Heavy metals are widely present in the environment and can get into our food. While environmental contamination (e.g. from soil and water) likely is the main source, they could also enter food through processing.
Among the most significant heavy metals from the point of view of health are mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, and zinc. Some intermediate elements such as arsenic and aluminium, which are highly relevant from a toxicological point of view, are generally studied together with heavy metals.
MERURY (Hg)
Mercury is considered to be a highly toxic heavy metal.
Mercury is highly volatile; when it is present in the air, we can breathe it in through our lungs or absorb it through our skin. The most dangerous form of exposure is inhaled mercury, since it enters our body, accumulates, and remains for a long time.
One thing that should be borne in mind is that mercury ought not be present in the food chain at all. It is not a natural element in foods. But it can enter our bodies through fish, because fish consume large quantities of mercury, which is one of the most prevalent heavy metals in seas and rivers.
Mercury can also enter our bodies through plant and animal products, given that it travels and accumulates in the soil. Such mercury is generated by human activities, for instance: mining, foundries, agricultural fertilizers, wastewater discharge, and the burning of solid waste.
LEAD (Pb)
Lead is a metal often used in residential installations and in metal alloys or chemicals, such as pipes, the manufacturing of paints, putties, and pesticides. It is one of the heavy metals that can most easily contaminate us.
Lead is extremely harmful to health. It is one of the heavy metals that has caused the most harm to the population. Lead enters the body through vegetables, meat, fruits, seafood, and wine (among many other foods contaminated with heavy metals). Tobacco smoke is another pollutant with a high concentration of lead.
CADMIUM (Cd)
Cadmium (in its majority) comes from zinc refining processes.
It is a residual or a by-product of zinc.
Cadmium is mainly present in the earth’s crust and is strongly absorbed by the organic material that forms the soil. This fact itself poses the greatest danger, because such cadmium deposits, absorbed by the soil’s organic material, pass into plants, and often form a part of human or animal diets in the form of hazardous heavy metals.
The foods that are potentially most susceptible to cadmium contamination are mushrooms, shellfish, freshwater fish, ried algae, and potable water, among others.
COPPER (Cu)
Copper is a mineral of great importance for the development of human life. Care should be taken to include this element in one’s diet, but in its rightful measure. In high doses, copper is considered a heavy metal and provokes severe health disorders, such as anaemia, stomach problems, and harm to the kidneys and the liver.
Copper is prevalent in our homes in pipes and cookware. From there, it passes into water and cooked foods. Copper is massively used in industry, which is why exposure to copper has become much higher than normal.
CHROMIUM (Cr)
Chromium is a heavy metal whose principle means of absorption is contact with the skin. Overexposure to chromium can also occur through diet and breathing, though less frequently.
Chromium VI can alter the genetic material of cells and cause cancer.
Chromium III is an essential element for human life in small quantities. In fact, chromium
deficiencies can cause metabolic disorders, heart problems, diabetes, etc. However, in concentrations that are too high, it can cause severe liver problems, kidney problems, problems in nerve tissues, and circulatory problems. Skin irritations and ulcers also occur.
The greatest concentration of chromium is found in water and plant-based foods. Although Chromium III is necessary for life, the way foods are prepared or stored can alter Chromium content, increasing its concentration. This is highly dangerous for health, since heavy metals are involved.
NICKEL (Ni)
Nickel in its rightful measure is a metal highly necessary for life, an essential mineral for the formation of red blood cells. But when we inhale, ingest, or absorb it in excess, nickel can become extremely toxic (depending upon the quantity), affecting our lungs, larynx, and nose, and can also compromise the prostate and the heart.
Nickel is a metal used in steel alloys and is also present in very low amounts in the environment and the food chain. Nickel poisoning or contamination would require a very high consumption of this element. Such poisoning tends to occur when foods are grown in highly contaminated soils, on account of which large amounts of heavy metals pass into the food chain.
ALUMINIUM (Al)
Aluminium is an element whose specific weight on the periodic table is not greater than 5 g/cm3 and whose atomic number is not greater than 20 (it does not have sufficient density to be called “heavy”). However, due to aluminium’s toxicity, it is included as one of the heavy metals on some lists of toxins. We should not lose sight of the fact that aluminium is quite abundant in nature, only surpassed by oxygen.
ARSENIC
Arsenic is the most common cause of acute heavy metal poisoning in adults. Arsenic is not a metal, but a metalloid (which basically means that it has both metallic and non-metallic properties). It is released into the environment by industrial processing of chemicals and glasses, and reaches water supplies throughout the world, creating exposure for marine life.
MyTEST Lab use ICP-MS to test water and an AAS to test soils, food, pharmaceutical and traditional products for heavy metals. Our ICP-MS allows us to detect heavy metals at ultra-low levels to help ensure you comply with regulations.
