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Heavy Metal Toxicity
Frequency of Symptoms of Heavy Metal Toxicity

Aluminum Toxicity

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Sources of Aluminum:

Cooking utensils, baking powder, antacids aluminum cans, insulated cables, insulated wiring, soil, maraschino cherries, milk products, nasal sprays, ceramics, automotive exhaust, pesticides, colour additives, bleached flour, American cheese, arthritis treatments, aluminum nicotinate, all chelates of polysaccharides-sulfuric acid, Kaopectate and other such medications containing Kaolin, deodorants and antiperspirants, dust from industrial manufacturing, packaging materials such as foil, alum in drinking water, coal burnings, beer, pickles, dermatitis, bum and wound remedies, toothpaste, cigarette filters, tobacco smoke, vanilla powder, table salt and seasonings, fumigant residues, feldspar and mica, sutures with wound-healing coatings.

Occupational Exposures to Aluminum:

Aluminum abrasives manufacturing, aluminum products, textile industry, synthetic leather manufacturing, explosives manufacturing, pyrotechnical devices manufacturing, metal powders manufacturing, bauxite ore profusion, paper industry, glass industry, welding, porcelain industry

Signs and Symptoms of Aluminum Toxicity:

Pneumothorax, pulmonary fibrosis with emphysema, dyspnea, right-sided cardiac hypertrophy, lacelike shadowing on lung x-ray films, Shaver's disease (cough, substernal pain. weakness, fatigue), aching muscles, rickets, osteoporosis, skin reactions and miliaria (acute inflammation of sweat glands), encephalopathy, Alzheimer's disease, childhood hyperactivity, stomach inflammation and colitis, flatulence and acid eructation (belching)

Arsenic Toxicity

Arsenic (As) is a common environmental contaminant derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. It is ingested both orally and by inhalation to cause arsenical intoxication. The amount of poisoning is highly dependent on the chemical form, oxidation state, and route of exposure to this substance. Natural concentrations of arsenic in foodstuffs are usually rapidly absorbed but also quickly excreted. Metabolically absorbed arsenic is transported by the blood to the kidneys, liver, spleen, skin, hair, and nails in that order. Some arsenic may remain in the tissues long after it has disappeared from the blood, urine, and feces; thus this toxic metal is an ever present source of physiological dysfunction for the person who has ingested it.

Sources of Arsenic:

Rat poisons, wine (vineyard insecticides), herbicide residues on cottonseed products, drinking water, seafood, seawater, livestock feed additives, wood preservatives, coloured chalk, automobile exhaust, household detergents, well water, nutritional kelp supplements, poultry feed additives, coal burning, arsenic dust from industrial plants, wallpaper dye and plaster, Paris green pigment in toys, curtains and carpets.

Occupational Exposures to Arsenic:

Smelter workers, vintners, gold miners, acetylene workers, book binders, boiler operators, bronze makers, canners, painters, plumbers, solderers, hide preservers, taxidermists, forestry workers, chemical workers, sheep dip workers, taconite processors, alloys makers, aniline colour workers, bleaching powder workers, coloured candle makers, ceramic enamel workers, paper hangers, petroleum refinery workers, tree sprayers, wood preservative makers, weed sprayers.

Signs and Symptoms of Arsenic Toxicity:

Headaches, confusion, follicular dermatitis, Raynaud's syndrome, hemiplegia, garlic breath odour, goiter, heart failure, hypertension, drowsiness, brittle nails, hoarse voice, weakness and muscular atrophy, palmar and plantar keratoses, pigmented spots on the body, squamous cell carcinoma, "Mees lines" (transverse white nail ridges), hepatomegaly and jaundice.

Cadmium Toxicity

Cadmium (Cd) is poisonous to every human body system Whether orally consumed, subliminally ingested, injected, or inhaled and tends to accumulate in body tissues; therefore, increasing the uptake of environmental cadmium is hazardous to human health under any circumstances. Inhaled cadmium (a from cigarette smoking) is better absorbed into the tissues than ingested cadmium. Once absorbed, the elimination rate for cadmium is quite slow so that low grade toxicity with subclinical symptomology is common, especially among those people whose cadmium sources are occupational.

Sources of Cadmium Toxicity:

Drinking water, evaporated milk, processed foods, soil. cigarette smoke, ceramics, alloys, electroplating, rust proofed tools, welding metal, solders, fungicides, pesticides, copper refineries, rubber tires, plastic tapes, soft water running in galvanized pipes, soft drinks from vending machines with Cd piping, refined wheat flour, oysters, kidney, and liver foods, other forms of tobacco, superphosphate fertilizers, paint pigments, cadmium vapour lamps, marine hardware, urban street dust, silver polish, polyvinyl plastics, sewage sludge and effluents, rubber carpet backing, burning motor oil, black polyethylene and rubber.

Occupational Exposures to Cadmium:

Nickel-cadmium battery manufacturing, polymettalic ore smelting, painting with cadmium pigments, cadmium alloy manufacturing, cadmium vapour lamp manufacturing, electroplating, tetraethyl lead manufacturing, rust proofing tools, hardware, etc., zinc ore smelting, paint manufacturing, jewelled making, ceramic making, soldering, process engraving, fungicide manufacturing.

Signs and Symptoms of Cadmium Toxicity:

Chronic fatigue, hypertension from Cd in the kidneys, slight liver damage, yellow colouring of teeth, hypercalcuria, pain in stepup, decreased vitamin D production, proteinuria, aminoaciduria, carcinogenesis, milkman's syndrome (pseudofracture lines in the scapula, femur, or ileum), kidney calcium stones (nephrocalcinosis), itai-itai (osteomalacia in middle-aged women with dietary deficiencies), iron-deficiency anemia, emphysema, loss of sense of smell (anosmia), low birth weight in newborn, pain in lower back and legs, hypophosphatemia, decreased lung function, glucosuria, prostate cancer, increased mortality.

Lead Toxicity

Lead (Pb) has been recognized as a poisonous element for at least five decades. It was uncovered as being prevalent throughout nearly all industrialized societies. It is an environmental contaminant giving rise to subclinical exposures which often result in subtle, yet significant, adverse health effects. Lead enters the body and brain through consumption, inhalation, and skin eruption. Adults normally absorb from 5 to 10% of ingested lead while children rapidly adsorb up to 50%. Inhaled lead is taken up by the body and brain tissues in the amount of 25% to 100%, depending on the lead particle size. Tolerance to this toxic element varies with several factors: age, the form of contamination, the sources from which it comes, and the composition of the diet being consumed.

Sources of Lead Toxicity:

Atmospheric lead (motor vehicle exhaust, lead smelters, coal burning, refining lead scrap, burning materials containing lead), dust and dirt, drinking water, canned fruits and juices, canned children's toys, canned pet food, milk from animals grazing on lead contaminated pastures, vegetables grown in lead contaminated soils, leaded house paint, lead plumbing, roadside vegetation, bone meal, lead-arsenate pesticides, rainwater, snow, paint on pencils, newsprint, spitballs, curtain weights, car batteries, tobacco, eye mascara, PVC containers, hair dyes.

Occupational Exposures to Lead:

Acid finishers, actors (in facial makeup), battery makers, blacksmiths, bookbinders, bottle cap makers, brass founders, brass polishers, braziers, brick burners, bronzers, brushmakers, babiters, cable splicers, canners, cartridge makers, dyers, chemical equipment makers, chlorinated paraffin makers, chippers, lead flooring makers, artificial flower makers, foundry workers, galvanizers, glass makers, glass polishers, gloat kiln workers, gold refiners, gun barrel browned, incandescent lamp makers, ink makers, insecticide makers, insecticide users, cable makers, jewellers, junk metal refiners, paint can labellers, lead burners, cigar makers, crop dusters, cutlery makers, demolition workers, diamond polishers, dental technicians, dye makers, plastic workers, electronic device makers, electroplaters, electrotypers, embroidery workers, emery wheel makers, enamel burners, enamellers, enamel makers, explosives makers, farmers, file cutters, firemen, metalizers, mirror silverers, musical instrument makers, nitric acid workers, nitroglycerin makers, painters, paint makers, paint pigment makers, paper hangers, patent leather makers, imitation pearl makers, pharmaceutical makers, photography workers, pipe fitters, zinc smelter chargers, plumbers, printers, policemen, pottery glaze mixers, dippers and decorators, putty makers, pyroxylin-plastic workers, riveters, roofers, rubber buffers, makers and reclaimers, scrap metal workers, lead miners, smelters and mill workers, linoleum makers, linotypers, linseed oil boilers, lithotransfer workers, match makers, metal burners, cutters, grinders, polishers, refiners, and refinished, semiconductor workers, service station attendants, sheet metal workers, shellac makers, ship dismantles, shoe stainers, shot makers, silk weighters, porcelain enamelling slushers, solderers, solder makers, steel engravers, stereotypers, tannery workers, television picture tube makers, temperers, textile makers, tile makers, tinners, type founders, vanadium compound makers, varnish makers, vehicle tunnel attendants, wallpaper printers, welders, wood stainers, zinc mill workers, house painters common.

Non-occupational Lead Exposure:

Ceramics, pottery and related hobbies, firing ranges, hobbies involving soldering i.e. electronics, stained glass work, hunting (casting one's own bullets), eating lead-bearing paint, consuming illicitly distilled whisky, burning battery casings, extensive auto driving in cities (taxis, police), working with motor fuels, painting with lead-containing paints, exterminating, using lead-glazed ceramic tableware, home plumbing repairs.

Signs and Symptoms of Lead Toxicity:

Chronic fatigue, headache, depression, insomnia and/or drowsiness, nervousness, irritability, dizziness, confusion and disorientation, anxiety, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, satumine gout, aching muscles, bones, and joints, abdominal pain, weight loss, appetite loss, constipation, hypertension, kidney function defects, iron deficiency anemia, reproducing defects (decreased felicity in men, spontaneous abortion in women), adrenal gland function impairment, blue/black lead lines at base of teeth.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Lead Toxicity in Children:

Hyperactivity, temper tantrums, withdrawal, frequent crying spells for no reason, fearfulness, refusal to play, drowsiness, teaming disabilities, speech disturbances, perceptual motor dysfunctions, mental retardation, seizures or convulsions, ataxia, encephalopathy, unusual miscellaneous emotional or behavioural problems.

Mercury Toxicity

Mercury is a heavy metal which, even in small doses, is toxic to cell life and acts as an enzyme poison. There is no absolutely safe level of mercury exposure in humans. Dental silver fillings contains 50% pure elemental mercury and are the largest source of mercury exposure in the general population. Mercury has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, collects in all tissues (highest in the liver, then the kidneys), crosses the placenta and collects in the developing baby, reduces kidney function, and alters the normal material populations in the intestinal tract, producing antibiotic resistance.

Sources of Mercury:

Dental fillings, tuna (canned and fresh), shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab, oyster, etc.), other large saltwater fish (swordfish, salmon, cod, etc.), carrots, lettuce, grains treated with methlymercury fungicides (especially wheat), kelp and other seaweeds, Clairol hair dye, mascara (water proof type especially), skin lightening creams, preparation H, toilet paper made from recycled paper, calomel (body powders and talcs), mercurochrome, laxatives containing calomel, psoriasis ointments, calamine lotion, contact lens solutions, vaginal gels (especially those that are contraceptive), latex & solvent-thinned paints, fabric softeners, floor waxes & polishes, air conditioner filters, wood preservatives, cinnabar (used in jewellry), felts, adhesives, tattooing, mercury batteries, sewage disposal, fungicides for lawns, shrubs & trees.

Occupational Exposures to Mercury:

Bactericide makers, barometer makers, battery makers, bronzers, calibration instrument makers, percussion cap loaders, carbon brush makers, caustic soda makers, chlorine makers, dentists, direct current meter workers, disinfectant makers, disinfectors, drug makers, electric apparatus makers, electroplaters, embalmers, explosive makers, farmers, fingerprint detectors, fireworks makers, fish cannery workers, fungicide makers, fur preservers and processors, gold extractors, histology technicians, ink makers, insecticide makers, investment casing workers, jewellers, chemical laboratory workers, fluorescent & neon lamp makers, manometer makers, mercury miners, refiners & workers, gold mineral mirror makers, paint makers, paper makers, pesticide workers, photographers, pressure gauge makers, seed handlers, silver extractors, switch makers, tannery workers, taxidermists, textile printers, thermometer makers, vinyl chloride manufacturers.

Signs and Symptoms of Mercury Toxicity:

Individuals with severe mercury exposure can get hallucinations and manic depression. Individuals with very severe mercury exposure can die.

1. Psychological and neurological
   • Irritability, shyness or timidity, lack of attention, decline in intellect, fits of anger, anxiety, nervousness, loss of memory, loss of self confidence, lack of self control, depression, drowsiness or insomnia, fine tremors of the hands, feet, lips, eyelids, or tongue, chronic headaches, ringing in the ears.
2. Mouth:
   • Bleeding gums, loose teeth, bone loss around teeth, excessive salivation, foul breath, metallic taste, white patches, ulceration of the gums, palate and tongue, burning mouth, tissue pigmentations.
3. Gastrointestinal
   • Regular abdominal cramps, chronic constipation or diarrhea, chronic gastrointestinal problems including colitis.
4. Cardiovascular
   • Irregular heart beat (too slow or too fast), feeble or irregular pulse, alterations in blood pressure, pain and/or pressure in the chest.
5. Respiratory
   • Persistent cough, emphysema, shallow or irregular respiration.
6. Immunological
   • Allergies, asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck), autoimmunity.
7. Endocrine
   • Subnormal body temperature, cold clammy skin (especially hands and feet), excessive perspiration.
8. Skin
   • Sores on the skin especially face and shoulders.
9. Kidney
   • Electrolyte imbalance (minerals), reduction in kidney filtering, renal failure in severe cases, glomerular nephritis.
     
10. Other
    • Muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, constriction of the visual field, joint pain, anemia, weight loss.

Other Hazardous Dental Materials

All of these materials are dangerous to health as they leech out into the body.

Beryllium (Be) can cause lung problems such as progressive shortness of breath, chest pain and lung cancer, eye, nose and throat irritation, debilitating disease involving the liver, skin, lymph nodes and spleen.

Cobalt (Co) produces a sensitivity dermatitis, and hypersensitivity of the lungs characterized by asthmatic symptoms, including cough and shortness of breath. Chronic exposure leads to a progressive respiratory disease called hard metal disease.

Copper (Cu) causes spasmodic affections, cramps, convulsions, intermittent pain in the fingers and toes, nausea, vomiting, fixed ideas, giddiness, eye movements, gastrointestinal spasms, delayed menses, and severe menstrual cramps.

Gallium (Ga) causes mild dermatitis.

Nickel (Ni) is one of the most illness producing dental materials. It causes nervous headaches, dimness of vision, dizziness, slight nausea, weak digestion, general dyspepsia, constipation, catarrh, cracking sound in the cervical vertebrae when moving the head, twitching of the upper lip, violent sneezing, stopped-up feeling in the nose, sore throat, tenderness along the right side of the throat, loss of appetite, acute pain in the stomach, intense thirst, hiccoughing, sour fetid secretion from the molar teeth, hoarseness, dry hacking cough, itching all over and scanty, late and painful menses in young women.

Palladium (Pd) causes abdominal swelling and shooting pain, flatulence, swelling of the ovaries, weeping, emotional sensitivity, irritability, sallow complexion, uterine prolapse and retroversion, subacute pelvic peritonitis, shooting or burning pain in the pelvis, a chronic tired feeling in the small of the back and heavy tired limbs, rheumatic pains, and extremely itchy skin.

Silver (Ag) affects the bones, cartilages and ligaments, and causes closing up or wither of small blood vessels, tender scalp, dizziness with an intoxicated feeling, rhinitis, frequent sneezing, facial pain, raw throat coughing, weakness in the chest, severe backache, profuse, burning urination, crushing pain in the testicles, prolapse of the uterus, a spongy, eroded cervix, discharge from the vagine and a sore feeling throughout the abdomen.

Tin (Sn) causes symptoms centering on the nervous system and respiratory organs such as emotional upset, sadness, anxiety, dread of seeing people, headaches, obstinate and acute coughing fits, adhesive mucus, vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms, early and profuse menses, bearing down sensation, hoarse voice, sore and weak chest, chronic fatigue, sleeps in "tin tin toxicity position" (1 leg drawn up, other leg stretched out).

Zinc (Zn) causes all the tissues of the body to feel worn out, and causes, sleepwalking, screaming out, varicose veins, crawling sensation over the skin, itching, frequent high fevers, night sweats, and cold extremities.

Sources:

Viney, Dr. Murray J., Toxic Teeth - A Guide to Mercury Exposure From "Silver" Fillings, Revised June 1993.

Walker, Morton, DPM, "Metallic Toxicity as a Gauze of the Downhill Syndrome", Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,
November 1996, Issue #160.

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