Therapeutic Chelating Agents for Heavy Metals

The mode of action of lead and other heavy metals is to bind to various amino acids that make up proteins. Proteins, huge biological macromolecules that control a wide variety of functions in the body, often contain sulfur groups that can function 

Two arsenical blistering agents and their antidote, British anti-Lewrisite  

Tetrathiomolybdate, a chelating agent used against Wilson s disease. 

The first incident in the modern era to bring mercury and its hazards to the public eye occurred at Minamata Bay, Japan, in 1953. Here many fishermen and their families were stricken with mercury poisoning when they ate fish and shellfish that contained high amounts of mercury, ultimately traced to the effluent of a nearby poly(vinylchloride) factory. Mercury in fish, particularly those such as tuna, marlin, and swordfish at the top of aquatic food chains, soon became a newsworthy 

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