"The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning" - Patricia Kime
At age 30, Stephen Hopkins was back in the Army for a second time. After serving as an enlisted soldier from 1991 to 1995, he returned as an officer in 2000. But in 2005, Hopkins began experiencing wild swings in blood pressure. He also had other symptoms: crippling nausea, constant dizziness, a skyrocketing heart rate. He was sent to The Mount Sinai Health System, where it was discovered he had chronic lead poisoning. “Lead is generally not bio-available if it’s in the bones,” said Andrew Todd, PhD, research professor of environmental medicine and public health. ““But slowly, chelation worked down Hopkins’s bone supplies of lead. When I saw his reduced level, I didn’t believe it. I had to repeat the test.”
— Andrew C. Todd, PhD, Research Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai