Immediate problems are flu-like and often severe enough for people to seek immediate treatment. Issues like these often occur when exposure to substantial amounts of metals occurs. Smaller exposures that cause toxicity to develop over time can cause more damage because the changes happen slowly, and people may not realize until the problems become severe.

Skin changes and chronic skin rashes can appear. People may suffer from bouts of extreme fatigue and feel unwell with no known cause. Sleep disorders can develop. Bouts of nausea unexpectedly may begin and are not improved with diet changes or other lifestyle improvements. Dr. Dana Cohen can help patients with these complaints to find the problem and develop a treatment plan.

How Heavy Metal Exposure Happens

Exposure to heavy metals is often a work-related event. It also happens when people are renovating an old home and are exposed to lead. These experiences are not the only way people may become exposed.

• Pest Fumigation: Certain pesticides, rat poisons, and fungicides can expose people to toxic levels of heavy metals. It is necessary to use the products as directed and keep children away from treated areas until the chemicals dissipate. Children are especially vulnerable to heavy metal poisoning.

• Old Plumbing: Plumbing pipes and soldering materials can contain excessive amounts of heavy metals. The metals can leach into water running through the pipes. Daily exposure to the metals while bathing, cooking, doing dishes, or brushing teeth can allow the metals to accumulate in the body. Water purifiers can help, but the removal and replacement of the pipes with safer modern material are often more reliable.

• Painted Furniture: People often realize the risk of lead-based paint in their homes. Most will cover windowsills and trim boards to mitigate the risk, but they forget about the furniture. Old furnishings may have the same paint as the house. Antique furnishings with chipped or flaking paint can expose everyone in the home to dangerous amounts of lead.

• Eating Fish: Salmon, tuna, and many types of seafood can contain mercury. Consumption of these foods once or twice a week is considered safe but eating them every day could cause mercury toxicity. Another concern is what people cook their fish and other foods with. Some cookware can expose people to an excessive amount of iron and copper.

• Health and Beauty Products: Despite their use to keep people looking and feeling better, many products contain things like silver, which could accumulate in the body over time. Colloidal silver supplements and nasal drops with silver salts are an example. Even skin creams designed to lighten scars or brown spots could cause toxicity if overused. Supplementing a diet with iron without the recommendation or oversight from a doctor could also lead to toxicity.