Questions Being Asked About Heavy Metals – Effects and Assessment

A number of callers to the Lead Advisory Service NSW have asked questions about the health effects of various heavy metals, and how human exposure might best be assessed, for example:

• Anna Priest asks whether radiation (eg from computers) draws lead out of the bones in the same way as mercury vapour is drawn out of teeth by radiation. Any ideas anyone?

• Allan Gow asks how all the heavy metals that come out of the Pasminco Cockle Creek lead smelter, might affect the aquatic life as well as humans (especially those dependent on shellfish etc) and whether arsenic, cadmium, selenium, thallium, antimony, mercury, etc are best assessed by hair, teeth, blood or urine analysis. We’ve asked around but would like any input. ¨