IT HAPPENED TO ME:Waterford-based potter Mary Lincoln loved to decorate her pots with the toxic dye, cobalt oxide. But without realising it, she was steadily poisoning herself. This is her story as told to Catherine Foley
I USED TO cover the pots in this cobalt oxide. They were all blue, with very little white. I used to decorate the pots with it using sea sponges, applying it directly with my hands.
This blue is what the Chinese used on the willow pattern plates. It is a real true blue. I am passionate about it, but I was slowly poisoning myself without realising it. I've been making pots for the past 30 years.
I achieve the deep blue colour by using a pure cobalt oxide - cobalt is a heavy metal and comes directly out of the ground. It comes to the studio in powder form and is an untreated oxide so it is a deadly poisonous substance, which can be absorbed through the skin.
It has all the big skulls and crossbones and warning signs, and although I was aware of the dangers from the beginning, I became careless after years of using it.
I always wore rubber gloves and a mask, but these precautions, after a certain length of time, gave me this false sense of security.
When I was working, I'd answer the phone, still wearing the gloves, and then, afterwards I'd pick up the phone that was now covered in the cobalt residue.
I'd have a cup of coffee, still wearing the gloves, and later, I'd hold the same cup in my hands. Over time, the poison began to seep into my system.
I began to get a bit sluggish. My sinuses were constantly blocked, and I constantly sounded as if I had a cold. My sister nagged me about having an allergy test. About four years ago, I called into a health food shop in Midleton one day, and I noticed a sign for allergy testing by a kinesiologist. I decided to have myself tested.
Clement Walshe, the kinesiologist, carried out a number of tests. He tested my muscle reactions. It sounds real hocus-pocus kind of stuff, but it actually works. He found a heavy metal reading so high in my body that he thought I had had a hip or a knee replacement.
At first, we figured it was my silver bangles. It was only through detective work that we realised what it was. He told me it was the cobalt in my system which was causing my problems and he put me on a huge detox diet that he guided me through. I was eating fresh fish, fresh organic vegetables, no potatoes. I was eating small portions of really good food.
I did begin to feel better, but not initially. Then I began to feel lighter and after a few months, I began to feel better.
If I had ignored it, I would have been poisoned.
They would normally find these levels of poison in the postmortem.
I was terrified when I heard what had caused the symptoms. The kinesiologist gave me a fright. He was not being an alarmist, but I knew how serious it was. I knew how much exposure I had had to it.
It was like the end of my world when he said that I couldn't use cobalt any more.
Decorating pots is my life. It's like playing all day long. It certainly does frighten me when I think about how careless I was. I do consider the chain of events.
I gave up using cobalt on my pots for about a year. But I thought there has to be a way I can do this without touching it.
It took me the best part of a year to figure it out.
Now I use it very carefully, and in a restrained way. I'm careful not to touch it. I keep my surfaces absolutely clear. I never leave it sitting on a board or a table. I am far more vigilant - before, I was literally throwing the cobalt at the pots. Now, I use very, very little. It's very subtle, very restrained and very controlled.
I've gone to my GP since and I've had a liver function test. It was absolutely fine. Everything was clear. The symptoms were very slight compared to the seriousness of the thing but, being honest, I believe this man saved my life.
According to the Kinesiology Association of Ireland, kinesiology is a holistic touch therapy that links the rich tradition of Chinese acupuncture meridians and energy balancing with Western muscle testing, anatomy and physiology
According to the National Poisons Information Centre, people exposed to dust from cobalt and its compounds may require health surveillance by an occupational health nurse or doctor.You should examine your skin regularly and report any skin complaints or breathing difficulties to your supervisor, safety representative or union representative.
Chronic occupational exposure to cobalt dust, alone or in association with other compounds, may cause bronchial asthma. The symptoms of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and cough, usually improve after removal from exposure. Chronic impaired lung function has been reported in Danish plate painters exposed to cobalt blue dyes
Readers who would like to talk about their own health experience, good or bad, can contact this column at healthsupplement@irish-times.ie