Heavy Metals as Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

Abstract

Heavy metals are present in our environment as they formed during the earth’s birth. Their increased dispersal is a function of their usefulness during our growing dependence on industrial modification and manipulation of our environment (1,2). There is no consensus chemical definition of a heavy metal. Within the periodic table, they comprise a block of all the metals in Groups 3–16 that are in periods 4 and greater. These elements acquired the name heavy metals because they all have high densities, >5 g/cm3 (2). Their role as putative endocrine-disrupting chemicals is due to their chemistry and not their density. Their popular use in our industrial world is due to their physical, chemical, or in the case of uranium, radioactive properties. Because of the reactivity of heavy metals, small or trace amounts of elements such as iron, copper, manganese, and zinc are important in biologic processes, but at higher concentrations they often are toxic.