Where metals hide, and what they can do
Everyone knows lead, arsenic and mercury. A full metals test looks for around twenty. Here is where each one comes from in everyday life, and what it can do to the body at high exposure.
How to read this. The effects listed are what happens at high or long-term exposure. At everyday levels most people feel nothing. A trace on a test is not the same as a harmful dose.
This guide is education, not medical advice. If something here sounds familiar, take it to your doctor with a list of where you might be exposed.
Nickel, the metal you touch every day
Nickel is one of the most common causes of contact allergy in the world. Most people meet it through what they wear, hold and eat.
- Where you meet it
- Jewellery, watch backs, belt buckles, coins, stainless steel, nickel-plated items, some ceramics and cosmetics, tobacco and batteries. It is also naturally present in cocoa, nuts such as almonds, peanuts and walnuts, lentils, chickpeas, oats and tomatoes.
- What it can do
- Itchy skin rash where metal touches the skin, asthma-like breathing problems and lung irritation, stomach aches, and effects on the kidneys at high exposure.
- What helps
- Low iron makes the gut absorb more nickel, so keeping iron levels healthy matters. Vitamin C may reduce how much is absorbed.
- Worth knowing
- Nickel allergy is an immune reaction. Once it develops, it usually lasts for life, so avoiding contact is the main approach.
All twenty, A to Z
No metal matches that name.
What to do with this
Look at your exposures
Old paint or pipes, your job and hobbies, your water source, the fish you eat and the products on your skin tell you more than any single symptom.
Ask for the right test
Lead is tested in blood. For most other metals, an unprovoked urine test is used. A doctor can advise which fits your situation.
Read results in context
How the sample was collected changes the numbers. A result is a question for your doctor, not a diagnosis on its own.
From Evmara
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