Common Sources of Heavy Metals

Common Sources of Heavy Metals (20% more absorbed through skin than through ingestion)

Aluminum: baking powder, cosmetics, cookware, antacids, anti-perspirants, aluminum cans, aluminum cookware (restaurants!), kitchen utensils, paints, dental composites, kidney dialysis

Arsenic: poisons, pigments, dyes, wood preservatives, insecticides, wine, well water (near agricultural runoff), coal burning, seafood/fish/shellfish, meat, poultry, treated lumber (wood in bedrooms, under mattresses, or around gardens), glass & pesticide manufacturing, tobacco smoke

Antimony: fire retardants (mattresses/pajamas/furniture), medications, glass/ceramics, pigments, batteries, plumbing solder (replaced lead-based)

Cadmium: zinc deficiency (zinc displaces cadmium), diet high in processed foods (processed meats, refined grains, instant coffee, & cola drinks all cause zinc deficiency), iron/steel/copper coatings, rubber/plastic stabilizer, fungicides, rice/wheat grown in soil contaminated by sewage sludge/super phosphate fertilizers/irrigation water, evaporated milk, tuna/codfish/haddock/shellfish, cigarette smoke, paint, pigments, air pollution, water from galvanized or PVC pipes, solder used to seal cans, dental amalgams, vehicle exhaust, incineration of plastics/rubber/tires/paints (garbage burning)

Chromium: dyes, pigments, air pollution (coal/oil burning), dental crowns, cement, surgical metal (joint replacements), soil, asbestos, road dust, tobacco smoke, anti-freeze, anti-algae agents, copier chemicals, ceramics/glass, tattooing, welding, wood preservatives, leather tanning

Copper: copper plumbing (softener salt leaches it from pipes, as does acidic water), sewage sludge, beer, swimming pools, copper cookware, inorganic mineral supplements, dental fillings/crowns, birth control pills, copper contraception devices; women are more prone to copper accumulation because the female hormone estrogen increases copper retention, as are those with low zinc levels (zinc displaces copper), high stress (stress decreases zinc), weak adrenals/liver (can’t get copper out), and low metabolism; soy products, beans, whole grains and nuts all are copper-heavy

Gold: jewelry, dental fillings, injections for arthritis

Iron: dyes/inks/paints/pigments, inorganic mineral supplements; vitamin C/citric acid/lactic acid/HCL all help body to absorb usable iron; phytates/fibers in whole grains/nuts, calcium/phosphorus in milk/supplements, EDTA in food additives, & tannic acid in tea/coffee/nuts all prevent body from absorbing usable iron

Lead: car exhaust, paint (prior to 1978), outdoor play structures with old lead paint (& soil around), canned foods, hair dyes, news print, tap water (softener salt leaches lead from soldered pipe joints & faucets), toys (prior to 1978 or made outside of US), brass plumbing fixtures, pump components in private wells, decaffeinated coffee

Manganese: ceramics, antiseptics, dyes, medicines, steel products (welding fumes), air pollution (especially near mining activities), water supply, soy-based infant formula; can affect reproductive function in men & neurological symptoms

Mercury: dental fillings, CFL bulbs, mercury vapor lamps, seafood, polluted water, skin lightening creams, sewage sludge, vaccinations, high-fructose corn syrup

Nickel: Cigarettes, dental crowns, batteries, car exhaust, manufacturing emissions, coins, jewelry, prosthetics, heart valves, cooking utensils, dental fillings, stainless steel

Silver: dental fillings, jewelry, plumbing solder, medication, photography, silverware, low quality colloidal silver?

Tin: canned foods, plumbing solder (replaced lead), toothpaste, bronze, seafood, soap; can cause male infertility, asparagus additive, chemical preservative, Brewer’s yeast

Titanium: pigments in paints, preservatives in medications, tap/well water, dental crowns, implants/joint replacements, airplane motors, jewelry, heat exchange systems, cosmetic additive, food coloring (candy/gum), sunscreen, toothpaste

Zinc: Inorganic supplements, dental adhesive cream; loss of smell from inhaled zinc supplements