Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1477036-20130529030726/@comment-362960-20160609211023

It's most definitely NOT Vibranium. As that was a known material.

Nick Fury didn't know what the element was or how to make it. He did know that Howard Stark was well aware that there was a new element that he needed that would perfect the Arc Reactor but that he didn't have the tech yet to make it.

@ Misacek01 I actually remember that story of the blue man, the guy who drank silver every day for years and his skin turned blue.

As for how the toxins got into his system I wonder if it's possible he used blood as a form of coolant? Or perhaps it penetrated it not unlike Neutron Radiation. There's no way you could get 100% radiation protection in such a small package.