Hanyang Med Rev.  2010 Nov;30(4):319-325.

Heavy Metal Poisoning

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea. jdpark@cau.ac.kr

Abstract

Heavy metals are distributed in the environment ubiquitously. Metals are widely used in various industries, because of which have characteristics of marked malleability and ductility. Workers are exposed to metals through inhalation in industry, while the general population who has not been exposed to metals occupationally, exposed orally through diet and drinking water. Workers are exposed to the low level of metals chronically. All metals and metal compounds are potentially toxic to human, but many metals are essential and homeostasis is key to survival. Recently, the proportion of heavy metal poisoning is about 1% in the occupational disease, and reported cases annually are around 10 peoples in Korea. Ninety four cases of heavy metal poisoning were reported from 2001 to 2008 in Korea. The most cause of poisoning was chromium of 51 cases, and followed by lead (25 cases), manganese (9 cases), cadmium (6 cases), and mercury (3 cases), in orders. In this paper, there are reviewed and discussed about exposure source and route, absorption and metabolism, health effects, medical treatment and management of major metals mentioned above. Several metals are known human carcinogens, therefore workers exposed to metals in workplace should be controlled with meticulous care. In conclusion, the efficient controls for workers, who are working under the metal contaminated environment in industry, could be suggested as the prohibition of excessive exposure to metals through health education and environmental controls, and prevention and early detection of metal poisoning by the periodic health examination and exposure assessment.

Keyword

Heavy metal poisoning; Industry; Exposure assessment

MeSH Terms

Absorption
Cadmium
Carcinogens
Chromium
Diet
Drinking Water
Health Education
Homeostasis
Humans
Inhalation
Korea
Manganese
Metals
Metals, Heavy
Occupational Diseases
Occupations
Poisoning
Cadmium
Carcinogens
Chromium
Drinking Water
Manganese
Metals
Metals, Heavy
Poisoning

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Annual cases of metal poisoning in Korea (A) and the proportion in occupational disease (B) (1995-2008).

  • Fig. 2 The mechanism of metal transport from inhalation to the brain.


Reference

1. Liu J, Goyer RA, Waalkes MP. Klaassen CD, editor. Toxic effects of metals. Casarett and Doull's Toxicology: The basic science of poisons. 2008. 7th ed. New York: McGrawHill;931–979.
2. Lewis R. Ladou J, editor. Metals. Current occupational and environmental medicine. 2007. 4th ed. New York: McGrawHill;413–438.
4. Watanabe T, Kasahara M, Nakatsuka H, Ikeda M. Cadmium and lead contents of cigarettes produced in various areas of the world. Sci Total Environ. 1987. 66:29–37.
Article
5. Waldron HA, Scott A. Raffle PAB, Adams PH, Baxter PJ, Lee WR, editors. Metals. Hunter's diseases of occupations. 1994. 8th ed. London: Edward Arnold;90–138.
6. Goyer RA. Nutrition and metal toxicity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995. 61:646S–650S.
Article
7. Ryu DY, Lee SJ, Park DW, Choi BS, Klaassen CD, Park JD. Dietary iron regulates intestinal cadmium absorption through iron transporters in rats. Toxicol Lett. 2004. 152:19–25.
Article
8. Ragan HA. Effects of iron deficiency on the absorption and distribution of lead and cadmium in rats. J Lab Clin Med. 1977. 90:700–706.
9. Kim Y, Park JK, Choi Y, Yoo CI, Lee CR, Lee H, Lee JH, Kim SR, Jung TH, Yoon CS, Park JH. Blood manganese concentration is elevated in iron deficiency anemia patients, whereas globus pallidus signal intensity is minimally affected. Neurotoxicology. 2005. 26:107–111.
Article
10. Dorman DC, Brenneman KA, McElveen AM, Lynch SE, Roberts KC, Wong BA. Olfactory transport: a direct route of delivery of inhaled manganese phosphate to the rat brain. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2002. 65:1493–1511.
Article
11. Park JD, Kim KY, Kim DW, Choi SJ, Choi BS, Chung YH, Han JH, Sung JH, Kwon IH, Mun JH, Yu IJ. Tissue distribution of manganese in iron-sufficient or iron-deficient rats after stainless steel welding-fume exposure. Inhal Toxicol. 2007. 19:563–572.
Article
12. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Agents classified by the IARC monographs. 2010. volumes 1-100:http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/ClassificationsAlphaOrder.pdf.
13. Krieger D, Krieger S, Jansen O, Gass P, Theilmann L, Lichtnecker H. Manganese and chronic hepatic encephalopathy. Lancet. 1995. 346:270–274.
Article
14. Park NH, Park JK, Choi Y, Yoo CI, Lee CR, Lee H, Kim HK, Kim SR, Jung TH, Park J, Yoon CS, Kim Y. Whole blood manganese correlates with high signal intensities on T1-weighted MRI in patients with liver cirrhosis. Neurotoxicology. 2003. 24:909–915.
Article
15. Park JD, Chung YH, Kim CY, Ha CS, Yang SO, Khang HS, Yu IK, Cheong HK, Lee JS, Song CW, Kwon IH, Han JH, Sung JH, Heo JD, Choi BS, Im R, Jeong J, Yu IJ. Comparison of high MRI T1 signals with manganese concentration in brains of cynomolgus monkeys after 8 months of stainless steel welding-fume exposure. Inhal Toxicol. 2007. 19:965–971.
Article
16. Klaassen CD. Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Gilman AG, editors. Heavy metals and heavy-metal antagonists. The pharmacological basis of therapeutics. 2001. New York: McGraw-Hill;1851–1876.
17. Documentation of the biological exposure indices. 1999. In : American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist; Cincinnati: ACGIH.
18. Documentation of the threshold limit values. 1999. In : American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist; Cincinnati: ACGIH.
Full Text Links
  • HMR
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr