How to Remove Heavy Metals free essay sample

Fortunately, you can take steps to understand and Meltzer such threats through simple acts of education, prevention, and treatment that will elf to lessen any negative impact on you and your family health. Remember chemistry class? Heavy metals are simply a certain class of metallic elements. Our bodies require trace amounts of some heavy metals, including copper, zinc, and others, but even these can be dangerous at high levels. Other heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium have no known benefits, and their accumulation over time can cause serious Illness and even premature death.The Industrialization of our world has dramatically increased the overall environmental load of heavy metal toxins. Today, heavy metals are abundant in our air, soil, and even drinking water. They are present in virtually every area of modern life from construction materials to cosmetics, medicines, processed foods, fuel, appliances, and even personal care products. It Is very difficult for anyone to avoid exposure. It is very difficult for anyone to avoid exposure. However, you can take steps to understand and minimize this threat through acts of prevention and treatment that will help to lessen their negative impact on you and your familys health.Heavy metal toxins contribute to a variety of adverse health effects. There are over 20 different known heavy metal toxins that can impact unman health. Accumulation within the body can lead to a decline in the mental, cognitive, and physical health of the individual. The following paragraphs discuss three of the most common and dangerous heavy metal toxic NSA: Arsenic The use of this toxic element in numerous industrial processes has resulted in its presence in many biological and ecological systems.Ground, surface, and drinking water are susceptible to arsenic poisoning from the use of arsenic in smelting, refining, gallivanting, and power plants; environmental contaminants like pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, desiccants, DOD preservatives, and animal feed additives; and human mad e hazardous waste sites, chemical wastes, and antibiotics. After the absorption Of arsenic compounds, the primary areas of distribution are the liver, kidneys, lung, spleen, aorta, and skin. Arsenic compounds are also readily deposited in the hair and nails.Arsenic is a highly toxic element that has been used historically for purposes of suicide and homicide. Its health effects are well known and documented. Acute exposure to arsenic compounds can cause nausea, anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle cramps, diarrhea, and burning of he mouth and throat. Garlic-like breath, malaise, and fatigue have also been seen while contact dermatitis, skin lesions, and skin irritation, are seen in individuals who come into direct tactile contact with arsenic compounds.Studies have shown close associations between both inhaled and ingested arsenic and cancer rates. Cancers of the skin, liver, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract are well documented in regards to arsenic exposure. Several arsenic compounds have been classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a Class A Human Carcinogen (IIRC 1987). Dead Lead is the 5th most utilized metal in the U. S. Human exposure to lead occurs primarily through drinking Water, airborne lead-containing particulates, and lead-based paints.The primary source of lead in drinking water is from lead- based plumbing materials. The corrosion of such materials will continue to increase concentrations of lead in municipal drinking water. The EPA actually allows small amounts of lead to be present in our tap water due to this insurmountable problem. Lead from water and airborne sources have been shown to accumulate in agricultural areas leading to increased incinerations in agricultural produce and farm animals. Cigarette smoke is also a significant source of lead exposure.Lead is one of the most toxic elements naturally occurring on Earth. High concentrations of lead can cause irreversible brain damage, seizure, coma, and death if not treated immediately. Evidence suggests that lead may cause fatigue, irritability, memory problems, reduction in sensory and motor reaction times, decision making impairment, and lapses in concentration. In adults, lead is very detrimental to the cardiovascular system. Occupationally exposed individuals end to have higher blood pressure and are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The kidneys are targets of lead toxicity and prone to impairment at moderate to high levels of lead concentrations. Other signs/symptoms of lead toxicity include gastrointestinal disturbances, abdominal pain, cramps, constipation, anorexia and weight loss, mispronunciation, and some liver impairment. Children absorb lead much more efficiently than adults do after exposure and are susceptible to the most damaging effects of lead toxicity. Lead not only appears to affect cognitive development of young children but also other areas Of neurophysiology function.Young children exposed to lead may exhibit mental retardation, learning difficulties, shortened attention spans (DEAD), increased behavioral problems (aggressive behaviors) and reduced physical growth. Lead has been determined by many health experts to be the #1 threat to developing children in our industrial societies. Mercury Mercury occurs primarily in two forms: organic mercury and inorganic mercury. Inorganic mercury and elemental mercury are both toxins that can reduce a wide range of adverse health affects.Inorganic mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, dental fillings, batteries, electrical wiring and switches, fluorescent light bulbs, pesticides, fungicides, vaccines, paint, skin- tightening creams, antiseptic creams, pharmaceutical drugs, and other ointments. Humans have the ability to convert this inorganic mercury to an organic form once it has become absorbed into the bloodstream. Organic mercury is known to bio-accumulate due they bodys inability to process and eliminate it.Organic mercury is found primarily in marine life (fish) and can often be found in produce, farm animals, processed grains, dairy products, and surface water sources. Occupational exposure to mercury containing compounds presents a significant health risk to individuals. Dentists, painters, fishermen, electricians, pharmaceutical/laboratories workers, farmers, factory workers, miners, chemist s, and beauticians are just some of the professions chronically exposed to mercury compounds. Our understanding of the effects of methyl mercury poisoning comes primarily from epidemic poisonings in Iraq and Japan.In Iraq more than 6,000 individuals were hospitalized and 459 died as a result of methyl mercury poisoning. Adults experienced symptoms including parenthesis visual disorders, ataxia, fatigue, tremor, hearing disorders (deafness), and coma. Observations of exposed individuals have shown irreversible brain damage. Iraqi children poisoned through the consumption of mercury containing food products (grains treated with mercury containing fungicides) exhibited nervous system impairment, visual and auditory disorders, weakness, motor and cognitive impairment, and emotional disturbances.Individuals in Japan experienced many of these same homonyms after the ingestion of fish containing large amounts of methyl mercury. Mercury has recently been implicated as being a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of autism in American children. The Autism Research Institute has focused on mercury containing vaccines (TMS) and their relationship to autism. Over 2 million individuals are affected with autism, a improvements syndrome that typically produces impairment in sociality, communication, and sensory/perceptual processes.Recent evidence has found a positive correlation between complications seen in autistics and implications seen in mercury poisoned individuals (Bernard et al. 2000). Mercury poisoning has been implicated in the development of many other human dysfunctional states for many years. Among these are cerebral palsy, metamorphic lateral sclerosis (ALLS), Parkinson disease, psychosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CIFS). Other heavy metal toxins include Aluminum, Antimony, Barium, Bismuth, Cadmium, Cesium, Nickel, Platinum, Rubidium, Thorium, Tin, Tungsten, and Uranium. How to Safely Remove Heavy Metal Toxins: We are just now beginning to understand the threat of long-term exposure to eave metal toxins. However heavy metal toxicity is a condition that often goes overlooked in traditional medical diagnoses. Heavy metal toxins have the ability to impair not just a single cell or tissue but many of the bodys systems that are responsible for our behavior, mental health, and proper physiological functioning. If undetected, these agents can cause immeasurable pain and suffering for any afflicted individual.Fortunately, there are even uses that we can pursue to detoxify heavy metals already in our system and to prevent additional exposures. Testing Options: Various forms of testing include urine, stool, hair, and blood analysis. Each method has different pros and cons and applications. Blood tests are useful for identifying ongoing chronic exposures. However, blood testing is not a good method for identifying past exposures stored in the bodys tissues. Hair testing measures the bodys excretion of toxic metals over a long period of time.The length of hair determines what time period is being averaged. Urine and Stool testing also measures the bodys excretion of toxic metals, but is primarily a measure of recent exposure, usually during the last few days. Provocation Testing is widely considered the most conclusive method. This testing involves the use of a detoxification agent, followed by a collection of urine. This test tells you two important facts: 1 The metal was present in the body, and 2) It demonstrates that the detoxification agent can remove it.It is best to first take a baseline urine sample, followed by the provoked sample. This allows one to directly compare the effects of a provocation agent. Removal Options: Traditional Collation: Popular therapies known as collation often rely on intravenous (IV) solutions to help eliminate heavy metal toxins. DEED, DAMS, and DUMPS are three compounds that have traditionally been used for the removal of heavy metals. These therapies have been shown to be effective, but also potentially harmful due to their side-effects that compromise the bodys nutritional status via mineral depletion.These therapies can also be very expensive, very time consuming, and extremely difficult for young children. All Natural Toilet: An exciting, newly patented oral collation option utilizes a purified form of the toilet mineral, clinometers. Toilet is a natural mineral formed over thousands of years from the combination of volcanic SSH and sea water. Due to its negatively charged 3-D honeycomb-like structure, it acts as a cage that allows it to trap a variety of harmful toxins and heavy metals.It has been shown to be incredibly effective in the removal of heavy metal toxins, but without the dangers of removing critical minerals. In fact, in animal studies it has been shown to actually improve their overall nutritional status. It is also conveniently administered in the form of liquid drops that can be added to water or any other liquid, and it does not require prescription or oversight by a physician. Purified toilet also offers other lath benefits as a pH buffering agent as well as its ability to remove some allergens and viral components from the body. Anecdotal evidence and ongoing clinical studies also support the use of purified toilet in preventing and treating most forms of cancer. It is important to note that not all toilet products are created equal. Only one product carries a United States Patent which protects the process used to purify the mineral. Because toilet attracts heavy metals and toxins literally like a magnet, it is already dirt)/ from exposure to environmental toxins while in its natural state. The patented purification process cleans the toilet structure resulting in a much more powerful and inherently safe form of the mineral.To learn more about purified toilet and heavy metal testing, please visit: http:// www. allnaturalprevention. Com/pages/oral-collation. HTML Prevention Steps: The best solution for combating heavy metal toxins is to avoid them in the first place. Todays modern world makes this task almost impossible, but significant improvements can be accomplished using the following guidelines: 1 . Avoid mercury-silver dental amalgams: Mercury based amalgams are the ajar source of mercury in most Americans. Consider extraction and replacement, but only through a qualified and experienced dentist. . Avoid fish and some shellfish: Fish and seafood are a common source for mercury and even arsenic, especially the largest fish (shark, swordfish, tuna), which are highest in mercury. Buy organic, tested, and certified mercury-free fish and seafood. 3. Clean Water: use a high quality water filtration unit for all drinking water. A high quality shower filter also helps to avoid inhalation of heavy metals, chlorine, and other contaminants. 4. Clean Air: Outdoor air pollution s hard to avoid, but indoor air pollution is often much worse due to our energy efficient, air-tight buildings.High quality air filtration and purification systems have quickly become an important part of any healthy lifestyle. 5. Clean Food: Buying Organic foods (preferred) or extensive washing of the surfaces of fruits and vegetables is a very important step as well as avoiding virtually all processed foods. Nutrition is a vital component to helping the body detoxify itself. 6. Natural Products: Household cleaners as well as many personal care products such as skin creams and make-up have been found to array heavy metals and other toxic elements. Buy all natural products whenever possible. 7. Temporal-free vaccines: Temporal has NOT been removed from all vaccines. Many adult vaccines, including the common flu- shot, still contain Temporal, a mercury based preservative. 8. Avoid Industrial Areas: As much as possible, avoid areas of industry especially in choosing where to live. Air, water, and food contamination is typically worse in these areas. ABA. Goad is the founder of WV. AIlNaturalPrevention. Com, a website dedicated to prevention using all natural products, effective cosmologies, timeless wisdom, and common sense. To learn more about wwuallnaturalprevention. Mom/pages/oral-collation. HTML Source: http:// www. allnaturalprevention. Com/pages/heavy-metal-toxins. HTML retrieved Jan. 6, 2012 8:06 pm Anne Marina for National Geographic News Published March 11, 2011 This story is part of a National Geographic News series on global water issues. Banana peels are no longer just for composting or comedy shows: New science shows they can pull heavy metal contamination from river water. Metals such as lead and copper are introduced to waterways from a variety of resources, including agricultural runoff and industrial wastes.Once there, heavy metals can contaminate soils and pose health risks to humans and other species. Lead is known to affect the brain and nervous system. Traditionally, Water quality engineers have used silica, cellulose, and aluminum Oxide to extract heavy metals from water, but these remediation strategies come with high price tags and potentially toxic side effects of their own. They work as extractors due to the presence of acids such as those found in the carboxylic and phenol groups, which attract metal ions. Read more: Predicting the Worlds Next Water Pollution Disaster. ) Bananas, on the other hand, appear to be a safe solution. Banana peels also outperform the competition, says Gustavo Castro, a researcher at the Biosciences Institute at Bootlace, Brazil, and a coauthor of a new study on this new use of the fruits peel. For the study, Castro and his team dried and ground banana peels, then combined them in flasks of water with known concentrations of metals. They also built water filters out Of peels and pushed water through them.In both scenarios, the metal was removed from the water and remained bonded to the banana eels, Castro said, adding that the extraction capacity of banana peels exceeded that of other materials used to remove heavy metals. Previous work has shown that other plant parts?including apple and sugar cane wastes, coconut fibers, and peanut shells?can remove potential toxins from water. Dont Try This at Home Castro doesnt advise the use of banana peels for home water purification. For starters, the concentration of heavy metals in tap water is usually negligible.Also, while putting banana peels in contact with water will likely remove some metals, the average person isnt likely to be able to measure success. Castro said his study findings are most likely to be useful in industrial settings. The new study appears in Industrial Engineering Chemistry Research, a journal of the American Chemical Society. Source: http://news. Encephalographic. Com/news/201 1 /03/1 1 031 1 -water-pollution- lead-heavy-metal-banana-pollination/ This section provides details on the latest developments and efforts in general heavy metals removal from wastewater.We have discussed the following: * Current Wastewater Treatment Process Heavy Metals Removal * New Tech analogies in Heavy Metals Removal from Wastewater Metal Removal from Wastewater using Peat * A Novel Method for Heavy Metal Removal Using Fish Scales Seashells for Heavy Metals Clean-up * Toxic Heavy Metal Ions Removal from Waste Water by Membrane Filtration Of PIG-Based Inappropriate * Novel Filtration Methods for the Treatment of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater * Removal of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater by Adsorption onto Activated * Physics-Chemical Carbon Prepared from an Agricultural Solid Waste Treatment Techniques for Wastewater Laden with Heavy Metals Microbial and Plant Derived Biomass for Removal of Heavy Metals from Removal of Heavy Met als from Wastewater by Membrane Waste term Processes: A Comparative Study * Low-Cost Adsorbents for Hoax Metals Uptake from Contaminated Water: A Review he traditional method followed in industries to remove toxic heavy metal wastes is as follows: A heavy metal (in the form of ion) can be removed from waste water, by adding to the waste water a metal scavenger together with at least one of sodium mononucleosis, sodium polypeptides and sodium heterogeneously to form a metal ion containing flow. The resulting flow is then removed from the waste water by filtration.The metal scavenger contains at least one corroboration group and/or at least one carbohydrate salt group as N-subsistent per molecule. New Technologies in Heavy Metals Removal from Wastewater Metal Removal from Wastewater using Peat Peat has been investigated by several researchers as a sorbet for the capture of dissolved metals from waste streams. The mechanism of metal ion binding to peat remains a controversial area with ion-exchange, complication, and surface adsorption being the prevalent theories. Factors affecting adsorption include pH, loading rates, and the presence of competing teals. The optimum pH range for metals capture is generally 3. 5-6. 5.Although the presence of more than one metal in a solution creates competition for sorption sites and less of a particular ion may be bound, the total sorption capacity has been found to increase. Studies have also shown that metals removal is most efficient when the loading rates are low. In addition, recovery of metals and regeneration of the peat is possible using acid elution with little effect on peats sorption capacity. 1 Advantages: * This method is simple, effective and economical means of pollution remediation. Peat is plentiful and inexpensive. A Novel Method for Heavy Metal Removal Using Ash Scales: Effective removal of metal ions from industrial wastewater by using fish scales was studied in this article.A series of static tests was performed with 10 g of dried fish scale adsorbent pulverize to micron sizes of 37 or less. Such tests were conducted for lead ions (from lead nitrate solution) at concentrations of 25 pump, 12. 5 pump, and 6. 25 pump. The dynamic equilibrium results were based on tests on 50 pump of cobalt chloride solution (flow rate 1 ml/min), followed by 1 00 pump of cobalt solution (flow rate 7 ml/min), and hen a mixture of cobalt chloride (Cocoa), lead nitrate (BP(NON)2), zinc nitrate hexameter (Zen(NON)2. OH) and strontium nitrate (Sir(NON)2) solutions. The proposed sorption technique offers an acceptable solution for removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater streams.The potential application of this study is an enormous energy cost savings in the electroplating industry, which requires the replacement of wastewater and the burial of metal sludge in landfills. Also, the trimming of energy costs in oil drilling and pipeline corrosion is possible by potential formation of polymers developed from adsorbed scale. 2 Seashells for Hoax,y Metals Clean-Up On the banks of the Saigon River in Viet Name, researchers have completed tests on a new way to combat water pollution that could save millions of lives in coa stal cities in the developing world. Toxic metals like cadmium, zinc, lead and iron were cleaned using seashells. Dry.KÂ ¶heels team has found that pouring metal and acid-laden water over a bed of crushed clam or mussel shells provides an easy fix. The shells are made of originate, a form of calcium carbonate that readily swaps its calcium atoms in favor of heavy teals, locking them into a solid form. The shells are alkaline a pH of 8. 3 when dissolved and needs to be maintained so by adding more shells. 3 Toxic Heavy Metal Ions Removal from Waste Water by Membrane Filtration Of PIG-based Inappropriate Polymer enhanced alliterations is a feasible method to remove metal ions from diluted waste water stream. Polyploidy are widely investigated for this application.