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Heavy Metals Toxicity
re: magnesium
Regarding Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate, if you eat an entire 4 oz chocolate bar (dark chocolate), you might get 1/3 or 1/2 of the daily limit for lead and cadmium. But maybe an article that uses “pregnant people” has broken brains at work, and maybe should have its credibility discounted.
Here are two informative papers I dug up.
Lead Toxicity Part II: The Role of Free Radical Damage and the Use of Antioxidants in the Pathology and Treatment of Lead Toxicity
2021-04-13, by Lyn Patrick ND
Data now indicate that low-level exposures to lead, resulting in blood lead levels previously considered normal, may cause cognitive dysfunction, neurobehavioral disorders, neurological damage, hypertension, and renal impairment....
...The mechanisms of lead-related pathologies, many of which are a direct result of the oxidant effect of lead on tissues and cellular compo- nents, may be mitigated by improving the cellular availability of antioxidants. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), zinc, vitamins B6, C and E, selenium, taurine, and alpha-lipoic acid have been shown, in a number of animal studies...
...vitamin C might have significant chelation capacity for lead...ascorbic acid de- creases intestinal absorption of lead.52 By reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron in the duodenum, vitamin C increases the availability of iron, which competes with lead for intestinal absorption...
WIND: good read for ideas on what nutrients to be sure of getting.
Toxic Mechanisms of Five Heavy Metals: Mercury, Lead, Chromium, Cadmium, and Arsenic
2021-04-13
...Gastrointestinal and kidney dysfunction, nervous system disorders, skin lesions, vascular damage, immune system dysfunction, birth defects, and cancer are examples of the complications of heavy metals toxic effects. Simultaneous exposure to two or more metals may have cumulative effects
High-dose heavy metals exposure, particularly mercury and lead, may induce severe complications such as abdominal colic pain, bloody diarrhea, and kidney failure (Bernhoft, 2012; Tsai et al., 2017).
On the other hand, low-dose exposure is a subtle and hidden threat, unless repeated regularly, which may then be diagnosed by its complications, e.g., neuropsychiatric disorders including fatigue, anxiety, and detrimental impacts on intelligence quotient (IQ) and intellectual function in children ... Carcinogenic metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and chromium can disrupt DNA synthesis and repair...
Mercury (Hg)
Mercury (Hg) is found in air, water, and soil and exists in three forms: elemental or metallic mercury (Hg0), inorganic mercury (Hg+, Hg2+), and organic mercury (commonly methyl or ethyl mercury)... Organic mercury compounds such as methyl mercury (Me-Hg) or ethyl mercury (Et-Hg) are more toxic than the inorganic compounds...
...a mercury-containing organic compound called thimerosal has been used as a preservative in multidose vials of vaccines...
Lead (Pb)
Lead is a harmful environmental pollutant which has high toxic effects to many body organs. Even though Pb can be absorbed from the skin, it is mostly absorbed from respiratory and digestive systems. Pb exposure can induce neurological, respiratory, urinary, and cardiovascular disorders due to immune- modulation, oxidative, and inflammatory mechanisms. Furthermore, Pb could disturb the balance of the oxidant–antioxidant system and induce inflammatory responses in various organs. Exposure to Pb can produce alteration in physiological functions of the body and is associated with many diseases... Pb is highly toxic which has adverse effects on the neurological, biological, and cognitive functions in the bodies. The international level-of-concern for Pb poisoning is 10 μg/dl in the blood...
Cadmium (Cd)
Cadmium (Cd), although rare, occurs naturally in soil and minerals such as sulfide, sulfate, carbonate, chloride, and hydroxide salts as well as in water. High levels of Cd in water, air, and soil can occur following industrial activities which could be a substantial human exposure to Cd. Moreover, the ingestion of contaminated food will cause major exposure to Cd. Cd exposure may also occur through smoking, which is capable of elevating blood and urine Cd concentrations... Rice, grains, and sea food have been found to be polluted by Cd (Chunhabundit, 2016); nonetheless, after oral intake, a small portion of Cd is absorbed. Tragically, the outbreak of Itai-itai disease in Japan was due to the mass Cd contamination of food and water supplies. The patients suffered from painful degenerative bone disease, kidney failure, and the GI and lungs diseases... Cd blood concentration in smokers is almost twice higher than that of nonsmokers...
Arsenic (As)
Arsenic as a harmful heavy metal is one of the main risk factors for the public health. Sources of As exposure are occupational or via the contaminated food and water. As has a long history of use, either as a metalloid substance or as a medicinal product. It is notoriously known as the king of poisons and poison of kings...
Environmental pollution has even reached the pristine places. Even in an isolated location such as Mount Everest heavy metals Pb, Cd, Cr, As, and Hg were detected. Yeo and Langley-Turnbaugh (2010) found that all snow samples from Everest had As and Cd levels higher than the USEPA drinking water guidelines. Besides, all soil samples were highly polluted with As...
Conclusion
The heavy metals enter the body from different ways including drinking water, air, food, or occasionally dermal exposure. Following absorption, heavy metals are retained, and they accumulate in the human body. Bioaccumulation of toxic metals leads to a diversity of toxic effects on a variety of body tissues and organs. Metal toxicity can have acute or chronic manifestations. Heavy metals disrupt cellular events including growth, proliferation, differentiation, damage-repairing processes, and apoptosis. Toxic metals can also promote epigenetic alterations which can influence gene expression....
WIND: filter your drinking water if possible, through a 2-state filter that includes activated carbon/charcoal.
I played with mercury as a child and even spilled a good bit of it into my closet.
My Dec 2022 blood lead level test shows 14.6 mcg/dL, well above the “level of concern” for Pb poisoning. Was I slow poisoned?
