Heavy Metals

Many of the products we use have heavy metals in them. Heavy metals are in the foods we eat, water we drink, and the air we breathe. We need very little of only a few heavy metals including zinc, copper, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium and strontium. These good heavy...

Arsenic's symbol is 'As' and the atomic number is 33 on the periodic table. This metalloid is extremely poisonous, and it has many allotropic forms including several metalloid black and gray forms and a non metallic yellow form. It is converted to gas with no liquid transitional state, (it...

What is Mercury? Mercury is a chemical element, symbol Hg, atomic number 80 on the periodic table, commonly called quicksilver, and the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. Mercury is a heavy, silvery liquid metal, which is very dense, but has a high surface tension, causing...

Chromium hexavalent is a compound of the element chromium. It is found naturally in nature and it gained attention and infamous notoriety as being the substance found in the drinking water in the California town of Hinkley. It was Erin Brockovich who championed the cause to eradicate the substance...

Cobalt is an element that can be both beneficial to an individual's health and detrimental to it. The difference is dictated by the amount of cobalt one is subjected to. At its lowest levels, cobalt can be found in the chemical makeup of vitamin B12, which is necessary for...

Copper is a vital elemental nutrient that is necessary for good health. In fact, it can be found naturally in all plants and animals. The metallic form of copper can also be found in our environment as it occurs naturally there as well. As vital as it is for...

Strontium is indicated by 'Sr' and has an atomic number of 38 on the periodic table. It occurs naturally, but only in compounds with other elements like the minerals, strontianite and celestite. Alone it's extremely reactive. In the air, strontium spontaneously combusts to strontium oxide and strontium nitride. In...

If you don't already know, aluminum poses a very serious danger to the human body, and in small amounts. Here's a little background about aluminum. Aluminum does not occur as a free metal but is found in minerals and ores. In its natural state it doesn't pose a...

Bismuth is an abundant element that features the highest diamagnetic properties of any metal as well as one of the lowest thermal conductivity ratings. In fact, only mercury has a lower thermal conductivity. The physical aspects of bismuth include a hard, brittle and heavy metallic finish that is white...

Cadmium is a rare chemical element. It is represented as Cd on the periodic table with an atomic number 48. It is an impurity in zinc ores. "Cadmium is isolated from the zinc metal by vacuum distillation (forced evaporation process) if the zinc is smelted, or cadmium sulfate is...

Lead is a heavy metal that is toxic at low levels. Pb atomic number 82 is its designation on the periodic table. Organic and inorganic compounds of lead are dangerous. Lead is very soft metal that is a poor conductor for electricity. Because it doesn't corrode easily, it is...

Mercury is Hg with an atomic number of 80 on the periodic table. Mercury is a heavy, silvery metal which is liquid at room temperature. It’s one of six elements that have the liquid characteristic at or near room temperature and pressure. Mercury is a rare element in the...

Nickel is a metal that is most commonly used in the manufacture of stainless steel and other alloys. It is a naturally occurring element that also happens to be one of the more abundant metals found on the planet. While minimal exposure to nickel is usually quite harmless, higher...

Barium is a potentially harmful element that can cause a number of gastrointestinal problems if a person is exposed to enough of it. Unfortunately, it is difficult to detect how much exposure to barium one has on a daily basis because exposure can come from a number of different...

Titanium was discovered in 1791 by William Gregor, an amateur geologist, and then again, independently in 1791 by M.H. Klaproth. In fact, the metal was originally called "klaproth," after the German chemist. Klaproth eventually renamed the metal "titanium," after the Titans, the mythological first sons of the Earth. ...

Uranium is probably best recognized for its use in nuclear plants and in the making of nuclear weapons. But, while most people may think it is highly radioactive, in truth, it only carries a mild radioactivity. It was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and he named the...

Tin is a metal that we come into contact with on an almost daily basis. It is used to line the insides of beverage cans, aerosols and steel food containers due to its ability to resist corrosion. While most people do not come in direct contact with high levels...

What is Lead? Lead is symbol Pb, atomic number 82 on the periodic table. Its elemental traits are a soft, heavy toxic, poor metal. When first cut, its color is bluish-white, and tarnishes becoming dull gray after air exposure, and when melted into its liquid form, it becomes...

What is Aluminum? Aluminum is a bluish or silvery white chemical element from the boron group. It is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, making up 8% of its solid surface. It is the third most abundant element overall, after silicon and oxygen. How am...

What is Chlordane? Chlordane is a manmade chemical that was manufactured as a pesticide in the U.S. Unlike other chemicals, chlordane does not occur in the environment naturally. It is a mixture of two isomers called "alpha-chlordane and gamma-chlordane" mixed with a variety of side products. Sold...

Dichlorophene, which is also commonly referred to simply as phenol, is a highly corrosive powder that is either light pink or slightly cream in color. Since it has a high melting point and is insoluble in water, its toxic properties make it a popular choice for use in bactericides,...

Beryllium is an element that presents basically no chemical uses for plant or animal life. It is considered a rare element in both the Earth and in the universe in general because it is not formed through conventional stellar nucleosynthesis. What is Beryllium? Beryllium (atomic number: 4,...