Heavy Metals

Aluminum

Although aluminum is not a heavy metal, it is available in consumer products and household items. Studies suggest that aluminum might have a possible connection with developing Alzheimer's disease. Aluminum toxicity affects the central nervous system, kidney, and digestive system.

Aluminum exposure: aluminum foil, aluminum cookware, antacids, antiperspirants, aspirin, astringents, auto exhaust, baking powders, beef – commercially raised, cans, ceramics, cheese – commercial, buffered aspirin, canned foods, city water supplies, cookware and utensils, cosmetics, dialysis patients, dust, feed – animal, flour – bleached, fireworks, foil, food additives, lipstick, milk products, nasal spray, ore smelting plants, processed cheeses, salt, tobacco smoke, water, and vanilla powder. Workers in refineries, foundries, welders, grinders, automobile and aircraft industries.

Aluminum toxicity symptoms and disorders: Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anemia, behavioral problems, bone brittleness or osteoporosis, conjunctivitis, constipation, dementia and other neurological brain disorders, cavities, colds, colitis, eczema or dry skin, flatulence, headaches, heartburn, hemolysis, kidney dysfunction, leg twitching, leukocytosis, liver dysfunction, memory loss, muscles – weak and aching, neurotoxicity, numbness, osteomalacia, paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, perspiration – excessive, pneumoconiosis, porphyria, senility, spleen pain, stomach pain, upper airway irritation.

Arsenic

Extremely poisonous as well as colorless and odorless, arsenic can enter the body through the mouth, lungs and skin. Arsenic is the most common cause of acute heavy metal poisoning in adults. Arsenic is released into the environment by the smelting process of copper, zinc, and lead, as well as by the manufacturing of chemicals and glasses. Arsenic is found in water supplies worldwide with exposure of marine life. It affects the blood, kidneys, and central nervous, digestive, and skin systems.

Arsenic exposure: beer, chemical processing plants, cigarette smoke, coal combustion, drinking water, fungicides, meats and seafood, metal foundries, ore smelting plants, paints, pesticides, polluted air, rat poisoning, salt – table, seafood from coastal waters – oysters, shrimp, muscles, specialty glass products, water – drinking, weed killers, and wood preservatives. Workers in metal smelters, coal burning plants, manufacture of semiconductors, pesticides, opal glass, pharmaceuticals, paint, leather tanning, and taxidermists.

Arsenic toxicity symptoms and disorders: abdominal pain, acrocyanosis and necrosis, anemia, anorexia, apathy, blindness – progressive, cardiotoxicity, colic, coryza, death, dementia, dermatitis, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, edema, eczema, enzyme inhibitor, fatigue, fever, fluid loss, garlic odor on breath or stool, gastrointestinal system, goiter, hair loss, headache, hemolysis, hyperkeratosis – increased pigmentation of palms and soles, herpes, hyperpigmentation, jaundice, kidney damage or failure, leukonychia, liver dysfunction, lungs and and lung cancer, mental impairment,motor coordination, nausea, nervous disorders, pallor, paresthesis, paralysis, respiratory diseases, salivation – excessive, septum perforation, sensorimotor neuropathy, shock, skin disorders, spasms, stomatitis, stupor, throat constriction, vascular effects – Raynaud’s, vertigo, and vomiting.

Cadmium

Cadmium is a byproduct of the mining and smelting of lead and zinc. It can occur through inhalation or ingestion in places or situations where cadmium products are used, manufactured, or ingested. Cigarette smoke is the biggest source of cadmium toxicity. Toxicity affects the lungs, kidneys, liver, placenta, brain, bones, and immune system.

Cadmium exposure: air pollution, auto and industrial exhausts, batteries, candy, ceramic glazes and enamels, cigarette smoke, colas, dental alloys, electroplating, evaporated milk, fertilizer, fungicides, galvanized pipes, industrial contaminants – airborne, instant coffee, insecticides, marijuana, mines, motor oil, paints, power and smelting plants, processed meat, PVC plastics, refined grains, rubber, seafood, sewage, soft water, soil – contaminated agricultural, tobacco, water – tap and well, tools, water pipes, and welding material. Workers in plating and corrosion treatment of iron and steel, production of batteries, spray painting, cutting cadmium, agricultural, incineration of tires, rubber and plastic.

Cadmium toxicity symptoms and disorders: anemia, arthritis, bone fragility, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebral hemorrhage, cholesterol – high, diabetes, emphysema, growth impaired, hypertension, hypoglycemia, lung disease, hair loss, heart disease, impotence, infertility, inflammation, kidney disease, learning disorders, liver cirrhosis, migraines, nephropathy, ostemalacia, osteoporosis, prostate, renal dysfunction, schizophrenia, skeletal demineralization strokes, teeth – yellow, thyroid disease, vascular disease.

Lead

Lead contamination occurs mostly by drinking lead-contaminated water, breathing lead-polluted air, and living in or near older painted buildings and certain toxic industrial areas. It is a very soft metal used in pipes, drains, and soldering materials. Most lead is used for batteries. Toxicity targets the bones, brain, blood, kidneys, and thyroid gland.

Lead exposure: air pollution, ammunition, ash, auto exhaust, batteries, cable coverings, cans – lead soldered, ceramics glazed - dinner ware and glasses, cigarette smoke, coal combustion, contaminated soil, corrosives – container, cosmetics, crystal glass production, fertilizers, gasoline additives – octane booster, hair dyes, industrial emissions, inks – colored, insecticides, liver, paints- lead based, paint pigments, pencils, pottery – lead glazed, pesticides, plumbing, PVC plastics, rainwater, soil – contaminated agricultural, solder, tobacco smoke, toothpaste, water transported through lead pipes, wine, x-ray shielding, Workers in the manufacture of batteries, scrap metal, welding and cutting of lead.

Lead toxicity symptoms and disorders: abdominal pain, adrenal insufficiency, allergies, anemia, anxiety, arthralgias, arthritis, attention deficit disorder, autism, behavioral problems, blindness, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction, colic, confusion, constipation, convulsions, delusions, depression, developmental problems, dizziness, dreams – disturbing, dyslexia, dysphagia, encephalopathy, epilepsy, excitement, fatigue, fetal development, gastrointestinal problems, gout, growth delay, hallucinations, headache, hostility, hyperactivity, hyperkinesis, hypertension, hypothyroidism, impotence, insomnia, irritability, learning disabilities, libido loss, liver dysfunction, hyperkinesis, kidney disorder, mental retardation, mood swings, menstrual problems, mood swings, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, nausea, nephritis, nervous system disorders, nightmares, nausea, numbness, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, poor concentration, psychosis, renal dysfunction, restlessness, schizophrenia, seizures, sleepiness, stillbirths, SIDS, tooth decay, vertigo, weakness, weight loss.

Mercury

Mercury toxicity can affect the central nervous system, brain, kidneys and liver. Both poisonous and dangerous, mercury is evaporated in the atmosphere and found throughout the environments. Mercury is found in thermometers, thermostats, some vaccines as a preservative, and is also found in amalgam dental fillings. Inhalation is the most frequent cause of exposure to mercury. Although mercury is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, mercury vapor is easily taken in through the lungs and readily passes into the brain. Once in the body, mercury also concentrates in the nerves, liver, and especially the kidneys. Mercury is a potent cellular toxin and is known to decrease neurotransmitter production, disrupt important processes within the nerve cells, and decrease important hormones such as thyroid and testosterone. Depending on the amount of mercury in the body, the more serious and chronic health disorders become.

Mercury exposure: adhesives, air pollution, algaecides, barometers, batteries, chlorine production, contact lens solution, cosmetics, crematoriums, dental silver amalgam fillings, diuretics, fabric softeners, felt, fish and shellfish – freshwater and saltwater, floor waxes, fungicides, insecticides, laxatives, Mercurochrome - medicine, Merthiolate - medicine, paints, pesticides, preparation H, thermometers, thermostats, vaccines, water – tap and well. Workers using mercury, amalgam for dental fillings, manufacturing of thermometer, manometers, electric equipment, fluorescent light bulbs, Mining operations, chloralkali plants, paper industries, pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

Mercury toxicity symptoms and disorders: adrenal gland dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease, anorexia, antibiotic resistance, anxiety, ataxia, attention deficit disorder, autism, birth defects, bloating, brain damage, cerebral palsy – congenital exposure, chemical pneumonitis, concentration difficulty, constipation, deafness, depression, dermatitis, diarrhea, dizziness, exhaustion, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, gingivitis, gums bleed, hearing loss, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, immune dysfunction, insomnia, intestinal disorders, introvert behavior, irritability, joint and muscle pain, kidney damage, liver damage, memory loss, mental deterioration, metabolism affected, metallic taste, migraines, mood swings, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, nervousness, numbness, pain in limbs, paraesthesias, pink disease – reddish scaly skin, psychosis, pulmonary edema, restlessness, salivation – excessive, skin rashes, schizophrenia, sickle cell, shyness, sinusitis, stiffness, stomach pain, temper problems, thyroid dysfunction, ticks, tired, tremors, urination – frequent, vision loss –peripheral, vertigo, vomiting, and white blood cells destroyed.

Nickel

Nickel may be released to the environment from the stacks of large furnaces used to make alloys or from power plants and trash incinerators. The nickel that comes out of the stacks of the power plants is attached to small particles of dust that settle to the ground or are taken out of the air in rain. Nickel can also be released in waste water.

Nickel exposure: air contamination, alloys, artificial body parts, batteries, braces – teeth, cigarette smoking, coins, hydrogenated vegetable oils, imitation whip cream, jewelry, herring, kelp, margarine, metals containing nickel, metal surface treatment, oysters, partial dentures and crowns, peanut butter, pollution, nickel plating, smoking tobacco, soil contamination, stainless steal containing nickel, water contamination, wire and electrical parts. Workers exposed to nickel in refining.

Nickel toxicity symptoms and disorders: abdominal pain, asthma, blood pressure – low, bone development, cancer, cerebral toxicity and death, chronic fatigue syndrome, dermatitis, dizziness, eczema, enzyme alteration, glucose intolerance, growth rate, headache, infections, intestinal dysfunction, heart attack, hemorrhages, hormone alteration, immune dysfunction, kidney dysfunction, liver necrosis, lung cancer, magnesium deficiency, malaise, muscle pain, nasal sinuses, nasopharygeal, nausea, pulmonary congestion, respiratory problems, shortness of breath, stress, and vomiting.

Kathy Kafka

Complete Natural Blends