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Environmental Metal Pollutants: Sources and Determinants of Toxicity

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Environmental Metal Pollutants, Reactive Oxygen Intermediaries and Genotoxicity

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Abstract

Metals and metalloids are elements present in every phase of the environment. Some of these elements are essential for life, while others have no known biological function (Table 1 and 2). The effects of metals, metalloids and compounds of these elements on health and behavior have been studied for hundreds of years. Large amounts of data have been accumulated concerning the toxic effects of metal compounds in biological systems. This has resulted in the development of regulations to prevent or limit human exposure to these elements. However, many questions remain concerning the interactions of these metals in biological systems and recently concerns have been raised about what effect acute or chronic exposure to concentrations of metals below established threshold levels might have on human health and behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, USA

    Maria E. Ariza

  2. Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, UK

    Gautam N. Bijur

  3. Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, The Ohio State University, USA

    Marshall V. Williams

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  1. Maria E. Ariza
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  2. Gautam N. Bijur
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  3. Marshall V. Williams
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Ariza, M.E., Bijur, G.N., Williams, M.V. (1999). Environmental Metal Pollutants: Sources and Determinants of Toxicity. In: Environmental Metal Pollutants, Reactive Oxygen Intermediaries and Genotoxicity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5153-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5153-9_1

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