May 15
So I recently did a blood test, and got back some abnormal results… and that led me to remember the fact that I have a pencil lead stuck in my palm (back in my primary school days, we actually used pencils… thick lead, not skinny ones for mechanical pencils). Afterall, one of the rarer cause for my type of abnormal blood is “lead poisoning”… so um… maybe I should panick…
So today I finally searched the net for information about lead poisoning caused by pencil leads. It turns out that pencil leads are not made with lead anymore, but graphite? And apparently lots of people get pencil leads stuck in their body parts. So I guess I’m still OK…
(Let’s pray that pencil leads used in Hong Kong in the late-1980’s were really made of graphite)
May 16th, 2008 at 1:19 am
i found this as a response to a little girl and stabbed under the chin and her parents think there is still lead in there 2 1/2 years later:
What you’re describing is called a traumatic tattoo. There’s really not much you can do about it. If it bothers her later in life, you can try lasering it off. Meantime, I’d consider it a beauty mark and ignore it.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
i have a piece (i think) still in middle middle finger tip. i know i broke off a piece, but maybe it just permantly discolored the wound…
May 17th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I think mine actually has a broken piece stuck inside too… Though after, what, 19 years? I can’t be so sure anymore