Title:Long-Term Accumulation of Metals in the Skeleton as Related to Osteoporotic Derangements
Volume: 27
Issue: 40
Author(s): Geir Bjørklund*, Lyudmila Pivina, Maryam Dadar, Yuliya Semenova, Salvatore Chirumbolo and Jan Aaseth
Affiliation:
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Toften 24, 8610 Mo i Rana,Norway
Keywords:
Metal concentration, metal intoxication, bone, osteoporosis, fracture, human activities.
Abstract: The concentrations of metals in the environment are still not within the recommended
limits as set by the regulatory authorities in various countries because of human activities. They can
enter the food chain and bioaccumulate in soft and hard tissues/organs, often with a long half-life of
the metal in the body. Metal exposure has a negative impact on bone health and may result in
osteoporosis and increased fracture risk depending on concentration and duration of metal exposure
and metal species. Bones are a long-term repository for lead and some other metals, and may
approximately contain 90% of the total body burden in birds and mammals. The present review
focuses on the most common metals found in contaminated areas (mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel,
chromium, iron, and aluminum) and their effects on bone tissue, considering the possibility of the
long-term bone accumulation, and also some differences that might exist between different age
groups in the whole population.