There is increasing documentation of
allergic contact dermatitis and other effects from
gold jewelry,
gold dental restorations, and
gold implants. These effects were especially pronounced among females wearing
body-piercing gold objects. One estimate of the prevalence of
gold allergy worldwide is 13%, as judged by patch tests with monovalent organogold
salts.
Eczema of the head and neck was the most common response of individuals hypersensitive to
gold, and sensitivity can last for at least several years. Ingestion of beverages containing flake
gold can result in allergic-type reactions similar to those seen in
gold-allergic individuals exposed to
gold through dermal contact and other routes. Studies with small laboratory mammals and injected doses of
colloidal gold showed increased body temperatures, accumulations in reticular cells, and dose enhancement in
tumor therapy;
gold implants were associated with tissue
injuries. It is proposed that Au degrees toxicity to mammals is associated, in part, with formation of the more reactive Au+ and Au3+ species.