Prevention of Metal Exposure: Chelating Agents and Barrier Creams
|Prevention of Metal Exposure: Chelating Agents and Barrier Creams
|Year of Publication
|Mahato M, Sherman NE, N. Mudnakudu KKumar, Joshi N, Briand E, Karp JM, Vemula PKumar
|Chen JK, Thyssen JP
|Metal Allergy: From Dermatitis to Implant and Device Failure
|Springer International Publishing
Metals are a group of elements which are ubiquitous in modern life. They are used in the fields of cosmetics, water purification, medicine, paint, food products, pesticides, and almost innumerable others. As the use of metals has increased in recent decades, so has human exposure to these elements. Metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, nickel, and others have been implicated in negatively affecting human homeostasis by causing chronic inflammatory diseases, among other serious conditions. Both acute and chronic metal toxicity in vital organs could arise from local or systemic exposure to numerous metals. Although some metals have health benefits, overaccumulation of metals in body tissues can result in deleterious, toxic effects. Most exposure to metals occurs via cutaneous, inhalation, or oral routes. At the highest risk of negative effects of exposure are pregnant women and children. To ameliorate or prevent the toxic effects of metals, chelating agents and barrier creams are used widely in medical practice today. In this chapter, we will discuss preventing metal toxicity from overexposure via chelation therapy and skin barrier creams.