Glossary of Terms

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Aluminum
Symbol: Al
Atomic Number: 13

This metal is found everywhere, being the most prevalent heavy metal in the Earth's crust. Possible sources of aluminum exposure include drinking water (especially from areas exposed to acid rain), aluminum cookware, and aluminum-containing medications such as Maalox. However, it is also commonly ingested in foods and in medicines, such as antacids, and is used in cosmetics. LEARN MORE

Antimony
Symbol: Sb
Atomic Number: 51

Anitmony is accumulated in the hair of antimony-exposed workers and their children, with higher levels observed in the children's hair. Antiony is also accumulated in the hair of anyone living in areas of environmental pollution (via airborne particles from smelting processes and phosphorus fertilizer production) which leads to these elevated hair levels.    LEARN MORE

Arsenic
Symbol: As
Atomic Number: 33

The use of arsenic in pressure treated wood, and in herbicides and other industries is responsible for a 2000% increase in the arsenic levels found in humans since ancient times. Arsenic, an old-fashioned poison, is also now a regulated feed additive approved for use in fighting intestinal parasites in chickens. Inorganic asrenic (both organic and inorganic are used in chicken feed) is a carcinogen linked to respiratory, skin and bladder cancers in people who are exposed to 10-40 micorgrams (one, one-millionth of a gram) a day over an extended period of time. LEARN MORE

Barium
Symbol: Ba
Atomic Number: 56

Barium is surprisingly abundant in the Earth's crust, being the 14th most abundant element. It is also a toxic heavy metal. Accidental or intentional ingestion of barium may result in diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Human exposure to unsafe levels of barium in contaminated drinking water can cause problems in the heart, liver, stomach, kidneys and other organs. As barium is in the earth and soil, high amounts may also be found in food such as nuts, certain plants, seaweed, and fish. LEARN MORE

Beryllium
Symbol: Be
Atomic Number: 4

Beryllium is a strong, light, heat resistant metal, with a very high melting point. Beryllium, being toxic in humans, can reduce stores of magnesium and decrease organ function, possibly through interference with enzymes. In recent years, its use has increased and it is found in neon signs and some electrical devices. Beryllium is often part of an alloy used in bicycle wheels, fishing rods, and metal household gadgets. Contamination with beryllium, primarily from its industrial uses, is becoming more widespread. Industrial smoke and rocket exhaust may contain harmful levels of beryllium. Inhalation of beryllium can cause shortness of breath, coughing, phlegm and lung inflammation, which may lead to scarring and disability. The term Beryllium is derived from the mineral beryl.

Bismuth
Symbol: Bi
Atomic Number: 83

Bismuth is used for a multitude of industrial purposes like the production of low-melting alloys. It is added to steel and iron to produce castings and is widely used in the manufacture of ceramics and glass. The primary U.S. source of biismuth is as a byproduct of refining lead and copper ores. Bismuth applications include over-the-counter drugs like Pepto-Bismol, lipstick, face powders and fingernail polish. It has partly replaced other toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury in e.g. lubricanst and shotgun pellets. In medicine it has long been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders; and lately in anitbiotics. It is also ingested from water, food, and airborne contamination. Bismuth has been found in the lungs,throughout the brain, stomach and central nervous system. The term bismuth comes from the German word wissmuth, meaning white mass

Bromine
Symbol: Br
Atomic Number: 35

Bromine, like chlorine and fluorine, is a poisonous gas. Bromine salts have been employed to treat acid indigestion or for sedation. Bromine is able to displace chlorine in some body functions. Too much bromine can cause toxicity in humans. Mild symptoms may include fatigue, weakness, irritability, disturbed sleep, slow mental processes and poor memory. Severe toxicity can cause confusion and drowsiness, delirium, stupor, depression, hallucinations and, in the extreme, psychosis. This term bromine comes from the Greek word brômos (stench).

Cadmium
Symbol: Cd
Atomic Number: 48

Cadmium is toxic metal with a long history of detrimental effects. Common sources of contamination are: cigarette smoke, refined foods, water pipes, coffee, tea, coal burning, and shellfish. A pack of cigarettes contains roughly 20 mcg. of cadmium, or about 1 mcg. per cigarette. An estimated 30 percent of that goes into the lungs and is absorbed, with the remaining 70 percent entering the atmosphere and inhaled by others or polluting the environment. Since a little cadmium is stored every day, long-term smoking can increase the risk of cadmium toxicity. LEARN MORE

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals can be defined as elements having atomic weights between 63.546 and 200.590 (Kennish, 1992), and a specific gravity greater than 4.0 (Connell et al., 1984). Living organisms require trace amounts of some of these elements, including cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, strontium, and zinc. However, excessive levels of essential metals can be detrimental to the organism. Since the Industrial Revolution, the production of heavy metals such as lead, copper, and zinc has increased dramatically. LEARN MORE

Lead
Symbol: Pb
Atomic Number: 82

Each year, somewhere between 400,000 and 600,000 tons of lead go into our atmosphere, onto our earth, into our food, and into our body and tissues. Unlike most chemicals for which the health impacts of low-level exposure are still uncertain, exposure to lead, even at very low levels, is very toxic. Lead is the most common toxic mineral as well as being the most abundant contaminant of our environment and our body.

Mercury
Symbol: Hg
Atomic Number: 80

Mercury, sometimes called "quicksilver", is a shiny liquid metal that is a widespread environmental contaminant. Recently, interest has grown in the possible harmful health effects of mercury leaching from dental amalgam fillings as well as the increased consumption of fish contaminated with mercury. Methylmercury, the common, poisonous form, occurs by methylation in aquatic biota or sediments (both freshwater and ocean). LEARN MORE

Nickel
Symbol: Ni
Atomic Number: 28

Nickel accumulates with age as well as through smoking. Common sources of exposure are 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, orthodontic appliances, medical implants, metal refineries, metal tools, nickel-cadmium batteries, shampoo, solid-waste incinerators, stainless steel kitchen utensils, tap water, tobacco and tobacco smoke, water faucets and pipes, and zippers. This term comes from the German word kupfernickel, meaning “false copper”.

Thallium
Symbol: Tl
Atomic Number: 81

Thallium was discovered in the 1800s by Sir William Crookes, and was used in medical treatments for venereal diseases, gout, and tuberculosis. However, its toxicity caused it to be rarely used, though thallium acetate continued to be employed for fungal skin infections. Humans are not able to tolerate much thallium in their bodies. This mineral and its salts enter the body through our skin, respiratory tract, or gastrointestinal tract. LEARN MORE

Tin
Symbol: Sn
Atomic Number: 50

Inorganic tin is deposited first in the kidneys and liver and gradually distributes to bone tissue but only temporarily. Organic tin distributes to the brain, liver, kidneys and the lymphatic system. Sources of tin are tin-plated cans with damaged polymer coatings, processed foods, toothpaste and perfumed soaps, metal alloys (such as brass, bronze, and pewter), soldered joints in cans and water systems, PVC plastic manufacture (as a heat stabilizer), dyes and pigments, electroconductive coatings on glass (window defrost systems), porcelain, ceramic glazes, biocides (triphenyl and trialkyl tins), mining, smelting and ore processing facilities. Depending upon chemical form and organ of deposition, its halflife in the body is anywhere from 5 to 100 days. Tin excretion is mainly through the urine. This comes from the Latin word stannum (tin).

Uranium
Symbol: U
Atomic Number: 92

Uranium is a common and naturally occurring radioactive heavy metal. It is probably toxic, but there is relatively little direct exposure to it. Radon and radium, on the other hand, which comes from the radioactive decay of uranium, is a pollution concern in both environmental air and water. Some drinking water sources, both city and well, contain uranium. Some soil and dust are contaminated as well; it gets into the food supply. LEARN MORE

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