Why Heavy Metals are a Hazard to You

Sources: Air pollution, ammunition (shot and bullets), bathtubs (cast iron, porcelain, steel), batteries, canned foods, ceramics, chemical fertilizers, cosmetics, dolomite, dust, foods grown around industrial areas, gasoline, hair dyes and rinses, leaded glass, newsprint and colored advertisements, paints, pesticides, pewter, pottery, rubber toys, soft coal, soil, solder, tap water, tobacco smoke, and vinyl 'mini-blinds'.

Target Organs: Bones, brain, heart, kidneys, liver, nervous system, and pancreas.

Signs/Symptoms: Abdominal pain, anemia, anorexia, anxiety, auto exhaust, bone pain, brain damage, confusion, constipation, convulsions, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, headaches, hypertension, inability to concentrate, indigestion, irritability, loss of appetite, loss of muscle coordination, memory difficulties, miscarriage, muscle pain, pallor, tremors, vomiting, and weakness.

Discussion: The toxicity of lead is widely acknowledged. The greatest risk for harm, even with only minute or short-term exposure, is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. A federal study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in 1984 estimated that three to four million American children have an unacceptably high level of lead in their blood. Dr. Suzanne Binder, a CDCP official, stated, "Many people believed that when lead paint was banned from housing [in 1978], and lead was cut from gasoline [in the late 1970s], lead-poisoning problems disappeared, but they're wrong. We know that throughout the country children of all races, and ethnicities and income levels are being affected by lead [already in the environment]." In their book, 'Toxic Metal Syndrome', Dr.'s R. Casdorph and M. Walker report that over 4 million tons of lead is mined each year and existing environmental lead levels are at least 500 times greater than pre-historic levels.

In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that more than one million elementary schools, high schools, and colleges are still using lead-lined water storage tanks or lead-containing components in their drinking fountains. The EPA estimates that drinking water accounts for approximately 20% of young children's lead exposure. Other common sources are lead paint residue in older buildings (as in inner cities) and living in proximity to industrial areas or other sources of toxic chemical exposure, such as commercial agricultural land. All children born in the U.S. today have measurable traces of pesticides, a source of heavy metals and chlorine-based chemicals, in their tissues.

Lead is a known neurotoxin (kills brain cells), and excessive blood lead levels in children have been linked to learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD), hyperactivity syndromes, and reduced intelligence and school achievement scores.

Lead is the best-known example of problems associated with chronic low-level toxic element exposure. Studies show that lead toxicity is associated with deficits in central nervous system functioning that can persist into young adulthood.47 Hair lead and cadmium are correlated with both reduced intelligence scores and lowered school achievement scores.48 A recent study of 277 1st-grade children gave some indication of the profound effects of lead on learning and behavior. There was a highly significant (p< .0001) relationship between hair lead and children with a high deficit rating in teacher questionnaires relating to concentration and task completion.49 One study on lead noted a seven-fold increase in failure to graduate from high school.50 The accepted level for lead-engendered neurotoxicity in children has declined steadily over the past decade as more sophisticated studies have demonstrated the harmful effects of much lower levels of lead.

Sources: Air pollution, batteries, cosmetics, dental amalgams, diuretics (mercurial), electrical devices and relays, explosives, foods (grains), fungicides, fluorescent lights, freshwater fish (especially large bass, pike, and trout), insecticides, mining, paints, pesticides, petroleum products, saltwater fish (especially large halibut, shrimp, snapper, and swordfish), shellfish, calomel laxatives, merthiiolate, soft contact lens solution (some), coal-fired utility plants, cosmetics (some), germicides (some), hemorrhoid suppositories, photographic supplies (some), battery manufacturing, bleaching skin creams (some), water based paints (some), and tap water.

Target Organs: Appetite and pain centers in the brain, cell membranes, kidneys, and nervous system (central and peripheral).

Signs/Symptoms: Abnormal nervous and physical development (fetal and childhood), anemia, anorexia, anxiety, blood changes, blindness, blue line on gums, colitis, depression, dermatitis, difficulty chewing and swallowing, dizziness, drowsiness, emotional instability, fatigue, fever, hallucinations, headache, hearing loss, hypertension, inflamed gums, insomnia, kidney damage or failure, loss of appetite and sense of smell, loss of muscle coordination, memory loss, metallic taste in mouth, nerve damage, numbness, psychosis, salivation, stomatitis, tremors, vision impairment, vomiting, weakness, and weight loss.

Discussion: No metabolic functions are known for which mercury is required. At high concentrations, mercury causes liver and kidney damage and neurological symptoms.35 Interest has grown in the possible ill health effects of mercury liberated from dental amalgam fillings as well as the increased consumption of fish contaminated with mercury.36,37 Hair is used as an index of internal accumulation of mercury provided it was not externally contaminated by exposure to mercury vapor.38,39

There is intriguing research correlating increased hair mercury levels with certain disease conditions. For instance, chronic mercury ingestion may be related to cardiovascular disease. Recent data suggests that a high intake of mercury from non-fatty freshwater fish and the consequent accumulation of mercury in the body is associated with an increased incidence of acute myocardial infarction, as well as death from cardiovascular disease in general. This correlation has been proposed to be due to the promotion of lipid peroxidation by mercury.40

Collaborative evidence for this finding comes from a Finnish case-controlled study in which higher numbers of dental fillings in individuals was associated with increased occurrence of acute myocardial infarction.41

There is additional support that mercury from dental fillings results in increased body burden: scalp hair of British dentists and dental hygienists were 2-3 times higher in mercury than those of the support staff.42 A study of dentists, dental nurses, and assistants showed the average elevation of urine mercury levels were significantly related to the number of amalgam fillings the subjects had.43

Both hair and urinary mercury have been associated significantly with elevated titers of immune complexes containing oxidized LDL.44 Other evidence indicates that mercury can induce autoimmune disease both in humans and experimental animals.45 Mercury from dental fillings may also be a factor in multiple sclerosis, since hair mercury was found to be significantly higher in MS subjects compared to the non-MS controls.46 These studies also support the utility of hair and urine mercury measurement in situations of dietary, dental, or environmental exposure.

The primary source of exposure to mercury is "silver" dental fillings (approximately 50% mercury when placed); over 225 million Americans have these fillings in their teeth. Mercury fillings release microscopic particles and vapors of mercury every time a person chews. Vapors are inhaled while particles are absorbed by tooth roots, mucous membranes of the mouth and gums, and the stomach lining.

In people with mercury amalgam fillings, measurements of the mercury level in the mouth ranges between 20 and 400 mcg/m3. Keep in mind that this is continuous exposure. The National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health places the safe limit of environmental exposure to mercury at 20 mcg/m3, but that is assuming a weekly exposure of 40 hours (the work week) and the mercury involved is outside the body. The Environmental Protection Agency's allowable limit for continuous mercury exposure is 1 mcg/m3 but, again, that is based on mercury sources outside the body. Neither figure addresses 24-hour-a-day exposure from mercury in one's mouth.

Hal Huggins, D.D.S., a specialist in the effect of mercury amalgams on health, reports that 90% of the 7,000 patients he tested showed immune system reactivity from exposure to low levels of mercury. In 1984, the American Dental Association (ADA), without providing scientific evidence, claimed that only 5% of the U.S. population is reactive to mercury exposure, and that this figure is insignificant. Meanwhile, the ADA mandates that dentists alert all dental personnel to the potential hazards of inhaling mercury vapors. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes further, instructing dentists to treat mercury amalgam as a toxic material while handling before insertion, and as toxic waste after removal.

Mark S. Hulet, D.D.S., who conducts research on amalgam fillings, wrote a pamphlet for his patients, in which he cites five categories of pathological reaction to mercury fillings, as identified by dentists, doctors, and toxicologists. The categories are:

- Neurological: emotional manifestations (depression, suicidal impulses, irritability, inability to cope) and motor symptoms (muscle spasms, facial tics, seizures, multiple sclerosis)

- Cardiovascular problems: nonspecific chest pain, accelerated heart beat o Collagen diseases: arthritis, bursitis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosis

- Allergies: Airborne allergies, food allergies, and "universal" reactors. One of the keys to mercury's effects on health may be its ability to block the functioning of manganese, a key mineral required for physiological reactions in all five categories, notes Dr. Hulet.

Sources: Appliances, buttons, ceramics, cocoa, cold-wave hair permanent, cooking utensils, cosmetics, coins, dental materials, food (chocolate, hydrogenated oils, nuts, food grown near industrial areas), hair spray, industrial waste, jewelry, medical implants, metal refineries, metal tools, nickel-cadmium batteries, orthodontic appliances, shampoo, solid-waste incinerators, stainless steel kitchen utensils, tap water, tobacco and tobacco smoke, water faucets and pipes, and zippers.

Target Organs: Areas of skin exposure, larynx (voice box), lungs, and nasal passages

Signs/Symptoms: Apathy, blue-colored lips, cancer (especially lung, nasal, and larynx), contact dermatitis, diarrhea, fever, headaches, dizziness, gingivitis, insomnia, nausea, rapid heart rate, skin rashes (redness, itching, blisters), shortness of breath, stomatitis, and vomiting.

Discussion: The greatest danger from chronic nickel exposure is lung, nasal, or larynx cancers, and gradual poisoning from accidental or chronic low-level exposure, the risk of which is greatest for those living near metal smelting plants, solid waste incinerators, or old nickel refineries.

Hair appears to be an accurate medium for evaluation of total tissue burden of nickel. Findings of elevated IgG, IgA, IgM, and decreased levels of IgE have been observed in patients with high hair levels.27 Most exposure leading to elevated hair levels is via dust from nearby industries including electrometallurgical emissions.28,29 Nickel accumulates with age and smoking, perhaps explaining why tissue levels are highest in patients who died of cardiovascular disease.30,31

Given nickel's ability to cause contact dermatitis, and its observed perturbation of immunoglobulin levels, elevated hair levels may serve as an indicator of possible immune dysfunction, as well as a potentially useful marker of cardiovascular problems.

Sources: Local environmental pollution (i.e. via airborne particles from phosphorus fertilizer production and smelting processes) leads to these elevated hair levels.24

Target Organs: Antimony accumulates in the hair of exposed workers and their children, with higher levels observed in the children's hair.23 The smaller body mass of children combined with greater accumulations of antimony is perhaps cause for concern regarding potential toxicities in areas of high exposure.

Sources: Absorbable barium salts (hydroxide, chloride, or carbonate) may occur in some pesticides.26 Barium compounds are used by the oil and gas industries to make drilling muds. Drilling muds make it easier to drill through rock by keeping the drill bit lubricated. They are also used to make paint, bricks, tiles, glass, and rubber. Barium is found in most soils and foods at low levels. Fish and aquatic organisms accumulate barium.

Target Organs: Few studies relate barium levels in the hair to pathologic processes, although one retrospective study indicated that high levels in the hair along with an elevated calcium/magnesium ratio correlated with myocardial infarction.25 The insoluble form of this element, barium sulfate, is used as an X-ray contrast medium and is non-problematic.

Signs/Symptoms: Difficulties in breathing; increased blood pressure; changes in heart rhythm (digitalis-like toxicity) and ventricular fibrillation, extra systoles; stomach irritation; brain swelling (cerebral cortex - digitalis-like effect); convulsive tremors and muscle weakness; damage to liver, kidney, heart, and spleen; effects on the haematopoietic system erythrocytopenia, leukocytopenia, reduced haemoglobin levels); benign pneumoconiosis; fibrinogenic activity in the development of diffuse, progressive pneumosclerosis after prolonged inhalation.

The effects in people of ingesting low levels of barium over the long term are unknown. Animal studies showed increased blood pressure and changes in the heart from ingesting barium over a long time. Effects of barium from breathing it or from touching it are unknown, too.

Discussion: Contamination of table salt with barium chloride caused an endemic state of barium intoxication in China.
Barium fluoride inhaled by pregnant rats resulted in embryotoxic effects such as increased pre- and postnatal mortality, haemorrhaging, reduced blood haemoglobin and kidney damage in the offspring

Target Organs: Increased exposure to uranium dust has long been associated with increased incidence of lung cancer.32 Although there are no strong studies linking hair uranium with either cancer risk or radon exposure, hair levels (measuring U238) do correlate with environmental exposure to this element.

Discussion: The accumulation of uranium in the hair may be related to blood group, with types AB and B having a higher apparent affinity for the element.33

In animal studies, a condition of low iron nutriture led to greater retention of uranium as evidenced by hair levels.34

What is The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis?	The Toxic Heavy Metals & Why They are a Hazard to Your Health
Sample Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Report	The Trace Metals
The Importance of Minerals to Health	How to Take a Hair Sample
Protecting Yourself from Heavy Metals	Order the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis Test
Fluorides - Are You at Risk?	Studies Documenting the Effectiveness of the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
National Academy of Sciences Backs Stricter Mercury Standards	Root Canal Alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis	Mercury in your fish?
Standard Process Supplements - Parotid	50 Years of Fluoridation - Celebration or Shame?
Water Fluoridation and fluoride in your food can harm you	Why Fluorides don't reduce dental caries (cavities)
Hair Trace Elements and Hypothyroidism	Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis References
To the Article Index	What YOU can do to help


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