NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
NYC’s Leading Integrative Health Care Center
Medically reviewed by Rashmi Gulati, MD — Last updated: October 29, 2026
By density, yes. Gold weighs 19.3 g/cm³, far above every cut-off used to define a “heavy metal.” But that label says nothing about toxicity, and pure gold is one of the least reactive metals there is. The health questions that matter are about gold medicines, gold allergy and colloidal gold supplements, and this page covers each one.
Pure, metallic gold is essentially non-toxic: it barely dissolves, so very little is absorbed, and the Royal Society of Chemistry notes it has no known biological role. Gold becomes a health issue in three situations: gold compounds used as rheumatoid arthritis drugs, which can damage skin, kidneys and blood cells; skin allergy to gold; and colloidal gold supplements, which are unproven and poorly studied. You can’t get “heavy metal poisoning” from wearing gold jewelry.
Yes, a heavy metal: 19.3 g/cm³, against cut-offs of 3.5 to 7 g/cm³
Metallic gold is inert; gold drug compounds are the exception
Gold salt side effects, contact allergy, unregulated colloidal gold
A real exposure plus symptoms; validated blood or urine tests, not provoked tests
Everyday gold rarely causes more than a skin rash. Most of the symptoms below come from gold medicines given for rheumatoid arthritis, where the skin and mouth are affected most often, followed by the kidneys and blood.
Fatigue, brain fog or mood changes on their own are not signs of gold toxicity. If you’re worried about metals in general, see the symptoms of heavy metals in the body.
Gold is one of many metals people ask about. These guides cover the ones that do cause harm, and how exposure is tested and treated.
Whether gold is harmful depends almost entirely on its form: solid metal, a drug compound or nano-sized particles.
Metallic gold isn’t absorbed through skin in harmful amounts. The only common problem is contact allergy, which shows up as an itchy rash where the jewelry sits.
These contain other metals. Nickel is the most common metal allergy, affecting up to 17% of women, so a reaction may not be to the gold at all.
Gold alloys have long been used in crowns because they resist corrosion. Rare cases of mouth reactions next to gold restorations are reported; a dentist and patch testing can sort out the cause.
Europe’s food safety authority found too little data for a full risk assessment, but expects no body-wide effects because metallic gold barely dissolves. An occasional decoration is fine.
These contain gold nanoparticles of about 4–11 nm. A 2026 lab study found more cell damage in kidney cells than a standard nanoparticle and called for long-term safety studies. There’s no evidence they “detox” anything.
Still available as a 3 mg capsule. Common side effects are stomach upset, itching, rash and protein in the urine. It has not been convincingly linked to serious liver injury.
Injected gold sodium thiomalate caused skin, kidney, blood and occasional liver reactions, some fatal. It is no longer generally available in the US.
The danger in artisanal gold mining is the mercury used to extract it, which the WHO ranks among its top ten chemicals of public health concern.
If you were treated for rheumatoid arthritis decades ago, you may have had gold injections. Here’s what those drugs did and the side effects doctors watched for.
Gold therapy, or chrysotherapy, became a standard treatment for severe rheumatoid arthritis in the 1930s. From the 1960s it was gradually replaced by drugs such as methotrexate and, later, biologics.
Gold compounds have real anti-inflammatory effects and could bring rheumatoid arthritis into remission in up to half of patients, though benefits took weeks to months to appear.
Oral auranofin (3 mg capsules) is still available. Injectable gold sodium thiomalate, sold as Myochrysine and Aurolate, is no longer generally available in the United States.
Stomach discomfort, nausea, itching, rash, hives, mouth sores, a metallic taste and protein in the urine. Skin and mouth reactions are the most frequent.
Rarely, kidney damage, bone marrow suppression, severe allergic reactions, lung inflammation or hepatitis, mainly with injections. Some were fatal, which is why gold fell out of use.
Doctors check blood counts, kidney and liver tests and urine. Most reactions improve once the gold drug is stopped, with supportive care.
Gold is the densest metal in this table and the least toxic. Arsenic is the lightest and one of the most dangerous. The World Health Organization lists four of these among its ten chemicals of major public health concern.
| METAL | DENSITY (G/CM³) | WHO TOP-10 CHEMICAL OF CONCERN | WHERE PEOPLE MEET IT | LEARN MORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 19.3 | No | Jewelry, dental work, gold drugs | This page |
| Mercury | 13.5 | Yes | Some fish, small-scale gold mining | Toxic heavy metals |
| Lead | 11.3 | Yes | Old paint and dust, old plumbing | Is lead a heavy metal? |
| Cadmium | 8.7 | Yes | Tobacco smoke, batteries | What are heavy metals? |
| Iron | 7.9 | No (an essential nutrient) | Food, supplements | Is iron a heavy metal? |
| Arsenic | 5.7 | Yes | Contaminated groundwater | Is arsenic a heavy metal? |
Arsenic is technically a metalloid. IUPAC, the body that sets chemistry terms, has never defined “heavy metal”; published density cut-offs range from 3.5 to 7 g/cm³.
Four steps that start with your actual exposures, so testing answers a real question.
Jewelry, dental work, past gold or other medicines, supplements, work, hobbies, home age and water source, reviewed at a 60–90 minute first visit.
Blood or 24-hour urine tests matched to the suspected metal. Medical toxicologists advise against “provoked” urine tests taken after a chelating drug, which can give falsely high results.
Patch testing for a jewelry rash, and blood, kidney and urine tests if you take or took a gold medicine.
Remove the source, treat symptoms, and reserve chelation for confirmed toxicity from metals such as lead or mercury.
Match your concern to the right next step, and skip the treatments you don’t need.
Stop wearing the piece and ask for patch testing to find the metal. Many people who test positive to gold never react to everyday gold, so results need expert reading.
Keep up the blood, kidney and urine monitoring your prescriber orders. There’s no evidence that gold treatment which ended years ago needs “detoxing.”
Consider stopping. There’s no proven benefit and long-term safety is unknown. Tell your doctor about any supplement you take.
There’s no reason to remove sound gold restorations. See your dentist if you notice sores or white patches next to a crown.
Focus on lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium, and test based on a real exposure rather than a general panel.
Chelation has real risks and is only for proven metal toxicity. Talk to a physician before any detox product or protocol.
Your physician coordinates with your primary care doctor and a gastroenterologist when needed.
A useful metal test starts with the right questions. Bring these answers to your visit so testing is targeted and the results mean something.
Density of gold, element 79, one of the densest metals
Range of density cut-offs used to call something a “heavy metal”
Positive gold patch tests among people tested for dermatitis, though few reactions are clinically relevant
Rheumatoid arthritis patients who reached remission on gold salts, before safer drugs replaced them
Serving New York patients since 1974.
Tests chosen from your history, so you aren’t paying for panels that can’t answer your question.
We tell you when a metal isn’t the problem and look for the real cause of your symptoms.
Skin, gut, hormones, nutrition and environment are assessed together. Why functional medicine
Medical Director
Rashmi Gulati, MD, is a board-certified functional medicine doctor Manhattan and a leading holistic doctor in NYC.
Holistic Pain Management Physician
Holistic pain management physician at Patients Medical, caring for patients with chronic pain and inflammation.
Yes, by density. At 19.3 g/cm³ gold is well above every density cut-off used for heavy metals. But “heavy metal” has no official scientific definition and doesn’t mean a metal is toxic.
Metallic gold is considered non-toxic and has no known role in the body. Gold drug compounds used for rheumatoid arthritis can cause skin, kidney and blood side effects, and some people are allergic to gold on contact.
Small amounts of metallic gold, such as edible gold leaf, are not expected to cause body-wide effects because gold barely dissolves. Swallowing a piece of jewelry is a choking and blockage risk, not a poisoning risk, so seek care if that happens.
Not from jewelry, dental work or food decoration. Toxic reactions to gold come from gold medicines. Heavy metal poisoning usually involves lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium. Toxic heavy metals
Its safety isn’t established. Colloidal gold products contain nanoparticles that behave differently from solid gold, and a 2026 lab study found cell toxicity in kidney cells and called for long-term studies.
No. There’s no clinical evidence that colloidal gold removes lead, mercury or any other metal. Proven metal toxicity is treated by removing the source and, when needed, medical chelation. How to remove heavy metals
As an occasional food decoration, yes. Europe’s food safety authority found little data on gold additive E175 but doesn’t expect body-wide effects from it. It adds no nutritional or health benefit.
Yes. Gold is the second most common metal allergy after nickel. Patch tests are positive in about 14% of people tested for dermatitis, but everyday gold rarely causes a rash in most of them. Plated pieces often react because of nickel underneath.
Yes, for nearly everyone. Gold alloys resist corrosion and have a long safety record. Rare local mouth reactions are possible; a dentist can assess sores or white patches next to a restoration.
Gold salts were used for decades to treat rheumatoid arthritis. They have largely been replaced by safer drugs such as methotrexate; oral auranofin is still available.
Some panels report gold, but a number on its own isn’t a diagnosis. Results from provoked urine tests, taken after a chelating drug, aren’t validated and can look falsely high. Heavy metal testing
Almost never. Reactions to gold medicines usually settle once the drug is stopped. Chelation is reserved for confirmed poisoning and should only be given under physician supervision. Chelation FAQs
If you have a persistent rash from jewelry, side effects while taking a gold medicine, or a real exposure to lead, mercury or another toxic metal with new symptoms. What to expect at your first visit
Patients Medical specializes in gently helping the patient identify the root cause of their medical issues and then assist them to recover from their problems to help them move forward to good health.
To schedule an in person on Tele-medicine appointment, please call our office at (212) 794-8800 or email us at info@PatientsMedical.com We look forward to hearing from you
Patients Medical PC
1148 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1B New York, NY 10128
Copyright © 2026 Patients Medical. All Rights Reserved.
All information presented in this website is intended for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. Statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information contained herein is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Patients Medical.
Disclaimer: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE AND MAY BE OUT OF DATE. The information, including but not limited to text, PDFs, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website, is for general educational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and does not create a patient-doctor relationship. Pricing on the website may be out of date, is subject to change without notice, and may be subject to additional terms and conditions. No information on this site is intended to be a financial quote for medical services. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, lifestyle or dietary changes, treatments, and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
