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Toxic heavy metal

"Heavy metal poisoning" redirects here. For the 1983 Styx song, see Heavy Metal Poisoning.
A 25-foot (7.6 m) wall of coal fly ash from the release of 5.4 million cubic yards ash slurry into the Emory River, Tennessee, in 2008.[1] The river water was contaminated with toxic metals including arsenic, copper, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, and thallium.[2] Cleanup costs may exceed $1.2 billion.[3]

A toxic heavy metal is a common but misleading term for a metallic element noted for its potential toxicity.[4] Not all heavy metals are toxic and some toxic metals are not heavy.[5] Elements often discussed as toxic include cadmium, mercury and lead,[6] all of which appear in the World Health Organization's list of 10 chemicals of major public concern.[7] Other examples include chromium and nickel,[8] thallium, bismuth, arsenic, antimony and tin.[4]

These toxic elements are found naturally in the earth. They become concentrated as a result of human caused activities and can enter plant and animal (including human) tissues via inhalation, diet, and manual handling. Then, they can bind to and interfere with the functioning of vital cellular components. The toxic effects of arsenic, mercury, and lead were known to the ancients, but methodical studies of the toxicity of some heavy metals appear to date from only 1868. In humans, heavy metal poisoning is generally treated by the administration of chelating agents. Some elements otherwise regarded as toxic heavy metals are essential, in small quantities, for human health.

  1. ^ Dewan 2008.
  2. ^ Dewan 2009.
  3. ^ Poovey 2001.
  4. ^ a b Baldwin & Marshall 1999.
  5. ^ Pourret, Bollinger & Hursthouse 2021.
  6. ^ Brathwaite & Rabone 1985, p. 363.
  7. ^ World Health Organization 2020.
  8. ^ Srivastava & Goyal 2010, p. 2.

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