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Current Use of Chelation in American Health Care

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Abstract

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that more than 100,000 Americans receive chelation each year, although far fewer than 1 % of these cases are managed by medical toxicologists. Unfortunately, fatalities have been reported after inappropriate chelation use. There are currently 11 FDA-approved chelators available by prescription although chelation products may also be obtained through compounding pharmacies and directly over the internet. Promotion of chelation training is prominent on some alternative and complementary medicine websites.

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Conflict of Interest

The ACMT/ATSDR Cooperative Agreement provided grant funds to Dr. Wax and/or to ACMT for support of the chelation conference, for speaker honorarium, for travel reimbursement, and for editorial assistance.

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Correspondence to Paul M. Wax.

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This publication was supported by the cooperative agreement award number 1U61TS000117-04 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Its contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

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Wax, P.M. Current Use of Chelation in American Health Care. J. Med. Toxicol. 9, 303–307 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-013-0347-2

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