An artist suffered mysterious symptoms for years. Then she realized her sculpture was poisoning her.

[Guest Nicole SG]

At first, Gillian Genser thought the headaches and vomiting were just the latest signs of autoimmune disorders she had battled for years. But then the symptoms got stranger. She felt agitated. She’d wake up nearly unable to move. Hearing vanished from one ear. Her muscles cramped and her speech slurred.

What was going on? For years, doctors were baffled by what was afflicting the Toronto-based sculptor.

Then, a blood test three years ago came back positive for heavy-metal poisoning. And Genser realized her art was killing her.

“I was flabbergasted,” Genser, 59, told The Washington Post. “Absolutely flabbergasted."

For 15 years, Genser had been grinding up mussel shells to create a sculpture of Adam, the first man. She had no idea, though, that mussels can accumulate toxins, like lead and arsenic, over years of feeding in polluted waters. When Genser breathed in the shell dust or touched the powdery remains, some of that metal made its way into her body, too.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/03/an-artist-suffered-mysterious-symptoms-years-then-she-realized-her-sculpture-was-poisoning-her/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.69035353d621