Soluble salts of lead, arsenic and mercury are poisonous.what type of chemicals in the body do they destroy?

Question

Soluble salts of lead, arsenic and mercury are poisonous.what type of chemicals in the body do they destroy?

Answer 1

Lead and mercury can lock on to sulfhydryl groups on proteins (specifically sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine and methionine), and this contributes to their toxicity.  Hair is very rich in cysteine, and there is actually a hair dye that uses lead acetate to turn gray hair black/brown.  I don't think this is the only mechanism of toxicity, however.  Lead ions mimic calcium, and also interfere with the production of heme (part of hemoglobin in red blood cells) - toxic precursors to heme build up and cause the symptoms of acute lead poisoning.  Toxic metals can also substitute for essential metals in cofactors for enzymes, and cause them to behave differently (ie. poorly for their tasks in the body).

These articles have more info.

Answer 2

tough to answer

Answer 3

They all seem to affect the nervous system,

if that helps, but I'm unsure as to the precise

chemical action involved.

Answer 4

my guess would be iron and potassium