Researchers

Dr. Samar Alzeer

Published in

TIAFT March 2019: Issue 49 number 1

Abstract

When thinking about metal toxicity, one usually considers heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury. These metals are employed in homicides and suicides throughout history. Essential metals are often overlooked, and only come to mind in term of deficiency. Toxicity of an essential metal can be acute  or chronic. Chronic toxicity can be accidental or due to a genetic disease. In this report, both acute and chronic toxicity of iron, copper, zinc and selenium are presented.

.  Genetic illnesses (hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease) cause accumulation of iron and copper respectively, while a few iron tablets were the reason behind death of many toddlers. Denture creams were linked with zinc toxicity, and improper synthesis or administration of nutritional supplements led to a build-up of selenium. Toxicologists should consider metal toxicity when screening for drugs in homicide or suicide cases

Link to read full paper

http://www.tiaft.org/news.html?post=tiaft-bulletin-march-2019-is-now-available