If you live in the west or the east, in an economically advanced country or a repressed one, getting a blood test is always a good way to know if you have been exposed to heavy metal toxins. If you live in a large city, you can ask your own doctor about the possibility in testing your blood, but there are also a number of companies that offer mail-in and online results. Try bloodtest.org. This particular company is based in the US, but you can always call them via Skype if you live in another country to see if their nurses can help you understand what tests you might need.Â
Some heavy metals can be tolerated by the body, or even necessary for survival. But exposure to high levels of some heavy metals can easily become toxic. Sometimes we get exposed to metals in our diet, from the local environment, the workplace or home. Knowing more about what’s in your body can help you appeal to local authorities where you can demand better living and working conditions. Consider the case in Turkey where one researcher discovered scary levels of contaminants in newborns and breastfeeding mothers. Local industry will need to answer to these pollutants in some way or another.
What heavy metals you can track and trace
Mercury which is often found in polluted fish and near industrial areas is very toxic to human beings and wildlife. Cadmium found in the toxic waste dumps near where e-waste is rotting is another way kids and adults in the Middle East get poisoned. Arsenic and lead are two others to watch out for.
Other heavy metals that can lead to toxic exposures include chromium, copper, fluoride, zinc, and xylenes.
According to http://bloodtest.org, “Patients who have had heavy metal exposure may have no symptoms or symptoms that vary according to the type and severity of the exposure. Some signs of metal poisoning include pain in the abdomen, vomiting and nausea, tingling or weakness in the hands and feet, organ damage, memory loss, behavioral changes and breathing problems. Anemia may also occur, and children with this problem often develop weak bones.”
Others lead to physical, muscular and neurological damages which can cause Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and possibly allergies down the road. Exposure to some can cause cancer.
We often associate blood tests with pathological conditions, but knowing what’s lurking in the blood can help you and your community better protect its future.
Image of blood test from Shutterstock
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