The Smurfs are not completely a fairytale: the disease Argyria

Of course you remember the cartoon from your younger years, called the Smurfs. How often did you wish during your childhood that a cartoon figure would come to life for you to play with it? Probably, your parents told you this wasn't possible, as the figures were drawn by an artist and not real. However, we can tell you that a childs' dream has come true with regard to the series the Smurfs. There in fact are people that are blue! Only a lot bigger...

The person in the upper picture suffers from a disease called Argyria, which is also known as the Smurfs disease or Alien disease. This blue colour can be found on (almost) the entire visible surface body of the patient or just on small regions of the body that are hidden from the eye, such as parts of the skin or the inside of the eyelids. Unfortunately, this blue colour is irreversible.

What can turn you into a big Smurf?

But what causes this strange-looking disease?
Patients suffering from Argyria have been exposed to inappropriate chemical mixtures of silver. During the 19th and 20th century silver solutions were often used in medicine to cure different kinds of diseases. It was at that time that they discovered these cures had some side effects. People turned blue or grey blue! In the 1940's these 'medicine' were taken off the market, as concerns about Argyria raised and better medicines were developed.

Despite the efforts to remove silver from the medicine market, some people have still developed a blue skin in this century. In the following video you can see how Paul Karason has used colloidal silver (water that contains particles of silver) to cure some skin conditions. Although he has turned out blue, he has not stopped using this alternative medicine. He favors having no skin condition over a blue skin.

However, Argyria can also develop when you are not aware of the fact that your body is receiving too big amounts of silver. Some people have seen (parts of) their bodies turn blue just by having dinner. How can this happen you wonder? Well, in these cases many particles of silverware (from plates or forks) have entered the body. Other cases are known in which people inhaled silver for a long period via the air. This has happened to some factory workers who worked in a factory in which silver was processed.

Finally, the cause of having a blue skin can also be found in someone's genes. Having an 'Argyria gene' leads to a blood disorder which causes the skin to have this unique colour. This blood disorder, or having received too much silver makes the blood lack oxygen. This doesn't make the blood turn blue, but dark red.

Can I easily develop a blue skin colour?

The answer to this question is no. This condition is a very rare one and only a few people carry the gene that makes you turn blue. That you in fact need two parents to carry this gene to ultimately have the chance to become blue, makes it even more difficult to develop Argyria. So, no worries!

A stupid coincidence

An unique situation though has happened in 1820. In that year, a blue man married a white woman and had 7 children. When these children were born, it was immediately clear that the woman also carried the Argyria gene. 4 of the children were blue-skinned!

The only thing that distinguishes people suffering from Argyria from us is their blue appearance. The disease does not lead to other symptoms apart from having an unique skin colour. In the movie, you could see Paul was just a very normal guy. Still, his life hasn't been easy because of people staring at him as if he is a monster and because of people being unfriendly. This ofcourse is not fair. In the movie, it is said that Paul would like people to understand his disease more and that it's not about his appearance, but that it is his character that counts. Just like Paul, people with Argyria also deserve a normal life and should be accepted by the people around them.

What do you think of this disease? Can you understand why Paul Karason would still drink colloidal silver if this makes him turn blue? Can you emphatise with him and other people suffering from Argyria? Feel free to leave a comment!