Toxic baldness is associated with hair loss caused by poisoning with some heavy metals and other types of chemical toxins. The most common is caused by excessive levels of mercury, deposited from too much fish consumption. With the rise in the popularity of sushi and eating low carb meals, more people than ever are at risk for taking in too much mercury. Recently some trichologists have discovered, that eating too much of certain types of fish such as canned tuna, king mackerel, tilefish, swordfish and shark may cause unusually high levels of mercury to be stored in the body. The current Environmental Protection Agency and National Academy of Sciences published safety stands or "reference dose" for mercury in human blood is 5.8 micrograms per liter. If a sudden hair loss can not be linked to thyroid deficiencies, prescription drug side effects, hormonal issues, age or other obvious causes, such as hereditary hair loss, it may be useful to schedule a mercury screen. This is especially important is you eat a lot of fish on a weekly basis. Other mercury poisoning symptoms include: general nausea with no explained cause; debilitating fatique & exhaustion; a metallic taste in the mouth; difficulty concentrating; mental fuzziness; fainting spells; unexplained headaches; tingling in the hand & feet; neurological problems such as numbness, muscle weakness; altered vision and/or hearing. While contaminated fish may be at fault in some situations, mercury pollution can actually occur in the air and water from other sources such as dental waste from mercury fillings flushed down drains, municipal incinerators and coal-fired power plants. Mercury is found in nasal sprays, batteries, fluorescent lights, thermostats, veterinary drugs as well as in flu and tetanus shots. Estimates indicated that 158 tons of mercury pollution spewed into US airways in just one year alone. While some experts believe there is a definite link between mercury poisoning and some types of sudden hair loss conditions, other types of chemicals toxins can also contribute to sudden, unexplained hair loss: hair bleach that contains high levels of mercury may actually trigger unexplained hair loss; some drugs used to treat high blood pressure and hypertension, such as drugs made with potassium thiocyanate; epilepsy drugs, especially those formulated with trimethadione; chemicals used in some lipsticks, nail polish and eye shadow to add a pearl infused sparkling finish to lipsticks and other beauty products, known as bismuth, is also found in antacids and other digestive aids; toxic lead levels due to contamination of water supplies, where water is supplied through old lead pipes, which may be true in older houses, and this situation can be more critical if there is also excessive levels of zinc from galvanized water pipes; lithium drugs used in antidepressants and antipsychotic remedies. Other hair loss triggers can include aluminum intoxication from water contamination, inhalation of monomeric/dimeric chloroprene, which is produced during rubber manufacturing and water contaminated with gold salts. Sudden hair loss is one of the earliest symptoms, that appears after poisoning with rat poison, arsenic or various types of plants, that contain abrin.