Story of Lead Toxicity and Pollution

It needs to be emphasized that these defense and tolerance mechanisms have only limited capacities and that mercury present beyond the threshold levels determined by these limitations would exert toxic effects. Once mercury has been ingested, there is no known effective means to remove it from the body. Therefore, it is imperative that industry and others that utilize mercury make sure to contain it at the source and not to allow it escape into the environments. This principle applies to all waste material once they are dispersed into the environment, it is almost impossible to recover them. Industries have also been trying to change their processes to reduce the use of mercury as far as possible. The other important measure would be to restrict the use of mercury compounds as fungicides, bactericides, and for other purposes. 

Occupational diseases due to lead have been known among miners and smelters, foundry and storage battery workers, potters, and paint sprayers. Lead-containing pigments were widely used in paints white lead (lead oxide/carbonate), chrome 

15 Environmental Issues Heavy Metal Pollutants and Others 

Two sisters aged two and three died in convulsions in England in June 1967. At the same time, several domestic animals also died similarly in their neighborhood. Officials found that several more children and adults in the community showed similar symptoms. It turned out that plastic cases of lead batteries had been burned in their neighborhood and that some people apparently inhaled the lead fume that came from the residual lead adhered to the plastic cases. 

The experience of a physician family in Illinois illustrates the typical toxicity symptoms and some common source of lead. Five of the six members of the family experienced fatigue, poor appetite, pains in the stomach, and vomiting. (One exception was the infant who was on a formula). They became increasingly irritable. The blood test disclosed severe anemia. An exhaustive search identified an earthenware pitcher as the source of lead. The pitcher was glazed with lead-containing compounds and it was insufficiently fired. It was used for orange juice container, and the acidic juice leached out the lead. 

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