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Metals
Core toxic-metal pages describe toxicology, typical exposure routes through food, food sources linked to ingredients, regulatory limits linked to regulations, analytical methods linked to testing, and microbiome effects where documented. Arsenic, mercury, chromium, and tin are maintained under separate species pages because the toxicological and regulatory implications of the species differ sharply: inorganic versus total arsenic, methylmercury versus total mercury, hexavalent versus total chromium, and organotin versus inorganic tin each have between two and three orders of magnitude separation in derived oral guidance values, and total-element measurement without speciation cannot be honestly mapped to toxicity-derived guidance. Nutrient elements such as manganese and zinc are included as graph stubs when they appear in infant-formula risk-assessment sources, but they are not HMTc toxic-metal analytes unless separately designated.
Manganese Manganese is an essential element required at low doses for connective-tissue formation, bone development, and several enzyme cofactor roles.
Chromium, Hexavalent Hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI, Cr(VI), or Cr6+) is the high-oxidation-state form of chromium found in chromate (CrO4^2-) and dichromate (Cr2O7^2-) anions.
Organotins Organotin compounds are tin-carbon-bonded molecules in which tin is covalently linked to one, two, or three alkyl or aryl substituents (mono-, di-, and tri-organotins).
Tin, Inorganic Inorganic tin denotes tin in the +2 (stannous, Sn2+) and +4 (stannic, Sn4+) oxidation states bound to non-carbon ligands such as chloride, sulfate, or oxide.
Tin Tin (Sn, atomic number 50) is a soft silvery metal that is overwhelmingly encountered in the modern food system through tinplated steel cans, where the elemental tin lining contacts the food and dissolves into it as inorganic tin in proportion to the food’s acidity, the can’s lacquering status, ...
Lead Quick read Lead is treated differently from most dietary contaminants because major agencies have not identified a safe blood lead level for children.
Aluminum This page draws on the EFSA AFC Panel 2008 Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Aluminium from Dietary Intake (EFSA 2008), the ATSDR 2008 Toxicological Profile for Aluminum (ATSDR 2008), and the JECFA Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications (JECFA FA Compendium).
Arsenic This page draws on the ATSDR 2007 Toxicological Profile for Arsenic (ATSDR 2007), the EPA IRIS January 2025 inorganic arsenic toxicological review (EPA IRIS iAs 2025), the EFSA CONTAM 2009 Scientific Opinion on Arsenic in Food (EFSA As 2009), the JECFA 82nd meeting arsenic monograph (JECFA 8...
Cobalt Cobalt is an essential trace metal as the central metal in vitamin B12, but cobalt-containing dusts and hard-metal materials can produce respiratory toxicity, allergic dermatitis, cardiomyopathy, and carcinogenicity concerns.
Copper Copper is an essential metal in enzymes including cytochrome c oxidase, lysyl oxidase, and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, but excess copper can produce gastrointestinal and hepatic toxicity.
Gold Gold is named by Ufelle & Barchowsky 2021 in two chapter-level contexts: metals that can provoke immune reactions and historical/therapeutic use of metal compounds.
Mercury This page draws on the ATSDR 2024 Toxicological Profile for Mercury (ATSDR 2024), the EPA IRIS chemical assessments for mercuric chloride and methylmercury (EPA IRIS Hg, EPA IRIS MeHg), the JECFA 61st meeting methylmercury monograph (JECFA 61st), the EFSA CONTAM 2012 Scientific Opinion on Me...
Molybdenum Molybdenum is an essential cofactor for enzymes including sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reductase.
Nickel This page draws on the EFSA CONTAM 2020 update of the nickel risk assessment (EFSA Ni 2020), the ATSDR 2024 Toxicological Profile for Nickel (ATSDR Ni 2024), the NTP 15th Report on Carcinogens nickel chapter (NTP 15th RoC 2021), the EPA Ecological Soil Screening Levels for nickel (EPA Eco-SSL...
Titanium Titanium is listed by Ufelle & Barchowsky 2021 among minor toxic metals for which toxicity has been described, and the chapter also mentions titanium-based implants in the broader metal-therapy and implant-toxicity context.