Rusyniak Daniel E, Arroyo Anna, Acciani Jennifer, Froberg Blake, Kao Louise, Furbee Brent
Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
EXS. 2010;100:365-96. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7643-8338-1_11.
Of the known elements, nearly 80% are either metals or metalloids. The highly reactive nature of most metals result in their forming complexes with other compounds such oxygen, sulfide and chloride. Although this reactivity is the primary means by which they are toxic, many metals, in trace amounts, are vital to normal physiological processes; examples include iron in oxygen transport, manganese and selenium in antioxidant defense and zinc in metabolism. With these essential metals toxicity occurs when concentrations are either too low or too high. For some metals there are no physiological concentrations that are beneficial; as such these metals only have the potential to cause toxicity. This chapter focuses on four of these: arsenic, mercury, lead and thallium.
在已知元素中，近80%是金属或类金属。大多数金属的高反应活性导致它们与其他化合物如氧气、硫化物和氯化物形成络合物。尽管这种反应活性是它们产生毒性的主要方式，但许多金属在痕量时对正常生理过程至关重要；例如，铁参与氧气运输，锰和硒参与抗氧化防御，锌参与新陈代谢。对于这些必需金属，当浓度过低或过高时都会发生毒性。对于某些金属来说，不存在有益的生理浓度；因此，这些金属只会产生毒性。本章重点介绍其中四种：砷、汞、铅和铊。
