Table of Contents
What are toxic element safety guidelines?
Toxic element safety guidelines are a set of values that deem a point in which a toxic element may cause or create a health problem.
Our hair analysis report includes a Toxic Element graph that shows the reference (“acceptable”) range for each of the well-documented toxic elements.
Don’t be fooled by the “acceptable range” because a toxic element within the reference range may easily create or contribute toward myriad symptoms or health problems.
Read on…
Who determines toxic element safety guidelines?
Myriad agencies are involved in setting toxic guidelines. A few notable agencies include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Center for Disease Control (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) and other federal and state agencies.
What are the pitfalls of toxic element safety guidelines?
First, it is important to realize that very few agencies appear to collaborate with each other. This is the same problem with almost every field of the sciences. However, the experts within these agencies and other sources do not appear to account for three important and well-known major factors that include:
- The multitude of constant daily exposures
- The accumulative factor
- Your detoxification ability (biochemistry)
Let’s investigate these a bit further.
The multitude of daily toxic element exposures
An important factor to consider, especially today, is the amount of toxic elements exposures you are continually exposed to on a daily basis.
As seen on the toxic elements page myriad sources of exposures exist throughout your normal daily life. From pharmaceuticals (including over-the-counter products) to personal products to building materials and everything in between, you are susceptible to constant toxic element exposures.
Normally, each toxic element exposure is in very small amounts (microscopic). As such, each exposure by itself could be “considered” safe; however, you need to consider how many products or other sources in your environment may expose you to an additional amount of the same toxic element.
For example, your antiperspirant may contain aluminum (yes, the skin is an entry point), the couple of antacids you just consumed may contain more aluminum, the beverage you just consumed was in an aluminum container, and you cooked your meal in a piece of aluminum cookware.
This is only a quick example using aluminum to see how easy it is to have a multiple exposures to any toxic element. In addition, your foods may be grown in soils with high toxic element concentrations (including herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, irrigation water, etc.) that will further contribute to toxic element exposures.
One more thing to remember is that toxic elements are natural elements (Periodic Table) of the earth itself. As such, you simply cannot escape daily exposures no matter how small each exposure may be.
Do the toxic element safety guidelines include the multitude of daily toxic element exposures?
The accumulative factor
Toxic element accumulation is another important factor to consider. Toxic elements can easily accumulate throughout the mind and body. The accumulation factor simply refers to the potential for a residual accumulation (or buildup) throughout the mind and body.
This is commonly referred to as sequestering.
Sequestering is a natural and innate process of the body for survival. When you are exposed to a toxic element that enters the bloodstream, your body uses a variety of nutrients (minerals, vitamins, and amino acids) in an attempt to remove the toxin from the mind and body as quickly as possible.
If the toxin is not fully removed, the body will sequester the rest of the toxin in different tissues throughout the mind and body. The liver and kidneys are well-known storage sites for toxic elements. Toxic elements can last for years or decades in the tissues and as such, toxic element accumulation begins.
This same process repeats itself each time you are exposed to the same toxic element or other toxins.
Interestingly, your body will also sequester essential nutritional elements that are consumed in excess or are not properly metabolized (e.g., calcium can be deposited in the arteries, skin, gall bladder, kidneys, muscles, etc.).
Do the toxic element safety guidelines include the toxic element accumulation factor?
Your detoxification capability
Each factor just mentioned brings us to another important factor: your capability to detox the body. Your detoxification capability is actually twofold. As seen throughout this website, the importance of optimal nutrition is foremost.
As such, your detoxification process begins at the moment of exposure of the toxin!
Upon exposure, in a healthy individual with adequate nutrition, metallothionein is expressed and mercury is eliminated from the body. If the individual consumes an unhealthy diet leading to mineral imbalances, especially zinc loss and copper gain, then it is possible that either there will not be enough metallothionein to eliminate the mercury or the metallothionein may not function properly. In either case, if the mercury is not eliminated then it will lead to oxidative stress. An important target organ of mercury regardless of form when it cannot be eliminated from the body is the brain.
Dufault R, Schnoll R, Lukiw WJ, Leblanc B, Cornett C, Patrick L, Wallinga D, Gilbert SG, Crider R. Mercury exposure, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disruptions may affect learning in children. Behav Brain Funct. 2009 Oct 27;5:44. doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-44. Erratum in: Behav Brain Funct. 2018 Feb 7;14 (1):3. PMID: 19860886; PMCID: PMC2773803. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773803/
Because you are constantly exposed to myriad toxins (chemical toxins, metabolic toxins, as well as toxic elements) every day, your capability to properly remove any toxic element from the mind and body may be further compromised.
Your detox capability depends on many factors. Foremost, the more optimally nourished your mind and body are, the greater your detoxification capability is as well. However, let’s explore two important yet widely ignored factors that include:
- Protective nutrients
- Preferred nutrients
What are protective nutrients?
Protective nutrients are nutrients that are known to have antagonistic effects on toxic elements. Protective nutrients include amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Protective nutrients work together in concert to assist your detox process.
Preferred nutrients
Preferred nutrients are nutrients the mind and body use in specific metabolic pathways. Preferred nutrients include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. They also include all the different nutrients derived from different combinations of all essential nutrients.
What you may not realize is that the body, in the absence of a preferred nutrient, will use or utilize a toxic element in its place! Albeit not the most healthy, this is an amazing and innate ability for survival referred to as “molecular mimicry”.
Do the toxic element safety guidelines include your detoxification capability?
Hair analysis may help reveal toxic elements and toxic ratios.
The questions were quite proper for determining safety guidelines. As such, our hair analysis is an excellent tool that may help answer two of the questions,
- Hair analysis can help reveal ongoing toxic element exposures
- Hair analysis can help reveal your detoxification capabilities
Our Trace Elements Inc. hair analyses (Profiles 1, 2, and 3) reveal insightful information about toxic element exposures and the degree of the exposure over a 90-day timeframe. Elements include mercury, arsenic, lead, aluminum, cadmium, uranium, and others as well.
Our hair analysis also reveals essential minerals that are important for your detoxification capabilities. Included in the Profile 2 and 3 is a list of healthy foods and supplements that help optimize your nutritional status that also improve your detoxification capability.
In addition, our lab reports also include a Toxic Ratios graph. The Toxic Ratios graph reveals the potential metabolic interference a toxic element may have on an essential nutritional element. This simply indicates if a nutritional element is low, there may be one or more toxic elements that could possibly be interfering with the metabolic functions of the essential nutritional element.
As you view the toxic element graph, you may see the Ratio is indicating a potential effect on the nutritional element. This is revealed by the bar being low in the graph. Interestingly, a bar can be low even though a toxic element is below detectable level.
This simply means the nutritional element, even though it may be within the reference range (low end of the reference range), may potentially be affected by the toxic element.
If this sounds a bit confusing, don’t worry because we address Toxic Ratios during our consultations.
As for toxic element accumulation, unfortunately, there is currently no means or tests that can measure or reveal the accumulation of any toxic element throughout the mind and body. The best they can do today is a challenge test that chelates elements from the simpler sites such as the kidneys. Again, this does not reveal toxic elements deeply stored throughout the mind and body nor toxic accumulation.
Are you ready to check your toxic elements?
Order your Trace Elements Inc. Profile 2 hair analysis today!
Additional pages that may interest you:
- Chemical toxins: They are more prevalent than toxic elements.
- Metabolic Toxins: The naturally occurring byproducts required for life that can hurt you.
- Nutritional Toxins: What are they?
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