The office of the inspector general says most bad reactions never get officially recorded, and even when they do, the FDA couldn't obtain medical records to find out what happened. The OIG says the lack of regulation and mandatory reporting makes supplements a risky venture. This is a good weekend to do spring cleaning with your medicine cabinet, and dig out those old mercury fever thermometers. They'll collect old thermometers, and replace them with new mercury-free ones.
Mercury thermometers can break easily, posing an environmental hazard.
In fact, Dr. James Plumb says the mercury in just one device tossed in the trash can contaminate a small lake. The mercury-free replacements will be given out while supplies last. Be sure to put the thermometer in a zip-lock plastic bag. Within the next 2 weeks, they could be barred from school, because they lack a key vaccination. The measles, mumps, and rubella shot is the obstacle.