Toxicity of Heavy Metal Compounds

Dear Colleagues,

The use of heavy metals in industry, research, and medicine has increased rapidly over recent decades. However, from mining and industrial manufacturing to waste disposal, there is a potential risk of heavy metals being released into the environment. Contamination of the environment and finally incorporation of heavy metals into living organisms poses a potential health risk. The toxicity of heavy metals is influenced by various factors, e.g., binding form or oxidation state (generally, speciation). For a better understanding of the toxicity of heavy metals and for effective decontamination or decorporation strategies, knowledge of the speciation and reactions of heavy metals at the molecular and cellular level is essential.

In this Special Issue, reviews, original research articles, and communications covering chemical and analytical as well as biochemical and biological studies of the reactions of heavy metals or heavy metal compounds with biosystems (e.g., cells, organs, biofluids, or single bio-related molecules) are highly welcome. Contributions on related topics would also be much appreciated.

Dr. Astrid Barkleit
Guest Editor

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• heavy metal
• coordination
• complexation
• binding form
• speciation
• biomolecules
• (cyto-) toxicity
• cell death mechanism
• spectroscopy
• microscopy