Cent Eur J Public Health 1998, 6(2):160-163
Health effect of metals
- School of Public Health, University of Albany, NY, USA
Many metals are essential to biological life, but some are only toxic. Others are beneficial at low doses, but toxic at higher levels. This paper briefly reviews the major patterns of metal toxicity, while recognizing that some individual metals have specific toxic actions that are not addressed. Many of the toxic effects of metals are a result of interference with normal functions of elements like calcium, generation of reactive oxygen species or relatively non-specific binding to protein constituents such as sulfhydryl groups. Some metals are mutagenic as a direct or indirect result of altered genes, and as a result cause either cancer of birth defects. Many of the effects of metals are expressed as altered nervous system function, and these effects may be either relatively gross, with nerve cell death, or may be reflected as subtle alterations of cognitive function, attention span and behavior. Many metals alter the immune system, often resulting in rashes and hypersensitivity, but sometimes also immune suppression and greater susceptibility to infection. In spite of these various ways in which metal toxicity is expressed, these patterns provide a framework in which to understand how metals can harm people.
Published: June 1, 1998 Show citation