Did you know toxic metals are all around us?

They’re everywhere—in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the products we use, and even the jewelry we wear.

I’ve been doing some research on the most common and dangerous metals and wanted to share the top five with you.

I also found some simple ways to avoid exposure to those metals, which I’ll share as well.

 Source: Nickel  from  Wikimedia Commons

That’s right—the same type of metal used in the U.S. five-cent piece!

Nickel is so common you probably didn’t expect it to be a toxic metal.

But it turns out it can be dangerous.

For the people with nickel allergies (as much as 28% of the population), touching nickel can cause itchy breakouts, redness, and blistering.

But for people not allergic? Overexposure to nickel can cause an allergy.

Now, there’s no need to panic for most uses of nickel. When it’s mixed in with other metals (U.S. nickels only contain 25% nickel, for example)

or you only touch it a few times a day, you’re fine.

The problems happen when we keep nickel against our skin all day long … and that’s what a lot of us are doing.

Where to find it: Nickel is in just about everything, from coins to batteries to appliances. The most common use for the metal? Stainless steel! It’s one of the metals added to keep stainless steel from rusting.

Since nickel is only dangerous with lots of exposure, one of the most dangerous sources of nickel in jewelry.

Imagine keeping a battery’s heavy metals pressed against your skin all day long!

Source: cottonbra from  Pexels

Aluminum is the mostprevalent metal in the earth’s crust.

But did you know that aluminum—aluminum for our friends across the pond—is actually toxic?

When aluminum is absorbed by the body, it can lead to ulcers, rashes, and arthritic pain.

Like most of the metals on this list, aluminum affects the brain. Exposure can lead to a loss of memory, coordination, and balance.

Aluminum is all around us—you can find trace elements in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

This amount of aluminum won’t hurt someone in good health.

However, aluminum’s effects become much more serious for someone with existing conditions, especially complications with the kidneys.

Where to find it: Aluminum is used in processing foods like flour, baking powder, food coloring, and anticaking agents.

It’s also used in medicines like antacids and cosmetics like antiperspirants, though this does not appear to be at harmful levels.

A very small amount of aluminum can also enter your body via skin contact with appliances, jewelry, and other products.

 Source: Architect of the U.S. Capitol fromWikimedia Commons

You knew this was going to be on the list...

Scientists have known for a long time that leads causes lots of problems.

When a lead enters your body, it can cause severe damage.

For adults with brief exposure to lead, you might feel stomach pain, fatigue, and tingling in your hands and feet, among other symptoms.

But over an extended period of time, lead poisoning brings serious consequences.

You can expect damage to organs like the brain and kidneys as well as effects across the nervous and reproductive systems.

Lead can even cause behavior changes like depression, forgetfulness, and irritability.

Lead has even stronger effects on children and can affect babies before they’re born via exposure through the mother.

Where to find it: Thankfully, lead has been illegal for decades. But beware of old products that might still be lurking in your house.

Paint manufactured before 1978 might contain lead, as well as water pipes and old toys.

And while the metal is illegal in jewelry, it’s still found in pieces by unscrupulous manufacturers as well as antiques created before lead’s effects were known.

(And despite the confusing name, pencil leads are made of graphite, not lead.)

Source: Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

As you already know, copper is a common metal we use every day.

It’s even necessary to live—trace amounts of copper are found in every healthy body tissue.

Each day we need a little under a milligram to survive.

But get just a tiny bit more than you need, and copper becomes toxic.

Symptoms of copper poisoning include headaches, cramps, and fever.

The skin and eyes can turn yellow, and excess copper can build up in the iris, leaving a reddish-brown ring.

Because copper is directly linked to brain function, you could notice changes similar to ADHD or depression.

Over the long term, copper toxicity can damage the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys—and may even result in death.

Where to find it: Copper is everywhere in our modern lives. You’ll find copper pots and pans in the kitchen, copper coins in your purse, and copper wire in everything from the blender to the electric drill.

The most common sources, however, are in food and water. Tarnished copper pipes, cups, and cookware can leak toxic levels of this metal into your food and drink.

Copper is also absorbed through skin contact, though researchers don’t know how much. If you’re already at risk for copper toxicity, it may be a good idea to set aside copper jewelry.

Source: analogicus from Pixabay

The ban on lead has had an unintended consequence: cadmium has taken its place.

The problem?

Cadmium is more dangerous than lead. It’s a known carcinogen, causes severe kidney and bone damage, and accumulates in the body throughout life.

Cadmium can replace the healthy zinc found in your body as well as cause iron deficiency.

While its effects still aren’t fully understood, cadmium starts by attacking the liver. It then moves to the kidneys and bones, causing organ toxicity.

Cadmium is also known to cause lung, kidney, breast, and prostate cancer.

Where to find it: Cadmium is most dangerous as a component of cigarette smoke, including that from e-cigarettes.

It’s used in a handful of electronics as well, most prominently in rechargeable batteries.

You can also find traces of cadmium in a number of fruits and vegetables as well as organ meats like kidney and liver.

But the biggest risk is where it’s least expected—as a cheap filler metal or pigment in low-quality consumer products.

Cadmium has been found in dozens of items, from McDonald's Shrek drinking glasses to jewelry pieces made of over 90% of the metal.

So armed with this information, what can we do about it?

It’s really scary just how many jewelry brands have been caught red-handed with dangerous metals. 

You’re probably as surprised as I was to learn that the jewelry we wear can be dangerous.

The simplest way to fix this is to only buy or wear jewelry that’s been certified free of toxic, illegal metals.

It still surprises us here at Blush and Bar how many companies don’t do this.

Fearing for our lives just because we wear a dainty ring or necklace we like?

That’s crazy!

We’re all about trust, which is why we do an extensive review of all our jewelry. When you buy from Blush and Bar, you can be sure you’re getting the real stuff.

After all, we wear it ourselves, so it needs to be perfect. (And we mean perfect—we have very high standards!)

When making a jewelry purchase, look for this kind of assurance. That’s why all our pieces come with a guarantee when they leave our factory.

We’re exposed to toxic metal in enough areas of our lives ... jewelry shouldn’t be one of them.

Don’t you agree?