Harwood AP CHEM Project

An MRI scan is the best way to see inside the human body without cutting it open.

Doctors may order MRI scans to help diagnose multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, torn ligaments, tendonitis, cancer and strokes,

toxic levels of lead, cadmium, antimony and phthalates, said this year's "Trouble in Toyland" report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

f antimony, a toxic metal that has been classified as a cancer-causing agent.

Phthalates are chemicals suspected to cause developmental health effects. Cadmium is a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities and kidney problems.

MRI is very good at finding and pinpointing some cancers. An MRI with contrast dye is the best way to see brain tumors. Using MRI, doctors can sometimes tell if a tumor is benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).

Special MRI machines, now available in some hospitals, are designed just for looking inside the breast.

45 and 60 minutes and sometimes up to 2 hours

Humans normally absorb cadmium into the body either by ingestion or inhalation Dermal exposure (uptake through the skin) is generally not regarded to be of significance

2% to 6% of the cadmium ingested is actually taken up into the body. Factors influencing cadmium absorption are the form in which cadmium is present in the food, and the iron status of the exposed individual. In contrast, from 30% to 64% of inhaled cadmium is absorbed by the body, with some variation as a function of chemical form, solubility and particle size of the material inhaled.

a greater proportion of inhaled cadmium is retained by the body than when cadmium is taken in by ingestion.

upports

The biopharmaceutical pipeline also has over 5,000 new medicines currently in development around the world with approximately 3,400 compounds currently being studied in the United States - more than in any other region around the world. 

can the chemicals in the toy result in an exposure, and is this exposure associated with a health risk.  In toxicology, this is described in the following equation: Risk = Exposure x Hazard

hildren under about 3 years of age often mouth toys and other objects.  Mouthing presents a high opportunity for exposure to chemicals, as well as accidental swallowing.  For example, some toy jewelry contains levels of lead and cadmium.  While these toys may be safe if they are only touched (lead and cadmium don’t easily penetrate human skin), they may not be safe if mouthed, since lead and cadmium dissolve in saliva and then get swallowed.

Various ancient civilizations, from the Egyptians to the Chinese, developed their own unique systems for practicing medicine in the fields of herbalism, anatomy, public health, and clinical diagnostics1. Medicine was not practiced by physicians, but rather by the common people through observation and empiricism. The great Greek poet Homer described Egypt as a land where “the earth, the giver of grain, bears the greatest store of drugs” and where “every man is a physician”. Homer’s mythology does have some truth to it. In the famous Ebers papyrus, dating back to 1550 B.C., the ancient Egyptians describe more than 700 medicinal formulas; some were incantations and placebos that delivered their therapeutic effects through spiritual healing.

seventeenth century B.C.

not until the 19th century that the pharmaceutical industry evolved more systematic and scientific practices.