23 Heavy Metal Examples: Facts You Should Know

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The metals which are dense in nature have more atomic mass and atomic number. It has more density than water are toxic in nature at low concentration are heavy metals.

Following is the heavy metals examples listed below:

Titanium (Ti)

Titanium id used in various scientific fields. Titanium in the form of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is been less toxic in nature. Nanoparticles of TiO2 can cause skin problems. It can cause damage to human brain too by causing edema, inflammation, cell injury, immunological response, cell necrosis, etc.

Chromium (Cr)

Chromium is used in car manufacturing, galss and pottery manufacturing.The chromium compounds can irritates the respiratory tracts when get inhaled. If Cr(vi)  compounds get inhaled, then there should be risk to increase sinus, nasal and lung cancer. It can also damage skin and cause painless skin ulcer.

Lead (Pb)

Lead is used in battery, pencils, welding, etc. so the workers in this field are more prone to lead poisoning. In kids it cause vomiting, headache, constipation, irritable, less playful and lethargic. In adults it causes insomnia, joint pain, loss appetite, brain damage, kidney disorders, depression, etc.

Cobalt (Co)

Production of jet engines needs cobalt. Cobalt causes anorexia, vomiting, tinnitus, nausea, goiter, nerve damage, kidney or heart damage and respiratory disorders.

Mercury (Hg)

Dentist, chemical workers and hygiene worker used mercury for various purposes. Mercury can affect various parts of human body like kidney, skin, brain and lungs. It can cause lethargy, headache and irritability. Inhalation mercury cause dyspnea, cough, respiratory distress and pain and tightness in chest.

Cadmium (Cd)

Cadmium is used in the production of storage batteries, solders, vapour lamps and electroplating. Cadmium poisoning can cause abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and headache, increase in mouth saliva, yellow teeth, low iron level in blood, insufficient oxygen supply, etc.

Arsenic (Ar)

Manufacture of various pesticides includes use of arsenic compounds. Gaseous arsenic forms are also used in various industries. Arsenic exposure can cause brain damage, deficiency of myelin, etc. It can also cause various skin problems, gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, etc.

Manganese (Mn)

Manganese is involved the production of various metals and purifying agents. Poisoning of manganese can cause pneumonia, central nervous system damage, hallucination, improper walking, weakness, dystonia, fatigue, trunk rigidness, confusion, psychiatric abnormalities, etc.

Phosphorous (P)

Phosphorous used in various fields by scientist and chemist. Symptoms of phosphorous poisoning involve somnolence, bloody vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain. It can also cause alopecia, mental retardness, cerebellar ataxia, optic nerve inflammation, cardiac failure and can fall a patient into coma.

Copper (Cu)

Copper metal is generally used in production of various copper utensils and electric wires. Copper can cause a disorder known as metal fume which is a kind of flu. It also causes some blood disturbance.

Bismuth (Bi)

Bismuth is used in pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics, solders, alarms of atomic fire, etc. Bismuth overexposure can cause neurological disorders, hallucination, loss of concentration, creates confusion, seizures, loss of ability of walk and stand, etc.

Antimony (Sb)

Lead hardening process and production of various cables and batteries involves the use of antimony metal. The person who smokes regularly affects due to antimony exposure. It can cause skin cancer and various lung disorders.

Aluminium (Al)

Utensils of aluminium metals are generally used to cook food. Aluminium containers are also gets used in medicinal and cosmetic processing industries. It is also used in purification of water. More exposure of aluminium metals leads to cause encephalopathy a kind of brain damage.

Lithium (Li)

Lithium gets used in glass processing and pharmaceutical industries. Overexposure of lithium metal can cause gastrointestinal disorders which leads to stomach ache, disorder related to intestinal tract. It can also affect functioning of kidneys and affects central nervous system too.

Zinc (Zn)

Zinc is generally used in galvanizing of iron metal. It is also used in various scientific fields to carry various experiments. It is used in industries like electrical, hardware, automobile, etc. More exposure to zinc can cause fever of metal fume (flu), disorders of intestine and stomach, dis functioning of liver, etc.

Selenium (Se)

Selenium plays a role as an additive in glass preparations. Exposing more to selenium metal leads to irritation in eyes, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs. It also causes hair loss, depigmentation, liver inflammation, damage of peripheral nerves, etc.

Tin (Sn)

Tin is generally used as a coating material on other metals to inhibit metal corrosion. Exposure more to tin can causes nervous system disorder, hallucination, psychic activities, convulsion, etc.

Gold (Au)

Gold is used in making and polishing ornaments. More exposure to gold when used in rheumatoid arthritis can cause skin irritation and rashes, headache, depression in bone marrow and bleeding in stomach and intestine. It can also cause yellowness in mucous membrane and skin and jaundice.

Nickel (Ni)

Nickel metal is used in the preparation of various alloys. It is also used as coating or plating agent to armour materials. It is used in batteries too. More exposure to nickel leads to the high risk of lung cancer.

Silver (Ag)

Silver metal is used in the preparation of various ornaments and utensils. It also used as electrolytes (AgCl). Silver metal overexposure can leads to greying of hairs, skin and other internal human body organs. It can also cause diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Thallium (Th)

Electronic industries and production of photoelectric cell used thallium metal in their production. Thallium metal exposure can cause bloody vomiting, pain in abdomen, optic nerve inflammation, failure of renal and cardiac nerves, etc. It can cause due to inhalation of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides.

Iron (Fe)

Iron is basically used in the field of architecture, preparation of ornaments, surgical instruments, etc. Iron poisoning is generally seems in kids due to over doses or over consumption of iron and vitamin pills.

Vanadium (V)

Alloy of vanadium metal is used in nuclear reactors. It is used as a catalyst and as a pigment in the form of V2O5 (vanadium oxide) in glass and ceramic processing. Overexposure of vanadium metal can cause breathing problems. It affects lungs and stomach of human body.

Conclusion:

Heavy metals are the elements which have more density than water or have density value more than 5.These metals have more atomic number, atomic weight and specific gravity. It show toxicity and poisoning in human body when a person overexposed to it. It can cause various health hazards and disorders.