Heavy metals persist in the environment and in the human body (stored in fat tissues) and are tied to a number of nervous disorders.
Lead
A study discussed in the 2012 September 21 Living on Earth connected children’s exposure to lead and mercury to ADHD. Adolescents with elevated blood levels of lead were 4 to 5 times more likely to display hyperactive, impulsive, aggressive behaviors. Also see post on Green Tea Contamination.
Mercury
A study discussed in the 2012 September 21 Living on Earth connected children’s exposure to lead and mercury to ADHD. Children with elevated levels of mercury in their cord blood were three times more likely to express the inattentive type of ADHD.
Arsenic
See posts on Apple Beverages and Green Tea Contamination. Apple juice and rice are two products in the US that Consumer Reports tests have shown have troublesome levels of arsenic. Organic arsenic (such as that in apple seeds) passes harmlessly through the human body; inorganic arsenic does not pass harmlessly. Inorganic arsenic enters food through water which has leached arsenic from rock formations (a natural process) or through residual contamination from arsenic-based pesticides.
Arsenic poisoning stalks India`s gold mines on Environmental Expert.