Toxic metals facts for kids

Some metals are very important for our bodies, like iron in your blood. But other metals, especially certain "heavy metals," can be harmful if you get too much of them. These harmful metals include things like cadmium, manganese, lead, and mercury. They can be dangerous to your health.

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  Cadmium

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  Manganese

What are Harmful Metals?

Heavy metals are natural elements found in the Earth. Humans have used them for thousands of years. But some of these metals can be toxic, meaning they can poison you. The most common ones that can cause health problems are lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. Experts like the World Health Organization (WHO) study these metals a lot to understand their effects on people.

How Do Metals Become Harmful?

Metals can become harmful when they build up in your body's soft tissues, like your organs. This buildup can happen over time if you are exposed to them. It's like a tiny amount of something harmless becoming a big problem when there's too much of it.

What is Metal Poisoning?

When too many heavy metals gather in your body, it's called "heavy metal poisoning." This can make you very sick. The metals most often linked to this kind of poisoning are lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium.

Signs of Metal Exposure

It can be tricky to know if you have too many heavy metals in your body because the signs can be similar to other illnesses. If you are worried, a doctor can do tests.

What are the Symptoms?

Some signs that might suggest heavy metal poisoning include:

• Feeling sick to your stomach
• Throwing up
• Stomach pain
• Having diarrhea
• Feeling short of breath
• Tingling feelings in your hands and feet
• Feeling cold (chills)
• Feeling very weak

It's important to remember that many other things can cause these symptoms. Just because you have some of these problems does not automatically mean you have heavy metal poisoning. Always talk to a doctor if you are not feeling well.

Images for kids

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  This man used nose drops with silver for many years, which caused his skin to change color.