Certain professions are also at higher risk for mercury exposure including anyone in the dental occupation, laboratory workers, hairdressers, painters, printers, welders, metalworkers, cosmetic workers, battery makers, engravers, photographers, visual artists and potters.

While some people have the ability to excrete these toxins out of their system, others, particularly those suffering from chronic conditions, are not so lucky and develop a build-up of metals called heavy metal toxicity. Further, heavy metals can accumulate in your body over time, causing symptoms you might not equate with heavy metals.

In many cases, the symptoms brought on by metal toxicity are often misdiagnosed for chronic conditions such as autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and multiple sclerosis. 

Symptoms of Heavy Metal Toxicity 

There are two types of heavy metal toxicity: acute and chronic. Symptoms of acute toxicity are easy to recognize because they are usually quick and severe in onset. 

The symptoms include:

• Cramping, nausea, and vomiting

• Pain

• Sweating

• Headaches

• Difficulty breathing

• Impaired cognitive, motor, and language skills

• Mania

• Convulsions

Arsenic

According to the ATSDR, arsenic is considered the most common cause of heavy metal poisoning. Humans are exposed through environmental pollution (arsenic is released from the smelting process of copper, zinc and lead and through the manufacturing of chemicals and glass), ingestion (found in insect poisons), skin contact (some linseed oils) and our worldwide water supply, which has contaminated shellfish, cod and haddock that are later eaten.

An arsenic-based additive is also used in chicken feed to promote growth, kill parasites and improve pigmentation of chicken meat. So if you eat commercial, non-organic chicken you can also be exposed to arsenic through the meat.

Some other sources include paints, rat poison, fungicides, and wood preservatives. Arsenic targets specific organs such as the blood, kidneys, central nervous system and skin systems.

Symptoms of arsenic metal toxicity include:

• Nausea or vomiting

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea

• Garlic odor on breath

• Excessive salivation

• Headache

• Vertigo

• Fatigue

• Paralysis

• Kidney failure

• Progressive blindness

• Mental impairment such as apathy, dementia and anorexia

Arsenic metal toxicity precautions you can take:

• Maintain a high-fiber diet — Fiber binds with arsenic to eliminate it from your body

• Eat foods high in sulfur such as eggs, onions, beans, legumes, and garlic — Sulfur helps get rid of arsenic in your body