Document Type : Original Research Article
Authors
1 Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia
2 Medical Laboratory Technology, Poltekkes Kemenkes Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia
Abstract
In late December 2019, a mysterious pneumonia outbreak characterized by fever, dry cough, and fatigue, and occasional gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in Wuhan, Hubei, China. The existence of a pandemic causes reduced social welfare, income to termination of employment. With uncertain conditions causing changes in people's lifestyles, one of them is becoming a silver human beggar. In Indonesia, there have been numerous silverman beggar phenomena since 2020. The Silver Man is a beggar who intentionally paints his body in silver. In the action, the silver man adds cooking oil to a coloring paste mixture of iron paint or screen printing paint to make it appear glossy. This coloring substance is typically applied all over the body and lasts for at least 12 hours. The use of coloring paste that is contradictory with its designation will result in a variety of health issues. This is because the coloring substance contains several heavy metals. The heavy metals mercury, lead, and cadmium have been detected in five areas in the Surakarta region. This heavy metal content exceeds the safety limit for heavy metals on the epidermis, which is less than 5 mg/Kg. This may result in irritation, anemia, kidney problems, tissue disorders, cancer, and even mortality. Thus, it is necessary to seek out alternatives to reduce exposure to heavy metals.
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