Overview
Heavy metal toxicity refers to the harmful biological and physiological effects that arise when the body is exposed to excessive amounts of certain metallic elements, most notably lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium. These elements occur naturally in the Earth's crust but become hazardous when concentrated through industrial activity, mining, contaminated water and food, occupational exposure, or improper waste disposal. Once absorbed, heavy metals can disrupt enzyme function, generate oxidative stress, and accumulate in tissues such as the kidneys, liver, bones, and nervous system, producing acute poisoning or chronic damage depending on the dose and duration of exposure. Because many of these metals are not readily eliminated, even low-level long-term exposure can carry significant risk, and several are recognized as carcinogens. Assessing exposure levels, establishing safe thresholds, and tracing environmental sources are central concerns of toxicology. Within the broad scope of Experimental and Clinical Toxicology, research in this area examines how contaminants move through ecosystems, how dose relates to biological harm, and how risk levels are derived for individual metals such as cadmium. This page collects peer-reviewed, open-access work relevant to the characterization, environmental fate, and toxicological assessment of heavy metals and related contaminants.
Research published in this journal
5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
Ecotoxicological Assessment of Leachate from Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsites
Attenuation of Microcystins Using Electron Beams and Gamma Radiation: A Study with Environment-Bound Conditions
Characterization of Commercial Solid Waste Stream in Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Minimal Risk Level Derivation for Cadmium: Acute and Intermediate Duration Exposures
How this research is being cited
The 5 articles above have been cited 19 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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2026 · Toxics
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2025 · Toxics
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2025 · Atmosphere
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2025 · Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment
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2025 · Atmosphere
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2025 · Toxics
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2025 · Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment
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2025 ·
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Heavy Metal Toxicity, linking to each citing work.