American martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter Chuck Norris, and his wife Gena are making headways as they take on the most prominent healthcare giants of the world. They filed a lawsuit in 2017 with the San Francisco Superior Court, claiming that Gena was poisoned by gadolinium, a metal used for MRI scans to detect abnormalities.

Close to 500 lawsuits have been brought against medical companies in the San Francisco area regarding gadolinium poisoning, but the Norris family has begun the most high-profile case yet.

In 2012 Gena Norris began experiencing heart pounding and an “intense burning” in her body after undergoing three MRI scans over an eight-day period. Despite multiple return visits to the hospital, her symptoms only continued to get worse.

Desperate to get better, Gena traveled all the way to China from Texas to receive alternative treatments such as chelation therapy and stem cell treatments. However according to the Norris’s, despite many attempts at getting better, Gena has developed a disease called Gadolinium Deposition and still suffers from continuous debilitating pain.

“It feels like a hot poker is going up my spine…I am broken. I don’t blame the doctors at all, because companies have been keeping things hidden and in the shadows.” – Gena Norris

The Norris’s are suing three pharmaceutical companies for $10 million in damages. GBCA manufacturers McKesson is one of them.

What Is Gadolinium And Can It Really Poison You?

Gadolinium (GAD) is a heavy metal that alone could be highly toxic to humans. However, MRI contrast agents include a chelating agent bound to gadolinium that is supposed to prevent this toxicity from occurring.

Radiologists have used GAD for MRIs since 1988. Injecting GAD into someone’s veins can help doctors’ better see blood vessels and anything in the body that receives a lot of blood such as the liver or a tumor.

Manufacturers claim that the metal is quickly flushed out of the body through your urine. However, studies published in Biometals suggest that this is not always true. Radiologists avoid giving the contrast agents to patients with kidney failure because they may not be able to pee out all of the contrast agents and kidney failure may happen as a result.

In fact, in 2015, the FDA issued a safety announcement that it was investigating the risk of gadolinium-based contrast agents building up in the brain. However, In 2017 the FDA issued a follow-up announcement stating that they have yet to find enough scientific evidence that gadolinium accumulation in the brain can adversely affect health.

Gadolinium Adverse Side Effects

According to a safety alert by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released in December 2017, some patients retained gadolinium in their bodies for months to years, causing many complications.

Independent studies have found that gadolinium may accumulate for years in different parts of the body such as bones, brain, skin, and kidneys, even if your kidneys are functioning normally.

Those with pre-existing kidney problems may suffer from a rare condition known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Patients with normal kidney function have reported the following symptoms that they believe were caused by gadolinium:

These include:

• Memory impairment
• Bone and joint pain
• Spongy or rubbery skin
• Thickened and painful ligaments
• Tightness in the hands and feet
• Headaches
• Cognitive difficulties or “brain fog�
• Pain and burning sensation in the arms, legs, and torso

Because symptoms are so unusual and often not visible on the outside of the body, it can be frightening, and the patient’s mental and emotional health is affected as a result.

Other patients besides the Norris’s are also resorting to legal action, alleging the manufacturers of gadolinium contrast dyes failed to issue a proper warning about the alleged risk of these side effects.

“These companies continue to say that there is no link between gadolinium and adverse events, even though the evidence is overwhelming that this heavy metal stays in the body for years, rather than hours.â€� – Gena Norris

Who is McKesson Corporation/What do They Have to Say?

McKesson Corporation is an American healthcare company who distributes pharmaceuticals and provides health information technology, medical supplies, and care management tools.

On December 28, 2017, McKesson Corporation denied all allegations of wrongdoing. They argue adequate warnings were provided to Gena by her physicians and other medical providers. What’s alarming, however, is that they claim distributors of pharmaceutical products have no legal duty to warn patients. They are demanding the entire lawsuit be thrown out.

Current Status of the Proceedings

There has been no word on the current status of the proceedings, and it seems to be still ongoing. As we wait to see if the Norris lawsuit will be successful, will more claims of GAD toxicity emerge as a result of the Norris’s boldly bringing gadolinium and its adverse effects to the surface?

If it is true that gadolinium has serious health adverse effects, will big pharmaceutical companies be held accountable?…. time will tell.

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