HEAVY METAL POISONING Flashcards
Specific gravity of heavy metals in their standard state
Above 5g/cm3
Which heavy metals are released into water by industrial and domestic waste
Pb
Hg
As
Cd
Long term use of fertilizers lead to accumulation of which heavy metal
Cd
Sewage or sludge application releases which heavy metals
Hg
Cd
Dust from smelters, industrial waste and bad agricultural watering practices contaminate agricultural lands with which heavy metals
Hg
Cd
As
Pb
How are plants contaminated by heavy metals
Fertilizers/Pesticides/Insecticides
Plants growing in soil contaminated area
Irrigation of crops with contaminated water
Plants method for detoxification of heavy metals is is mainly based on ————-//
Chelation subcellular compartmentalization
Five processes of phytoremediation
Rhizodegradation
Rhizofiltration
Phytoextraction/ Phytoaccumulation
Phytovolatilization
Phytostabilization
Examples of toxic metals that have no know beneficial effects in organisms
Plutonium
Lead
Most hazardous heavy metals that humans are exposed to
As, Pb, Hg, Cd, Fe and Al
Factors that affect toxicity of heavy metals
Dose absorbed
Exposure was acute or chronic
Age of the person
Why are young children more susceptible to effects of lead exposure
Their brains are more plastic and even brief exposures can influence developmental processes
Major sources of arsenic and mercury indoors
Pesticides and Fungicides
Methods for measuring trace metals
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry -destructive , sample should be in solution
X-ray fluorescence - nondestructive , sample can be in any state
Easiest screening process for heavy metal
Poisoning
Hair analysis
Steps involved in treating heavy metal poisoning
Decontamination
Resuscitation
Chelation
Toxicity of EDTA
Hypocalcémic tetany
Hydropic vacuolization of the proximal tubule
Loss of the brush border
Degeneration of proximal tubules
Why is mercury unavailable to EDTA
Tightly bound by sulfhydryl groups or sequestered in body compartments that are not penetrated by EDTA
Does EDTA penetrate cells
It does not significantly penetrate cells hence has a volume of distribution approximating ECF space
Disadvantage of DTPA
Depletes Zn
Teratogenic lime EDTA due to its Zn and Mn depletion effect
Limited access to intracellular sites
Which solvent is used for Dimercaprol
Peanut oil due to its instability in aqueous solutions
Why is Dimercaprol nephrotoxic
Sulfur-metal bond is unstable labile in acidic tubular urine increasing delivery of metal to renal tissue and increase toxicity
Another name for Dimercaprol
British Antilewisite BAL
Chelators used in Treatment of lead encephalopathy in due to lead poisoning
Dimercaprol + CaNa2EDTA
Route of administration of dimercaprol
Deep Intramuscular injection as 100mg/ml solution in peanut oil
Toxicity of dimercaprol
Hypertension
Tachycardia
Difference between succimer and dimercaprol
Succimer has two carboxylic groups hence has less lipid solubility
Desirable features of succimer
Does not significantly mobilise essential such as Zn, Cu and Fe
Difference between toxicity of dimercaprol and succimer
Succimer is less toxic due to its lower lipid solubility which minimizes cellular penetration
Why is n acetyloenicillamine more effective than penicillamine for mercury toxicity
More resistant to metabolism
Toxicity of penicillamine
Cutaneous lesions
Urticaria
Macular or papular reactions
Pemphigoid lesions
Lupus
Dermatomyositis
Adverse effects on collagen
Which chelator has prooxidant effects
DTPA