Heavy metal poisoning: symptoms, first aid and treatment

In the article, we consider the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning. We will also tell you how to get them out.

Heavy metals are an integral part of every person’s everyday life, because they are found in synthetic substances, household chemicals, in soil, in precipitation, in air, etc. As a rule, people don’t think about their presence, but only until while such a content does not exceed permissible values ​​and heavy metals do not harm them.

Along with many other elements, heavy metals are found in plants and animals, are used in industries, are part of things familiar to humans (medicines, paints, fuels, etc.).

Poisoning is dangerous

However, in cases of ingestion of heavy metals and their chemical compounds (e.g. salts), they can be very dangerous, even if they do not provoke an immediate reaction, but simply accumulate in the tissues, which subsequently leads to the development of dangerous diseases, including the appearance of malignant tumors, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, etc.

In this case, poisoning occurs - in acute or chronic form. To prevent the occurrence of such situations, you need to know which metals and how can cause intoxication of the body, as well as how to recognize and eliminate the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning.

Poisonous metals

Heavy metals are chemical elements with specific characteristics. They are extremely toxic to all living things. It is believed that if a person does not live in a large city, near large industrial enterprises, does not work in hazardous industries, then the likelihood of poisoning by such substances is very small. However, this is actually not the case. Most often, heavy metal poisoning occurs when improper use of hazardous chemicals or safety precautions. These chemical compounds are dangerous in other situations. For example, due to the carelessness of adults, children often suffer from improper storage of fertilizers, medicines, gasoline, paint.

Those who drink contaminated water, prepare or store food using tin dishes, eat foods that contain pesticides, and even breathe air saturated with car exhaust fumes can become victims of poisoning. As a result of this, hazardous substances begin to gradually accumulate in the body, and a person does not have immunity against them. The body weakens and the symptoms of chronic poisoning develop - first soft (in the form of fatigue, malaise), then more characteristic, which depends on the type of toxin.

What heavy metals are the most dangerous and most likely to cause poisoning?

Despite the fact that more than 40 elements belong to the category of heavy metals, some of them are particularly toxic. Their list includes:

• lead;
• zinc;
• copper;
• nickel;
• antimony;
• mercury;
• cadmium;
• bismuth;
• thallium.

Each of these elements has a specific damaging effect on the body.

Sources of poisoning

Heavy metals can enter the human body in the following ways:

• in case of industrial accidents and exceeding permissible concentrations of metals and in the environment;
• with emissions from industries gradually accumulating in tissues;
• with automobile exhaust gases near major highways and in large cities (picking vegetables and fruits or mushrooms in such areas threatens with serious intoxication);
• when processing farmland with pesticides and herbicides, which subsequently end up in production;
• with petroleum products (for example, with gasoline, which contains lead) - when working at gas stations;
• during the use of insecticides (insecticides) or ratacids (against mice and rats);
• with an overdose of medicines containing these substances;
• with prolonged inhalation of tobacco smoke (with second-hand smoke);
• by inhaling the smell of paints (for example, lead white, containing lead, with green colors in which chromium is present);
• when using tin for the manufacture of dishes and food packaging;
• when consuming foods that contain salts of heavy metals (e.g. fruits or vegetables treated with pesticides).

Heavy metals can enter the body through the digestive tract, skin, and respiratory tract. When poisoning with salts of heavy metals, damage is caused to all body systems, but the kidneys and liver suffer most (nephropathy and hepatitis develop), the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as the heart. In addition, heavy metal compounds have the property of being deposited (accumulated) in different tissues. For example, lead builds up in bone. Metals are very complex and take a long time to become, becoming a toxic factor acting chronically.

Symptoms of Heavy Metal Poisoning

Poisoning with these chemical compounds and its symptoms depend on which substance the body was poisoned with and how this poison got inside.

Inhalation of fumes provokes the development of coughing attacks, sometimes with impurities of blood, a person is in fever, pulmonary edema may develop. When poisonous metal gets on the skin, local reactions often develop - dermatitis. The skin turns red, itches, becomes covered with rashes, becomes inflamed. After the absorption of toxins into the blood, a complete clinical picture appears.

If taken orally

When an toxin is ingested orally, the following conditions are noted:

• metallic taste in the mouth;
• hyperemia of the mucous membrane;
• soreness when swallowing and in the esophagus, abdominal pain;
• severe nausea and vomiting;
• stool disorders, most often in the form of diarrhea;
• ulcerative and erosive lesions and internal bleeding of the digestive system.

Common symptoms

There are also common symptoms of heavy metal poisoning.

• Differences in blood pressure, in which the patient's face turns pale or red, shortness of breath is observed.
• Violation of the nervous system, which is expressed in an excited, euphoric state, or, conversely, dulling of consciousness, the onset of coma.
• Violation of motor functions: cramps in the arms or legs, paralysis, change in gait and coordination.
• Visual hallucinations, split images, visual impairment;
• sleep disturbance.
• Nephropathy, which is characterized by severe renal impairment, in some cases with an attack of renal failure.
• Violation of the liver, which often increases in size during poisoning.
• Changes in the biochemical characteristics of blood, destruction of red blood cells, anemia (ICD 10 D50), leukocytosis.

In severe metal poisoning, the patient may develop toxic shock, even death. Often there is a sudden loss of consciousness when a person needs urgent hospitalization and first aid.

Poisoning by different types of heavy metals

There are many metals that poison, but in each case it happens in different ways. At the same time, poisoning has features that facilitate diagnosis - the detection of a specific toxin. Lead intoxication is very dangerous. Thus, lead causes irreversible changes in the functioning of the central nervous system in the reproductive system of the female body.

Poisoning with antimony and its salts adversely affects the reproductive system (especially women), can cause skin and lung diseases (itching, cracks in the skin), an inflammatory process in the oral cavity, leads to significant weight loss due to loss of appetite. Thallium metal becomes the cause of the development of alopecia (focal or complete baldness), as well as damage to the cardiovascular and nervous system. Arsenic affects all organs and systems of the body - the heart, kidneys, lungs, peripheral nervous system, which often leads to death. Cobalt tends to affect the heart and auditory organs.

Copper is a cause of impaired functioning of the kidneys, nervous system and liver. Heavy metal mercury (its most toxic fumes) causes a feeling of lack of air, nervous excitement, half-fainting state, trembling in the extremities, a pronounced persistent cough and pain in the head and stomach.

Cadmium provokes a decrease in appetite up to the development of anorexia, a weakening of olfactory functions, and in laboratory tests a large amount of protein is found in the urine. This heavy metal negatively affects the reproductive and nervous systems, affects the kidneys, bones and muscles, and causes cramps in the hands. Chromium lowers immune defense and blocks nutrient absorption processes. Zinc causes anemia (ICD 10 D50), hearing loss, provokes sleep disturbances. Manganese provokes the occurrence of high fatigue, chronic drowsiness, dulls the speed of reactions, provokes depressive states.

What is a thermometer dangerous?

The most common signs of mercury poisoning from a thermometer are found in everyday life, especially in children. Therefore, parents need to carefully monitor that this measuring device does not fall into the hands of children. In addition, adults are advised to use it in compliance with safety precautions and store in a special container.

Signs of mercury poisoning from a thermometer

It should be remembered that the most dangerous for human life and health is the penetration of mercury (or rather its vapor) through the respiratory tract. In this case, the target organs are primarily affected: the brain and kidneys. With the penetration of vapors of a given metal into the body, the central nervous system is disturbed. A toxic substance settles on the kidneys and interferes with their functioning. Respiratory organs are also susceptible to the negative effects of mercury.

Their mucous membrane becomes inflamed, damage to blood vessels may occur (hemoptysis occurs). In severe cases, pulmonary edema is observed. With prolonged exposure to this substance on the body, metabolic processes are disturbed, as well as the development of multiple chronic pathologies. The danger of mercury is that it can accumulate in the body (it is extremely difficult to remove).

First aid

Heavy metal poisoning requires immediate medical attention to block and remove toxic substances from the body. At home, treatment is unacceptable, but a person can be helped by some actions aimed at stopping the further ingress of a toxic substance and spreading it throughout the body.

First aid is as follows:

1. Ensuring the flow of fresh air or removing the victim from the room in which the air is poisoned (in case of inhalation of toxic fumes).
2. Thoroughly rinse with soap the skin area that has been exposed to a toxic substance in case of contact poisoning.
3. Provocation of vomiting and gastric lavage with salted water or a two percent solution of soda when toxins get inside (and it is better to leave the opportunity to flush the stomach for doctors with a probe in a hospital).
4. Reception of enveloping agents that reduce the ability of the mucous membranes to absorb toxic substances: chicken protein, olive oil, milk, Almagel medicine.
5. Reception of enteroabsorbents for binding and removal of toxic compounds from the intestine (activated carbon, Smecta, Polysorb).
6. Taking laxatives (castor or petroleum jelly oil can be used), and an enema is performed in the hospital.

Therapeutic measures

Many are interested in how to remove heavy metals from the body.

First of all, the victim needs hospitalization. In the hospital, forced diuresis is performed by administering a large volume of fluid with a diuretic effect to eliminate toxins and prevent kidney damage. This is followed by the introduction of an antidote. The antidote for poisoning with salts of heavy metals is unitiol, which neutralizes toxic compounds. It also uses sodium thiosulfate, and for lead poisoning - EDTA.

Symptomatic therapy

This is followed by symptomatic therapy - eliminating pain, maintaining the functioning of the affected organs, eliminating the symptoms and consequences of the onset of toxic shock. In addition, in a hospital, blood is purified through hemodialysis and other effective methods. Hepatoprotectors help the liver cope with toxic stress. In the future, saline may be injected into the patient's body in order to quickly remove the remaining poisons from the bloodstream.

Treatment duration

If the degree of poisoning is not severe, therapy takes 1-2 weeks. In especially difficult cases, recovery will require at least 2 months, followed by a recovery period, which also takes a fairly long time. It is also necessary to consider that in case of poisoning, the functions of some organs that are most affected by intoxication (liver, nervous system, kidneys) may not fully recover, since poisons of heavy metals often affect the body with the development of irreversible processes.