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Chemical Exposure & Signs of Renal Damage

Long-term or prolonged exposure to some chemicals can lead to serious, life-threatening effects on the kidneys leading to chronic renal failure, a condition characterized by the eventual loss of the kidneys’ ability to filter fluids and wastes in the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, because many of the early symptoms of chronic kidney failure mirror less serious conditions, the condition is not usually caught until the kidneys are functioning at less than 25 percent of normal.

When a chemical is responsible for renal damage, the term assigned to it is toxic nephropathy. Chemicals known to cause toxic nephropathy include heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, organic solvents such as carbon tetrachloride, benzene and methanol, and fuels.

  1. High Blood Pressure

    • The Mayo Clinic reports that high blood pressure is both a symptom and a risk factor of kidney failure.

    Changes in Urine and Stool

    • Individuals with severe renal damage experience changes in how their bodies excrete waste. The Mayo Clinic reports that common symptoms of kidney damage may include decreased or no urine output, darkly colored urine and bloody or tar-like stools.

    Nausea, Vomiting and Loss of Appetite

    • The Mayo Clinic also says that individuals with chronic kidney failure often experience nausea, vomiting and a loss of appetite. Life Options, a program of the Medical Education Institute, advises that these symptoms, caused by uremia, a build-up of waste in the blood, may lead to sudden weight loss.

    Ammonia Breath

    • Life Options reports that uremia is also known to cause a metallic taste in the mouth or breath that smells or tastes like ammonia in patients suffering with kidney disease.

    Changes to the Skin

    • Another effect of uremia acts on the skin. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients with severe renal damage experience present a yellow-brownish tone to the skin and persistent itching.

    Anemia

    • Another common sign of renal failure is anemia, which is characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells providing oxygen to tissues in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Malaise, Fatigue and Weakness

    • Effects brought on by anemia also contribute to the symptoms of kidney failure as tissues in the body are slowly starved of oxygen. The Mayo Clinic reports that patients with renal damage often experience weakness, fatigue and a general feeling of discomfort or uneasiness.

    Dizziness and Memory Disturbances

    • Other signs of renal damage that occur from anemia, manifest as changes in how well the brain functions. Decreased mental sharpness, dizziness and difficulty concentrating or remembering common things is thought to occur because of a lack of oxygen to the brain from anemia, according to the Mayo Clinic and Life Options.

    Pain and Physical Discomfort

    • Pain along side or mid to lower back may occur according to Life Options in patients with polycystic kidney disease, a condition that causes large cysts to grow on the kidneys. The Mayo Clinic also advises that patients with kidney damage also experience swelling of feet and ankles and chronic headaches.

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