Hi howard; on 11/8, FML you said" I am acquainted with at least one case in which a ferret subjected to regular doses of CS was recently diagnosed as suffering from severe heavy metal toxicity, with no other apparent cause." I would be very interested in learning from what company the product was obtained, what ppm strength, how long it was used, the health history of the ferret in all other respects, and exactly how & what numbers it was "diagnosed as having heavy metal toxicity". Was that a lab report, or a seat of the pants "feeling". Also, what metals exactly were present in what ammounts? I've never heard of silver being called a heavy metal contaminant like mercury. We don't make "mercuryware for eating, as we do, or at least used to be able to afford, real SILVERware. Lots of history records increased health benefits from using silver in connection with human food consumption. The phrase "he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth" had real meaning as a person who could afford to use silver did enjoy better overall health than the peasants that used wood. The biggest difference concerning a hazzard, is the way a CS preparation is made. If if it is in a salt form, it can accumulate under the skin, causing greying of color. The Silver Wings company (which I have no connection with or profit from at all), uses clusters of 15 atoms of pure silver, or fewer, attached to a molecule of a simple protein, These electrically charged particles of silver range from 0.01 to about 0.001 microns in diameter, and are suspended in deionized water. The force of the electric charge is stronger than gravity, so the silver particles remain suspended. (Of course the electrical charge spoken of is like static electricity, nothing like what is in your wall plug, so it poses no danger that way). (I realize younger people might be reading this, and I add that for clarity). I am not "reacting, or flaming" at all here, but would really like to see data on this claim, as I do use the stuff with noticable benefit, but want to be aware of any possible side effects, if there are any. There is just about nothing more important in my life than my children, two or four legged! The reason CS lost popularity was after the 1920's stock market crash, silver & gold prices went through the roof, and the "new" synthetic antibiotics were simply cheaper then. Now the reverse is the case, and as the synthetics have side effects, some very bad or even lethal especially when doctors mix them, and they cost an arm & a leg. The drug companies would like nothing better than to put the "competiton" out of business with some scare campaign. That's what happened to canabis even though the US surgen general at the time testified in 2 weeks of closed hearings that there was no health risk from it's usage at all. But Dow chemical wanted to eliminate the competition to their newly patented synthetic fibers nylon, orlon & rayon. (the plant produced a long plant fiber that can be woven into linen quality cloth. The dept. of agriculture even had a film asking farmers to grow the plant as it was 7 times more productive than trees for paper pulp, didn't cause acid rain, and fixed nitrogen to the soil like legumes did. So they could not use the commonly known names of canabis the the medical industry knew, or the name that the farmers knew, hemp, so they developed a lie/smeer campaign & borrowed a slang term that no one knew to make the public believe some new threat had appeared that needed to be outlawed. I think you can guess the "m" word. Anyway, the reason for that is simply to point out that history reveals that things that work too well and too cheaply are the terror of big business that wants to empty your pockets! (for the above story I have copies of government documents that absolutely proves the content, and is not a solicitation of argument or flaming). The most common tactic used is dis-information, where the "threat" is discredited with mis-information. I've heard lots of "I'm concerned", & "I hear", but that is what the Cal. F&G has been saying about the domestic ferret for several years now. (I just saw a tape of the hearings last week). Lots of concerns & fears they have, and distorted "facts" that the pro ferret lobby "shot full of holes" in the words of the commissioner, (about the F&G report! ) -Job well done K al'ifornia! So to close, I'm not "defending" anything, nor am I attacking anything, except maby corporate greed at the expense of our health & purses, as I make no profit one way or the other. I AM very concerned with ferret health, including my own, and simply seek the most accurate information on which to make intellegent decisions. Sincerely, Gary Violence is not strength, Compassion is not weakness. From Camelot. [Posted in FML issue 1374]