EAYH - Case Studies in Metals (10/18)

copper
iron
manganese

mercury
cadmium

level and duration of the exposure
chemical form of metal
metal-protein complexes
host factor (age, gender, lifestyle, immune status)

metallothionein
high metal content (can bind a lot of metal and protect the cell)
inducible at level of gene expression metals (levels can be increased when you see a lot of metals)

metal detoxification
metal homeostasis

methods of therapy for metal toxicity

increases metal excretion through binding metals

can also bind to essential metals

closing of the climax mine

superfund site

many children had depressed IQs from the levels of lead

used mercury to separate gold form dirt

gypsy roma children
100 million ton slag heap of lead, zinc, and arsenic form the trepeca smelter
referred to as the most major environmental disaster in europe

degassing of the earth's crust
fossil fuels
industrial release
diet (seafood)
dental amalgams

elemental
salts
organic

not lipid soluble
poor absorption

lipid soluble
100% absorbed

mercury tissue goes up as it moves up the food chain

it is converted to organic

acute mercury toxicity
fall 1971 - first shipment of wheat and barley
source of exposure - homemade breads
used hair as a biomarker

1953 - first biological disturbance noted
1956 - epidemic of "cerebral palsy"

umbilical cords

heavy metal (dense, malleable, long life span)

gi tract absorption (higher in children than adults)

excreted through urine

50% absorption rate
diet
blood brain barrier
hand to mouth activity

leaded paint
leaded gasoline
lead smelters
multitude of home products

gasoline

1970s
sale of leaded gasoline was banned in '96
decrease by 98% btwn 1970-1996

4

banned in the US in 1977
still exists in the interior walls of children's homes

senegal lead poisoning

black and hispanics have higher rates

drug developed in 1960s germany as a sedative compound

children's limbs didn't develop due to exposure in utero

found to cure leprosy

population shift in IQ by 5 points population results in significantly more children with impaired intelligence and less children with gifted intelligence

increased aggression
decreased attention

increased adjudicated delinquency

reverse cognitive effects

after weaning rats either live alone or in the chemical environment
compare the cognitive performance of rats living in different environments

rats learn to find a hidden platform (indicative of spacial and learning memory)

stimulation causes brain development

its still in environment

disproportionate exposure of low SES children

lack of threshold for neurological deficits

current clinical methods of treatment for learning deficits are not effective