Heavy Metal Poisoning Signs & Symptoms

Though our bodies require some of them in varying amounts, overexposure to heavy metals can cause illness and even death. What constitutes overexposure depends on the type of heavy metal. A little arsenic or lead can do a lot of damage, whereas barium, nickel, and cadmium have medical uses. Toxic waste, legacy materials such as lead pipes, certain work environments, and contaminated food and water supplies all expose us to varying levels of heavy metals.

Sign or Symptom

• Signs are observable indications of poisoning, such as skin discoloration or behavioral changes. Symptoms are subjective feelings a person has that cannot be felt by anyone else, such as a headache or sleepiness.

Heavy Metals

• Heavy metals are metallic elements with a high atomic weight and a density at least five times greater than that of water. Of the 20-plus heavy metals, four--lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and inorganic arsenic (As)--cause toxicity in humans, even at low levels. Present in toxic waste, they enter the body through the food chain and accumulate in both hard and soft tissue. Other heavy metals, such as nickel, can cause toxicity, but people are less likely to encounter them at toxic levels.

  Acute heavy metal poisoning occurs when a person is exposed directly to toxic levels. Signs and symptoms occur within two weeks after exposure and soon become severe. Chronic poisoning occurs when a person is exposed to non-toxic levels over a period of time, possibly even years, until they reach toxicity levels in the body. Like the exposure, signs and symptoms of chronic heavy metal poisoning may develop over years.

Signs of Heavy Metal Poisoning

• Signs of acute heavy metal poisoning may include:
  Anorexia
  Arrhythmia (abnormal changes to heart rhythm)
  Arthritis
  Changes in mucous membranes
  Convulsions
  Cough
  Diarrhea
  Difficulty breathing
  Fever
  Hypertension
  Red skin at contact point--arsenic toxicity
  Renal (kidney) dysfunction
  Sore throat
  Tachycardia (heart rate over 100 beats per minute)
  Vomiting
  Weakness

  Signs of chronic heavy metal poisoning may include:
  Allergies
  Alopecia (abnormal hair loss)--cadmium toxicity
  Anemia--cadmium toxicity
  Arthritis
  Autism
  Birth defects
  Blindness
  Brain damage--mercury toxicity in unborn children
  Cancer
  Cardiovascular disease
  Cerebral palsy--mercury toxicity in unborn children
  Chronic obstructive lung disease--cadmium toxicity
  Cognitive and motor dysfunction--mercury toxicity
  Emotional instability
  Emphysema
  Forgetfulness
  Fragile bones--cadmium toxicity
  Garlic odor to breath--arsenic toxicity
  Growth impairment
  Hyperactivity
  Hyperkeratosis (excessive skin growth on palms and soles)--arsenic toxicity
  Hyperpigmentation (excess darkening of skin)--arsenic toxicity
  Inability to speak--mercury toxicity in unborn children
  Insomnia
  Kidney damage
  Learning disorders--cadmium toxicity
  Liver damage
  Mental retardation
  Mood swings
  Muscular weakness
  Neuropathy (inflammation and wasting away of nerves)--arsenic toxicity
  Osteoporosis
  Paralysis (starting in the forearms--lead toxicity)
  Psychosis
  Shaky hands
  Tremors
  Weight loss

Symptoms of Heavy Metal Poisoning

• Symptoms of acute heavy metal poisoning may include:
  Fatigue
  Hallucinations
  Headache
  Loss of appetite
  Metallic taste in the mouth--mercury toxicity
  Nausea
  Numbness
  Severe abdominal pain
  Sleeplessness
  Vertigo
  Visual disturbances (blind spots, halos, etc.)

  Symptoms of chronic heavy metal poisoning may include:
  Anxiety
  Dyslexia
  Lack of concentration
  Loss of taste and smell
  Migraines
  Paresthesia ("needles and pins" sensation)