Heavy Metals: How The Environment Affects Health

In this day and age, it is pretty much impossible to avoid exposure to toxic heavy metals like mercury, copper, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. These heavy metals enter our bodies through a variety of sources from farming and industrial practices, corrosive pipes and contaminated groundwater to personal habits like smoking cigarettes.

Unfortunately, researchers have linked the presence of these dangerous elements in the human body with heart disease.

When comparing people with the lowest levels of arsenic exposure to those with the highest levels, the latter group was 30 percent more likely to contract a cardiovascular disease.

A similar comparison found that the highest levels of lead exposure were 43 percent more likely to develop a heart condition. For cadmium, the increased risk was 33 percent, while copper exposure was linked to a whopping 81 percent higher risk of coronary illness.