![]() Metals are found all over the earth including the atmosphere, earth crust, water bodies, and can also accumulate in biological organisms including plants and animals. They are substances with high electrical conductivity which voluntarily lose their electrons to form cations. Metals are natural constituents that exist in the ecosystem. Alongside these mechanisms, the noxious health effects of these heavy metals are discussed. More so, the mechanism by which heavy metals cause neurotoxicity, generate free radical which promotes oxidative stress damaging lipids, proteins and DNA molecules and how these free radicals propagate carcinogenesis are discussed. ![]() Therefore it aims to highlight on biochemical mechanisms of heavy metal intoxication which involves binding to proteins and enzymes, altering their activity and causing damage. The focus of this chapter is to describe the various mechanism of intoxication of some selected heavy metals in humans along with their health effects. However, some of these heavy metals in high doses can be harmful to the body while others such as cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium, silver, and arsenic in minute quantities have delirious effects in the body causing acute and chronic toxicities in humans. Some of these heavy metals such as copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, magnesium, molybdenum, chromium, selenium, manganese and zinc have functional roles which are essential for various diverse physiological and biochemical activities in the body. ![]() Among these heavy metals, a few have direct or indirect impact on the human body. Several heavy metals are found naturally in the earth crust and are exploited for various industrial and economic purposes.
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