US EPA

4971119 

Journal Article 

Immunotoxicity of heavy metals in relation to Great Lakes 

Bernier, J; Brousseau, P; Krzystyniak, K; Tryphonas, H; Fournier, M 

1995 

Yes 

Environmental Health Perspectives
ISSN: 0091-6765
EISSN: 1552-9924 

US DEPT HEALTH HUMAN SCIENCES PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE 

RES TRIANGLE PK 

103 

23-34 

English 

8635436 

10.1289/ehp.95103s923 

WOS:A1995TY00100004 

http:///www.niehs.nih.gov
Exit
 

BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. Heavy metals including mercury, lead, and cadmium are present throughout the ecosystem and are detectable in small amounts in the Great Lakes water and fish. The main route of exposure of humans to these metals is via the ingestion of contaminated food, especially fish. Extensive experimental investigations indicated that heavy metals alter a number of parameters of the host's immune system and lead to increased susceptibility to infections, autoimmune diseases, and allergic manifestations. The existing limited epidemiologic data and data derived from in vitro systems in which human peripheral blood leukocytes were used suggested that the human immune system may also be at increased risk following exposure to these metals. The magnitude of the risk that the presence of such metals in the Great Lakes may pose to the human immune system, and consequently to their health, is not known. In this review, the available data with respect to potential adverse effects of heavy me 

Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; Toxicology; immunotoxicology, heavy metals, cadmium, mercury, lead, risk assessment; brown norway rats, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis,; chloride-induced autoimmunity, decreased antibody-formation,; developmental lead-exposure, cadmium-induced synthesis, methyl mercury; exposure, helper t-cells, immune-response, human-lymphocytes