Introduction
Many of us regard the idea of heavy metals poisoning as a relic of the Victorian era; orphans in factories riddled with mercury and lead are considered to be the stuff of Dickens.
Despite modern standards in health and safety, heavy metals toxicity is still out there. Skin whitening creams in some parts of Asia still contain mercury. Copper is still found in water supplies. In many parts of the world, fish supplies are high in Mercury due to ocean pollution. As the world seeks an electric, rather than fossil fuel, future, industrial handling of toxic metals will only increase.
Heavy metals poisoning can be subtle and happen over time. The symptoms can be very confusing and not perfectly clear. Keeping an open mind towards the impact of heavy metals on how the body functions is critical to picking it up if it arrives on your doorstep.
What are heavy metals?
The body needs certain chemical elements, or minerals, to survive. They are called heavy metals as they exist in the periodic table and hold the properties of metals.
Reference: https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/periodic-table-metals
Some heavy metals, such as Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Iron are needed by the body at low concentrations but are toxic at higher concentrations. These are often called minerals, trace elements or trace metals.
Other heavy metals however have no biological role and find their way into the body from the environment and are similarly toxic at higher levels. These include mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, lead, thallium.
Heavy Metals is a misleading term as it does not distinguish between the good heavy metals and the bad heavy metals; and so the term Potentially Toxic Elements is often used.
Potentially Toxic Elements: the ones we need
- Zinc
- Iron
- Copper
- Manganese
- Chromium
Potentially Toxic Elements: the ones we never need
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Mercury
- Cadmium
- Thallium
How do we get exposed to heavy metals?
Toxic elements come from the environment in many ways:
Arsenic, Mercury, Lead and Cadmium are all used in electronic and metal products and may be leached during manufacture or disposal phase.
Modern agriculture involves chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides being used which contain toxic elements.
Factories will often contaminate groundwater, which goes into our food.
Cigarettes contain heavy metals.
Heavy metals are also released as emissions from the burning of fuels.
Heavy metals in the ocean will concentrate in fish and shellfish.
What health problems are caused by heavy metals?
Heavy Metals can enter our body in a big concentration quickly, such as acute poisoning or slow accumulation. Children are more vulnerable and factors such as body weight and medical status will affect who gets affected.
Sometimes heavy metals have specific effects, like mercury on adrenalin, and sometimes they have a non specific poison effect. This often involves producing chronic inflammation from the body as it tries to get rid of it. This can lead to interruption to cellular functions and especially our hormones.
Parts of the body impacted by Heavy Metals
- Nervous system
- Endocrine system
- Kidneys
- Muscle
- Immune system
- Heart
Associations of Heavy Metals and disease
- Skin diseases
- Respiratory conditions
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
- Kidney disease
- Neurological conditions
- Diabetes
What are the common heavy metals?
There are 35 metals that can cause damage to humans; we will review a handful of the common ones here.
Arsenic
Arsenic comes from smelting processes of copper and lead, wood preservatives, and volcanic eruptions. It is also a part of many pesticide and so finds its way into the food source. It is found in groundwater and from factories.
Health Impacts
- Interrupts how cells get energy
- Associated with cancer (lungs, liver, bladder and skin)
- Reduced red blood cells and white blood cells
- Reduces the effect of acetyl Co A, an enzyme required to make cellular energy. A lack of acetyl Co A can result in reduced lipid presence in brain cells and manifest some of the neurological symptoms of arsenic toxicity, which includes depression, anxiety and confusion.
Aluminium
Aluminium is an abundant element; it is found in water, soil and air. Al is a particular concern in agriculture where it can dramatically reduce the yield of crops and tree growth. It is dependent on pH changes; acidic soils leach silicon and leave behind phytotoxic aluminium compounds. Al interferes with most cellular processes
Health Impacts
- Neurotoxicity
- Similar disease to Alzheimer’s
- General fatigue and oxidative stress
- Chronic kidney disease is a risk factor
Cadmium
Cadmium is a part of many fertilisers and so is found in food sources. It is a major heavy metal from smoking. Other sources include vegetables, plastic factories, seeds, shellfish to name a few. Once it hits the body, cadmium accumulates for life. It remains in the soil long term and accumulates in vegetables. Levels are particularly high in China.
Health Impacts
- Bone pain
- Thin bones and fractures
- Calcium and phosphate loss in urine resulting in metabolic bone disease
- Kidney stones
Handy Tip
- Consumption of from the intestine
Chromium
Chromium is a prevalent element and is found in many metal alloys, fertilisers and is also released from combustion; particularly oil, coal etc. It is particularly common in factories. Farmland is particularly prone to chromium
contamination. Chromium III is the form that humans need in trace supplies and use for glucose metabolism; other forms are toxic.
Health Impacts
- Oxidative Stress
- Cancer
Iron
Iron is an essential element for the survival of many species. It is well known for its role in red blood cells. However, iron is toxic at higher concentrations (see haemachromatosis). Sources of iron in the environment are largely from the activities of mining. Ground water has the highest concentration followed by oceanic waters and then freshwater.
Health Impacts
- Excess iron moves to the heart, live and brain, leading to liver disease
- Heart failure
- Fatigue
- Joint pains
- Erectile dysfunction
Lead
Lead is typically leached from old pipes. Other sources of lead include firing ranges, cosmetics and factories. It is also found in cigarettes. It typically ends up in plants that humans then eat.
Health Impacts
- Thin bones and fractures
- Confusion
- Mental retardation
- Birth defects
- Psychosis
- Autism
- Allergies
- Dyslexia,
- Weight loss
- Hyperactivity
- Paralysis
- Muscular weakness
- Brain damage
- Kidney damage
- Cancer
Manganese
Manganese is a trace element required by the body for a range of functions. Too much Manganese can impact the health of the body in a range of ways.
Health Impacts
- Oxidative damage and diseases of ageing
Mercury
Mercury is a common heavy metal and the most toxic. Exposure comes from the consumption of fish as well as old dental fillings. Mercury blocks the breakdown of adrenalin, leading to anxiety, high blood pressure and palpitations.
Health Impacts
- High blood pressure
- Palpitations
- Hair Loss
- Trembling or shaking of the hands
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Memory problems
- Ubiquinol and ethanol help ameliorate some toxicity
Thallium
Thallium comes from vehicle exhaust fumes, combustion and semiconductor manufacturing.
How can we test for heavy metals?
The testing of heavy metals is not straight forward. Many of them accumulate in different tissues making it hard to detect. The total picture helps more than just one test and so a general checkup is useful to give clues.
Heavy metals testing can include blood, urine, hair, and nails. Testing methods vary and will be advised by specialists at the laboratory.
All patients should refrain from eating seafood for 72 hours before the test.
What is the treatment for heavy metals?
The first thing to do is to remove the toxic exposure if possible. Often this cannot be achieved as there is no clear source other than environmental toxicity.
Secondly, the body as a whole should be supported with a good diet, antioxidants, vitamin replacement if needed and so forth.
Specific to heavy metals, the ideal way to remove them is to use chelating agents; which bind metals. There is no ideal chelating agent at present.
However, many plant-based phytochelating agents are commonly used. Your doctor will advise on the appropriate tailored regimen for you.
Finally, sweating has been identified as an excretion avenue for heavy metals and has been shown to reduce their concentration.
- Sweating and Sauna
Practical Detoxification Plans
Detoxification can occur with the general measures above however a targeted approach is often advocated to deal with heavier toxicity. Several chemical pathways are supported. It should be noted that these treatments are in conjunction with all general measures to reduce the toxic burden, support the body’s natural pathways with vitamin and nutrient restoration and to enhance liver function.
Step 1. Oxidation
Glutathione is the most important antioxidant pathway and supplementation is used.
Step 2: Support detox pathways
Methylation assists the liver and cells to transport molecules and clean up damage
Glucuronidation: is an enzyme driven process to remove toxins from the liver and gut by binding them.
Step 3: Support Ion transfer
Supporting the liver’s capacity to restore MRP2 and OATP to transport unwanted molecules from the body.
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References
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Jaishankar M, Tseten T, Anbalagan N, Mathew BB, Beeregowda KN. Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals. Interdiscip Toxicol. 2014;7(2):60-72. doi:10.2478/intox-2014-0009
Kim NH, Hyun YY, Lee KB, et al. Environmental heavy metal exposure and chronic kidney disease in the general population [published correction appears in J Korean Med Sci. 2015 Apr;30(4):507. Rhu, Seungho [corrected to Ryu, Seungho]]. J Korean Med Sci. 2015;30(3):272-277. doi:10.3346/jkms.2015.30.3.272
Rajkumar V, Gupta V. Heavy Metal Toxicity. [Updated 2021 Aug 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-.
Yang AM, Cheng N, Pu HQ, et al. Metal Exposure and Risk of Diabetes and Prediabetes among Chinese Occupational Workers. Biomed Environ Sci. 2015;28(12):875-883. doi:10.3967/bes2015.121
