Essential and toxic metals — their biological roles, exposure routes, and impact on microbial ecology. 29 articles in this category.
Aluminum A non essential metal and the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust. Unlike manganese, iron, or selenium, aluminum has no known biological func...
Antimony A metalloid that sits in the shadows of better studied toxic metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury, yet appears with surprising consistency in metallomic st...
Arsenic Arsenic is a metalloid and potent carcinogen (IARC Group 1) that ranks among the most widespread environmental toxicants affecting human health. An estimated...
Barium <! Auto created stub from Rule 13 scope discovery. 4 source pages mention this metal. Awaiting content expansion. >
Bismuth A heavy metal traditionally considered safe enough for over the counter gastrointestinal remedies (Pepto Bismol, De Nol), bismuth is re emerging as a potent ...
Cadmium Cadmium is a toxic non essential heavy metal (IARC Group 1 carcinogen) with a biological half life of 17 30 years in mammals, primarily accumulating in the r...
Calcium The most abundant mineral in the human body, with ~99% stored in bones and teeth. Calcium's biological significance extends far beyond structural support it ...
Chromium Chromium is a transition metal (atomic number 24) whose toxicology is defined by a stark oxidation state divide. Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is an IARC Grou...
Cobalt A transition metal that is essential to human health exclusively as a component of cobalamin (vitamin B12), but toxic at higher levels of exposure. Cobalt oc...
Copper An essential trace element with a striking dual nature: required for survival as a cofactor for critical enzymes (SOD1, cytochrome c oxidase, ceruloplasmin),...
Gallium A group 13 post transition metal (atomic number 31) with no known biological function in any organism — yet one of the most promising antimicrobial metals pr...
Iodine An essential halogen required for thyroid hormone synthesis (T3 and T4). The thyroid gland is the primary iodine concentrating organ, containing 70 80% of to...
Iron The most abundant transition metal in the human body and arguably the most consequential metal in biology. Iron sits at the center of a paradox that drives p...
Lead Lead is a purely toxic heavy metal with no known biological function. It is the most extensively studied metal in relation to neurodevelopmental harm and is ...
Magnesium An essential macromineral required as a cofactor for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including energy metabolism, protein synthesis, DNA/RNA stabil...
Manganese Manganese is an essential trace element with a narrow therapeutic window: required as a cofactor for critical enzymes including Mn SOD (SOD2), pyruvate carbo...
Mercury Mercury is the most toxic heavy metal with no known biological function. Its organic form methylmercury (MeHg) is the primary concern for dietary exposure vi...
Molybdenum An essential trace element that serves as a cofactor for a small but critical family of enzymes the molybdoenzymes involved in purine catabolism, sulfite det...
Nickel A transition metal occupying a central position in this wiki's evidence base. Nickel is toxic and carcinogenic to humans, yet an essential cofactor for patho...
Platinum A dense, chemically inert noble metal with no known biological function yet platinum compounds are the backbone of chemotherapy for ovarian, testicular, lung...
Selenium An essential trace element that is primarily protective in its biological roles. Unlike most metals in this wiki, selenium's toxicological significance lies ...
Silver A non essential metal with a 5,000 year history of antimicrobial use, silver has re emerged as a critical tool in the post antibiotic era. What makes silver ...
Strontium <! Auto created stub from Rule 13 scope discovery. 5 source pages mention this metal. Awaiting content expansion. >
Thallium One of the most toxic metals known to biology, thallium earns its reputation through a deceptively simple trick: it masquerades as potassium. With an ionic r...
Tin A non essential metal with a dual toxicological profile: inorganic tin (from canned foods) causes primarily gastric irritation at high concentrations, while ...
Titanium <! Auto created stub from Rule 13 scope discovery. 3 source pages mention this metal. Awaiting content expansion. >
Uranium <! Auto created stub from Rule 13 scope discovery. 4 source pages mention this metal. Awaiting content expansion. >
Vanadium <! Auto created stub from Rule 13 scope discovery. 8 source pages mention this metal. Awaiting content expansion. >
Zinc Zinc is the most widely utilized transition metal cofactor in biology. Approximately 9 10% of the eukaryotic proteome and 5 6% of the bacterial proteome cons...