lead is a relatively ubiquitous heavy metal with particular features such as resistance to corrosion, high malleability and wide variety of industrial applications. in medicine, however, it is considered as a slow-acting toxic substance affecting multiple body systems, specifically functioning as a potent neurotoxin in the central nervous system. lead poisoning may be acute or chronic and can b...

Thallium is a toxic heavy metal often involved in criminal poisonings and occasionally in accidental poisoning. Here, we report a case of acute, nonintentional thallium poisoning due to thallium-contaminated alternative medicine for its rarity and to create awareness about the combination of rapid, diffuse alopecia with neurologic and gastrointestinal symptoms among practitioners, professionals...

In general, irritable health concern related to heavy metal (accumulation) might be mainly divided into 2 types, i.e. heavy metal poisoning caused by excessive extrinsic exposure and genetic disorders such as Wilson disease (as reviewed by Osredkar et al. in this issue). As for the former type, unlike the latter one, it can be said that the health damage spread with the development of the civil...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an increasing world health problem. Traditional risk factors fail to account for all deaths from CVD. It is mainly the environmental, dietary and lifestyle behavioral factors that are the control keys in the progress of this disease. The potential association between chronic heavy metal exposure, like arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, and CVD has been less well de...

Humans have had a long and tumultuous relationship with heavy metals. Their ubiquitous nature and our reliance on them for manufacturing have resulted at times in exposures sufficient to cause systemic toxicity. Their easy acquisition and potent toxicity have also made them popular choices for criminal poisonings. This article examines the clinical manifestation and pathophysiology of poisoning...

The term `heavy metal' is, in this context, imprecise. It should probably be reserved for those elements with an atomic mass of 200 or greater [e.g., mercury (200), thallium (204), lead (207), bismuth (209) and the thorium series]. In practice, the term has come to embrace any metal, exposure to which is clinically undesirable and which constitutes a potential hazard. Our intention in this revi...