1999 because it causes argyria.

Argyria is when silver is ingested within the body. The silver stays within the skin and organs and begins to turn the skin blue. Since the silver is a heavy metal and can attach itself in organs, doctors warn that Argyria can lead to kidney and liver damage as well as brain seizures.

(Source: transworldnews)

So, Paul drank the Silver which caused his Argyria and is now permanently the Man with Blue Skin.