Introduction:A fifteen-year-old boy suddenly fell ill; he experienced fatigue, headaches, tingling limbs, weakness and weight loss. The only information provided indicated that he used an acne cream prescribed by a dermatologist as well as an over-the-counter "beauty cream" to treat skin irritations. Doctors could not find the reason for the boy's illness, but interestingly a heavy metal was found in the boy's urine. What could this heavy metal be and could it have caused such a serious reaction? The goal was to find the cause of this 15-year-old boy's sudden illness. In hopes of finding the cause of his illness, research, diagnosis, and analysis were used to resolve this perplexing situation. Assuming that the only scientific explanation for his illness could be that it was a reaction to a heavy metal present in the creams, research was conducted to determine which of the compounds that made up the creams contained a heavy metal. part of both creams contains benzoyl peroxide, acetone, resorcinol, salicylic acid and calomel. After researching which elements were part of these compounds, it was discovered that among these compounds, the first four are organic compounds composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Of the first three, none contained heavy metal. However, the latter calomel, which is the common name for mercury(I) chloride (Hg2Cl2), is an ionic bond between mercury and chlorine. Mercury is a heavy metal. Once the heavy metal was identified, it was necessary to ensure that it was the correct element. To do this, research was carried out on cases of mercury contamination and its effects on the human body. Research has shown that mercury is found in the middle of paper ......art, Richard C. "IV: Chemicals". Medical toxicology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2004. 1439-47. Print.Huckleberry, Michael and Bryan Rosner, eds. “Chapter 8: Supportive Therapies for Accelerated Progress.” Lyme Disease and Widespread Machines. 1st ed. BioMed Publishing Group, 2004. 128. Print.Merieb, Elaine N. “Chapter 6: Bones and Bone Tissues.” Human anatomy and physiology. 4th ed. Benjamin-Cummings PC/Addison WL, Inc, 1997. 154. Print. Olmsted, Dan and Mark Blaxill. The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-Made Epidemic. 1st ed. New York: Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's, 2010. Print. Ovalle, David. “University of Miami official hospitalized for poisoning; subordinate arrested.” Miami Herald. September 2006. Print.Scerri, Eric R. The periodic table: its history and its meaning. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.