Heavy Metal Poisoning and Cardiovascular Disease

Table 2

Noncardiovascular harmful effects of heavy metals.

Heavy metal	Most affected organs	Chronic health effects	References
Arsenic	(i) Central nervous system; (ii) Lungs; (iii) Digestive tract; (iv) Circulatory system; (v) Kidneys	(i) Cancers; (ii) Peripheral vascular disease, which in its extreme form leads to gangrenous changes (black foot disease, only reported in Taiwan); (iii) Skin lesions (melanosis, keratosis); (iv) Hearing loss; (v) Reproductive toxicity; (vi) Hematologic disorders; (vii) Neurological diseases; (viii) Developmental abnormalities and neurobehavioral disorders	[28]
Lead	(i) Central nervous system; (ii) Erythropoiesis; (iii) Kidneys; (iv) Liver	(i) Cancers; (ii) Kidney damage; (iii) Neurological diseases; (iv) Impaired intellectual ability and behavioral problems in children	[29]
Cadmium	(i) Kidneys; (ii) Bone; (iii) Liver; (iv) Lungs	(i) Cancers; (ii) Kidney damage; (iii) Bronchiolitis, COPD, emphysema, fibrosis; (iv) Skeletal damage, first reported from Japan, the itai-itai (ouch-ouch) disease (a combination of osteomalacia and osteoporosis)	[30]
Mercury	(i) Central nervous system; (ii) Kidneys; (iii) Liver; (iv) Lungs	(i) Lung damage; (ii) Kidney damage; (iii) Neurological diseases; (iv) Impaired intellectual ability and behavioral problems in children; (v) Metallic mercury is an allergen, which may cause contact eczema; (vi) Mercury from amalgam fillings may give rise to oral lichen	[31]