Heavy Metal Poisoning
Heavy metal poisoning is the toxic accumulation of heavy metals in the soft tissues of the body. Heavy metals are chemical elements that have a specific gravity at least five times that of water. The heavy metals most often implicated in human poisoning are lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Some heavy metals, such as zinc, copper, chromium, iron, and manganese, are required by the body in small amounts, but these same elements can be toxic in larger quantities.
Heavy metals may enter the body in food, water, or air, or by absorption through the skin. Once in the body, they compete with and displace essential minerals such as zinc, copper, magnesium, and calcium, and interfere with organ system functions. People may come into contact with heavy metals in industrial work, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and agriculture. Its even possible that children can be poisoned as a result of playing in contaminated soil.
Heavy metal poisoning may be detected using blood and urine tests, hair and tissue analysis, or x rays. In childhood, blood lead levels above 80 µg/dL generally indicate lead poisoning, however, significantly lower levels (>30 µg/dL) can cause mental retardation and other cognitive and behavioral problems in affected children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a blood lead level of 10 µg/dL or higher in children a cause for concern. In adults, symptoms of lead poisoning are usually seen when blood lead levels exceed 80 µg/dL for a number of weeks. Another important factor is that blood levels containing mercury should not exceed 3.6 µg/dL, while urine levels should not exceed 15 µg/dL. Symptoms of mercury poisoning may be seen when mercury levels exceed 20 µg/dL in blood and 60 µg/dL in urine. An interesting way to test for the amount of mercury in someones system, is to test hair a follicle, and record the levels of mercury in order to gauge the severity of chronic mercury exposure. Furthermore, arsenic is rapidly cleared from the blood. Blood arsenic levels may not be very useful in diagnosis. Arsenic in the urine (measured in a 24-hour collection following 48 hours without eating seafood) may exceed 50 µg/dL in people with arsenic poisoning. If acute arsenic poisoning is suspected, an x ray may reveal ingested arsenic in the abdomen. It is visible because the arsenic appears solid on an x-ray. Arsenic may also be detected in the hair and nails for months following exposure.
Anders couldn’t get to the bank until just before it closed, so of course the line was endless and he got stuck behind two women whose loud, stupid conversation put him in a murderous temper. He was never in the best of tempers anyway, Anders – a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery with which he dispatched almost everything he reviewed.
Markowitz, M. and Rosen, J. Need for the Lead Mobilization Test in Children with Lead Poisoning. The Journal of Pediatrics. Vol. 119, No. 2, August 1991, pp. 305-310.
Reports on the neurotoxic properties of Aluminum (Al++), as well as those of many other heavy metals, date as far back as the end of the nineteenth century. In 1965, Al was found to induce the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in animal brains. These NFT’s were similar to those found in brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Vast research thus, was targeted at defining the possible etiologic role of Al in AD. However, several findings, among them the fact that Al++ induced NFT’s are structurally different than those found in AD, have contributed to reducing the importance placed on Al++ as an etiologic factor of AD. The Al++ theory, however, still remains a theory, and further research needs to be done before it can be disproved.
There are many other ways that a child, especially under the age of six can be diagnosed to lead poison besides air pollution. One of the most common ways is when a child eats or chews on an object that has lead based paint chips in or on its surface. Parents can easily prevent this from happening by reading labels or buying objects which are not painted. Another way in a child can be affected is by drinking water that comes from lead pipes.
The health effects that exposure of inorganic arsenic are such as isolation on the stomach, and intestines, also causes decreased production of red and white blood cells, skin changes, and lug irritation. Is also suggested that taking amounts of arsenic can intensify the chances of developing cancer, especially in the skin, lung, liver, and lymph. In woman arsenic can cause infertility and abortion. Another effects that it can cause are damage in the DNA, disruption of the skin, disturbance in the heart, and brain damage in both, men and women.
d) Regularly clean floors and window components with water, because dust can get accumulated and act as a source of lead poisoning. Take shoes off when entering the house to prevent bringing lead contaminated soil in from outside.
Once used for varying applications, lead is now known for its toxicity in the human body. Dr. Gary Goldstein, the chief executive of Kennedy Krieger Institute wrote, “Exposure to excessive amounts of inorganic lead during toddler years may produce lasting adverse effects upon brain function (Goldstein 1990).” Lead poisoning awareness has become increasingly prevalent in the American government, with lead poisoning testing recommended as early as nine to twelve months of age (Health and Human Services 2011). This paper will explain briefly lead’s history and industrial uses, as well as give an in-depth analysis on lead’s exposure to children and how it affects their developing brains.
Arsenic is the 20th most common element in the earth’s crust and can be found naturally in our environment. There is around 0.006 to 0.03 ppm or arsenic distributed in seawater, and 20 ppm of arsenic in soil (before pesticides). Every human will ingest about 0.5 to 1 mg of arsenic in a day from food and water, because arsenic is present in higher quantities in se...
Almost no data is available about the effects of organic arsenic compounds on human beings. Researches in animals show that most simple organic arsenic compounds (such as methyl and dimethyl compounds) are less lethal than the inorganic forms. In animals, intake of methyl compounds can result in diarrhea, and lifetime disclosure can damage the kidneys. Lifetime contact to dimethyl compounds can harm the urinary bladder and the kidneys.
Heart Disease You need your heart for all your body needs. It pumps about 2000 gallons of blood a day. It takes about 20 seconds for blood to reach every cell in the body. An artery that carries blood out of the heart.
As stated earlier, forensic toxicology is the examination of toxic substances in human tissues, organs, and body fluids that may have contributed or caused death to an individual (Tilstone, Savage, Clark, 2006). When referring to toxicology, the important terms to focus on are “poisons” and “poisoning”. Poison can be defined as a substance which, when introduced into or applied to the body, is capable of injuring health or destroying life (Robertson, 1929). A simpler definition of poison would be that it is the malicious intent on giving a drug or substance to an individual.
Apart of becoming a new patient at a dental office is taking an x-ray and some may have question along with taking an x-ray, like “will I be affected by the x-ray?” or “will I get cancer?”, “how long will it take” “are x-ray’s safe?”, the list goes on and on. So in this paper we will talk about different types of radiation affects such as affects on children and pregnant women as well as some things that may help reduce some of the radiation that may harm the human body.
lives. A simple definition of a heart attack is a sudden failure of the heart
Symptoms of lead poisoning include loss of appetite, weakness, anemia, vomiting, and convulsions, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage or death. Children who ingest chips of old, lead-containing paint or are exposed to dust from the deterioration of such paint may exhibit symptoms. Levels of environmental lead considered nontoxic may also be involved in increased hypertension in a significant number of persons, according to studies released in the mid-1980s. As a result, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in recent years have been revising downward the levels of environmental lead that it would consider safe.
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.