Health Risks of Heavy Metals

Like heavy metal? Think again.

We’re not talking Ozzy or music here, but the heavy metals scientifically which can be very harmful to your health if found in your drinking water. This joke is bad, I know.

Heavy metals can cause severe health effects. These include reduced growth and development, cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, and in extreme cases, death. Exposure to some metals, such as mercury and lead, may also cause development of autoimmunity, in which a person's immune system attacks its own cells. This can lead to joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and diseases of the kidneys, circulatory system, and nervous system.

Kids are more prone to the toxic effects of heavy metals. Infants and young children are far more sensitive as the rapidly developing body systems in the fetus, infants and young. Childhood exposure to some metals can result in learning difficulties, memory impairment, damage to the nervous system, and behavioral problems such as aggressiveness and hyperactivity. At higher doses, heavy metals can cause irreversible brain damage. Children may receive higher doses of metals from food than adults, since they consume more food for their body weight than adults.

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