Dr.

Tay Chia Chay

LEARNING OUTCOME
 Introduction: definition, properties, sources,
transportation, toxicity effects
 Mercury
 Lead
 Cadmium
 Control strategies
Introduction
 Definition: The term heavy metal refers to any
metallic chemical element that has a relatively high
density and is toxic or poisonous at low
concentrations.
 Examples: Most common heavy metals are lead(Pb),
mercury(Hg), cadmium(Cd) and arsenic(As)

Note: Arsenic is not actually a metal but is a semimetal i.e. its

properties are intermediate between those of metals and
nonmetals.
Properties of heavy metals
 They occur near the bottom of the periodic table
 Have high densities
 Toxic in nature
 Nondegradable
Sources of heavy metals
Anthropogenic source: They are mainly produced by industrial
activities, and deposit slowly in the surrounding water and soil
Transport phenomenon
 Water - ingestion
 Food - ingestion
 Air - inhalation
 Adsorption or absorption onto various materials –
absorption through skin

Mercury is highly toxic in vapor form but lead,

cadmium and arsenic are more toxic in their cationic
form
Methods for measurement of trace metals
 Most common method of collecting particulate matter is
through filters
 Identification and concentration of individual trace metals
like lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and chromium is
determined by
 Atomic absorption spectrophotometer
 X-ray fluorescence
 Atomic absorption spectrophotometry is a destructive
method and requires at least 1 to 2 ml of solution
 X-ray fluorescence is a nondestructive method and
works independent of the chemical state of the sample.
Toxicity of heavy metals
TWA by Carcinogen
Route of
Metal Toxicity Effect ACGIH (suspected by
Entry
(mg / m³) NIOSH)
Irritation of respiratory
Inhalation system, Liver and
Arsenic and Kidney damage, Loss of 0.20 Yes
ingestion appetite, nausea and
vomiting etc
Inhalation Lung, liver and kidney
Cadmium and damage; Irritation of 0.05 Yes
ingestion respiratory system
Inhalation,
ingestion, Lung damage and
Chromium and Irritation or respiratory 0.5 Yes
absorption system
through skin
Toxicity of heavy metals
TWA by Carcinogen
Metal Route of entry Toxicity Effect ACGIH (suspected
(mg / m³) by NIOSH)
Irritation of
Inhalation,ingestion respiratory 0.05
Mercury and absorption system; lung, liver Yes
through skin and kidney (vapor)
damage
Lung and liver
Inhalation and damage; loss of
Lead 0.15 No
ingestion appetite, nausea
etc

Lung, liver and

Nickel Inhalation 1.00 Yes
kidney damage
Mercury
Mercury
 Exists in two main oxidation states
 Mercury (I)
 Mercury (II) – most common
 Most volatile of all metals, highly toxic in vapor form
 Liquid mercury itself is not highly toxic
 Organic compounds of mercury are more toxic than
inorganic compounds
 Hg(II) and Methylmercury are the two most common
toxic forms of mercury in the marine environment
Methylmercury
 Most toxic form of mercury
 Organic
 Insoluble
 Bioaccumulates
 Mercury methylated by sulfate-reducing bacteria to form
MeHg
 Limited amount produced from anthropogenic sources
 Sources of Mercury
Natural sources: volcanoes, forest fore, geologic deposits of mercury
and volatile form from ocean

Anthropogenic sources: alkali and metal processing, incineration of

coal, medical (amalgams) and waste, mining of gold and mercury
Mercury Cycle
• Natural waters supersaturated
with Hg0 compared to
atmosphere
 Flux from water to
atmosphere
• Hg0 oxidized to Hg(II) in
atmosphere
 Returns to Earth’s surface
 Global spread
 Residence time
• Over time, Hg(II) is reduced
back to Hg0 and returns to the
atmosphere
• Mercury methylated by
sulfate-reducing bacteria to
form methylmercury (MeHg)
INGESTION
INGESTION
 Minamata Disease
Health effects
 Skin burns
 Irritation of nose and skin
 Rashes
 Excessive perspiration
 Damage to the kidneys
 Damage to vision
 Minamata disease
 Dysfunctions of the central nervous system
 Loss of hearing and muscle coordination
 Severe brain damage
 Death
 Control methods
 Periodic vacuuming of the house can be effective in
removal of these pollutants
 Replacement of wood-burning by an equivalent gas or
electrical appliance
 Removal of old lead and mercury-based paints
 The effective method for removal of mercury vapors
is by the use of packed bed of absorbents
 Gold-coated denuder can also be used for the removal
of mercury from air
How can we decrease mercury
levels?
 Cut back on anthropogenic sources of mercury
through cleaner and more efficient industrial factories
 Cage-rear more of the fish we eat, as shown in the
study
Current Advice
 Avoid eating too much fish from higher trophic levels
such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish
 Eat up to 12 ounces per week of fish that are lower in
mercury such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon,
pollock, and catfish
 Make sure the fish you eat has a mercury concentration
under the FDA’s “action level” of 1ppm
 Inquire as to the mercury levels of fish at your local
restaurants
 Ask local advisors about the safety of fish caught in your
area
Lead
Lead
 A soft gray metal element that occurs naturally in
the earth.
 Has a very low melting point of 327 degrees C
 Used as a structural metal for weather proofing
buildings, water ducts and in cooking vessels
since ancient time
 Pipes

Pewters

Metal / alloy
industry Petrol
kitchen ware
Batteries

Lead applications
Bullets

Food preservative Cosmetics Paint

Lead exposure
 Ingestion of foods, water, alcohol may be
significant for certain populations (esp. children)
 Inhalation of lead dust contributes to a build up in
the body.
 Lead is stored for long periods in mineralizing
tissue such as teeth and bones.
3Pb2+ + 2PO43-  Pb3(PO4)2
Pb2+ + CO32-  PbCO3
 Lead is can be released again into the bloodstream
from these sources during times of bodily stress,
such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, calcium
deficiency, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)
Health effects
 Lead poisoning effects the neurological and
reproductive systems, example: downfall of
roman empire
 Lead breaks the blood-brain barrier and
interferes with the normal development of brain
in infants
 Lead is observed to lower IQ levels in children
 Lead is transferred postnatally from the mother
in her breast milk
 At elevated levels, lead poisoning would
eventually result in death
 Lead is very dangerous
Health effects(contd.)
to young children and
the developing fetus.
How can I prevent exposure to lead in my
home?
 If your home was built before 1978, you
should have it tested for lead.

 Make sure all paint is in good condition.

 Wet-clean all surfaces, especially window

sills, at least every week.

 Wash children’s hands frequently.

 Cover bare soil in the yard.

 Learn about lead-safe work practices when

doing work on your home that disturbs
paint.
How can I prevent exposure to lead in my
workplace?
If you work around lead paint, solder, or other products that
contain lead:
 Ask your doctor to test your
blood for lead.
 Talk to your workplace
health and safety officer.
 Wear protective clothing
and use a respirator as
appropriate.
 Wash hands carefully and change
clothing before going home.
Cadmium
Cadmium
 Cadmium lies in the same subgroup of the
periodic table as zinc and mercury, but is
more similar to zinc
 The pure Cd is a soft silver-white metal.
 Cadmium is most toxic in its ionic form
unlike mercury
Note: Mercury is most toxic in vapor form and lead,
cadmium and arsenic are most toxic in their ionic
forms.
Sources of Cadmium
Natural
 volcano, rock
Anthropogenic
 Industry: battery, pigment, plastics, smelting of Zn,
Pb, Cu
 Agricultural: Fertilizers and pesticides
 Coal burning is the main source of environmental
cadmium
 Incineration of wastes containing cadmium is an
important source of the metal in the environment
 Cigarette smoke
Health effects
 Severe pain in joints
 Bone diseases
 Kidney problems
 In very high levels it poses serious
health problems related to bones,
liver and kidneys and can
eventually cause death.
 Itai Itai disease
Itai - Itai disease (1912)
 Cadmium poisoning
 Mining in Toyama Prefecture
 Contaminated water source (river)
 Accumulate in food chain (paddy
field)
 Effect health effects: kidney
failure and bone weakening
problem
Solutions & conclusions
 Reduce coal burning, scrub Cd from flue gas.
 Phase out Cd in consumer goods.
 Control cigarette smoking.
 Monitor Cd levels in soil and foods products.
Conclusion
 Introduction: definition, properties, sources,
transportation, toxicity effects
 Mercury
 Lead Comparison table
 Cadmium
 MERCURY

http://ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/displayimage-random-40-7585.html
 LEAD
References
 Krishnamurthy, S. 1992. Biomethylation and
environmental transport of metals. Journal of Chemical
Education 69(5)

 Colin Baird.2000. Environmental Chemistry, W.H.

Freeman and Company, New York.
CADMIUM
Arsenic
Arsenic
 Arsenic oxides were the common poisons used for murder
and suicide from roman times through to the middle ages
 Arsenic compounds were used widely as pesticides before
the organic chemicals era
 Arsenic is very much similar to phosphorous
Sources of Arsenic
 Pesticides
 Mining, smelting of gold, lead, copper and nickel
 Production of iron and steel
 Combustion of coal
 Leachate from abandoned gold mines
 Used as a wood preservative
 Herbicides
 Tobacco smoke
 Wallpaper paste and pigments in wallpaper
Health effects
 Birth defects
 Carcinogen:
Lung cancer results from the inhalation of arsenic
and probably also from its ingestion. Skin and liver
cancer, and perhaps cancers of the bladder and
kidneys, arise from ingested arsenic
 Gastrointestinal damage
 Severe vomiting
 Diarrhea
 Death
Recent studies on arsenic exposure
 Arsenic emitted from a copper-smelting plant in
Bulgaria has been shown recently to have produced
a three-fold increase in birth defects in new born
children in that area
 Most daily exposure of arsenic by north American
adults is due to food intake, especially of meat and
seafood
 Under humid conditions of molds in wallpaper
paste and arsenic pigments in wallpaper, instances
of mysterious illness and death have been reported
Recent studies..(contd.)
 Recent studies have shown that about 1% of
Americans consume drinking water that has arsenic
levels of 25 ppb or more, and in Utah and California
water supplies have been found to contain as much as
500 ppb
 Scientists have estimated that there is a one-in-a-
thousand lifetime risk of dying from cancer induced
by normal background levels of arsenic ( this equals
the risk estimate due to tobacco smoke and radon
exposure ).
General sources of heavy metals in
residential houses
 Infiltration from outside, along with the dust
carried on shoes and clothes
 Indoor sources include old-lead and latex based
paints, domestic water supply, burning of wood,
and tobacco smoke
 Pesticides and fungicides are major sources of
arsenic and mercury indoors
Sampling and
Measurement