Lead and Mercury: Environmental Toxins Harming Our Health

Introduction

These refer to endocrine and chemicals that are made by human beings or might occur naturally and causes cancer hence harming our heaths by interrupting sensitive biological systems (Ray et al., 2014). Some of these environmental toxins are lead, mercury, formaldehyde, radon, and cadmium. These toxins affect the body's functioning (Ray et al., 2014). In this assignment, lead and mercury toxins will be used for the case study.

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Lead and Mercury Toxins

These kinds of toxins are categorized as the most fluent heavy metals that cause poisoning. Lead is associated with the prompting of gastrointestinal, bone marrow toxicity, neurological as well as neurodevelopmental defects (Ray et al., 2014). Mercury poisoning is associated with headaches, weakness, tremors, low back pain, hallucinations, and fatigue. The scientist is making a lot of efforts to reduce the usage of these toxins as they are affecting our health (Ray et al., 2014).

Possible Sources of Human Exposure to This Toxin and Analyze Their Risk

Lead and Mercury are heavy metal toxins that are naturally occurring and have a high atomic weight with minimum density compares to the density of water (Saghazadeh et al., 2017). They have extensive applications in most industries, medicine, agriculture, and homes, thus leading to its wide environmental distribution. Possible human exposure to these toxins is through inhalation, dermal absorption, and ingestion, subsequently including some effects of the health resulting from heavy metals and human contact. The risk associated with these toxins to human health includes behavioral disorders, mental retardation, respiratory problems, neurocognitive disorders, cardiovascular and cancer diseases (Saghazadeh et al., 2017). The mental ability of thinking is affected; hence the reasoning ability reduces. Such diseases like cancer, as well as cardiovascular, may result from loss of life if not noticed with immediate effect when they occur to the humans (Saghazadeh et al., 2017).

What Happens When This Toxin Enters the Environment

For lead being an element, it is not easily broken down. Lead may be transported for a long distance while in the air while it is released to the atmosphere before its disposal to the ground (Yassa, 2014). Once it lands, it adheres to the soil particles where it is transported to the groundwater and contaminates the water. At the same time, Mercury enters the environment from the mining ore deposits, waste, and coal burning as well as manufacturing plants. It comes from the soil or water from volcanic activity, waste disposal, and natural deposits (Yassa, 2014). After that, methylmercury is formed in the ground or water by bacteria organisms. The methylmercury then builds up in the fish tissues; hence the Mercury enters the human's body through the fish. The lead enters the human body through the food from the agricultural food staff (Yassa, 2014).

Persistency of Lead and Mercury Toxins

Many of the toxic chemicals in the environment are destroyed by sunlight or reactions with other substances from the environment. However, some substances such as lead and Mercury are persistent in the environment, for they have features that enable them to resist degradation from the environment (Saghazadeh et al., 2017). Since these toxins cannot be broken down further and are elements, they resist environmental degradation. Therefore they are persistent in the background. Due to their structural characteristics, they can resist breakdown by metabolic in wildlife or people (Saghazadeh et al., (2017). Such features are; being solved into the soil or the water once they are deposited on the land.

Federal Government's Recommendations

The government has set an agency to protect environmental toxins affecting the health of humans. The government sets regulations through this agency for any toxic substances (Obiri et al., 2010). The set recommendations and rules from the government against lead and mercury toxins are not to exceed certain levels. Such restricted levels are the toxic substance levels in the water, food, air, and soil that does not go beyond the critical value, which is based on the standards which affect the animals hence adjusting them to protective levels of humans (Obiri et al., 2010).

The government recommends that there should be a developed plan to help in finding out the people who may be exposed to such toxins and ensure they get their blood tested. It still recommends that the limits of organic Mercury used in the workplace to be 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter (Obiri et al., 2010). The methylmercury to be permitted into one part in the seafood. Such recommendations will help in minimizing the toxins into the environment, thus protecting the humans.

Other Sources of Information

Other sources of lead and mercury toxins are from paints, gasoline, medical and dental equipment, seafood, pesticides, fertilizers, and amalgam fillings. One can get the health problem through inhalation or through feeding on foods planted using the fertilizers made from lead and Mercury (Yassa, 2014). Therefore, according to the articles, both the authors have standard views on how these toxins have impacts on human health. They still have common government recommendations on how to reduce the exposure to the toxins (Obiri et al., 2010).

Conclusion

In conclusion, these toxins affect human health hence leading to mental disorders, behavioral disorders, and respiratory problems. These are highly persistent to any degradation from the environment as they are elements, and once they land into the soil, they cannot break down as they get down to groundwater. They can only be reduced if humans follow the federal government recommendations on the reduction of such toxins.

References

Obiri, S., Dodoo, D. K., Armah, F. A., Essumang, D. K., & Cobbina, S. J. (2010). Evaluation of lead and mercury neurotoxic health risk by resident children in the Obuasi municipality, Ghana. Environmental toxicology and pharmacology, 29(3), 209-212. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668910000098

Ray, P. D., Yosim, A., & Fry, R. C. (2014). Incorporating epigenetic data into the risk assessment process for the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and Mercury: strategies and challenges. Frontiers in genetics, 5, 201. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2014.00201/full

Saghazadeh, A., & Rezaei, N. (2017). Systematic review and meta-analysis link autism and toxic metals and highlights the impact of country development status: Higher blood and erythrocyte levels for Mercury and lead, and higher hair antimony, cadmium, lead, and Mercury. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 79, 340-368. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584617302646

Yassa, H. A. (2014). Autism: a form of lead and mercury toxicity. Environmental toxicology and pharmacology, 38(3), 1016-1024. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668914002415