What Happens If You Have Too Much Cobalt?

Cobalt is toxic to the heart muscle. It can cause heart muscle disease (toxic cardiomyopathy) after too much exposure. An increase in red blood cells (polycythemia) may be a symptom of too much cobalt. Not treating this issue can cause congestive heart failure.

What are the symptoms of too much cobalt?

Symptoms

• Cardiomyopathy (a problem where your heart becomes big and floppy and has problems pumping blood)
• Deafness.
• Nerve problems.
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Thickening of the blood.
• Thyroid problems.
• Vision problems.

How does high levels of cobalt affect the body?

Systemic toxic effects from excessive levels of cobalt include peripheral neuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, vision loss, cognitive decline, cardiomyopathy, hypothyroidism, weakness, fatigue and polycythemia.

How much cobalt is toxic to humans?

* Exposure to 20 mg/m3 is immediately dangerous to life and health.

How do you remove cobalt from your body?

One method of treating ASR Hip Replacement patients with high levels of chromium and cobalt in their blood is chelation therapy. The process involves the administration of chelating agents—the most common of which is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)—to remove the poisonous metals from the body.

What foods have high cobalt?

Good food sources of cobalt include:

• fish.
• nuts.
• green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach.
• cereals, such as oats.

Is coffee high in cobalt?

The cobalt content of coffee was found to be considerably higher than that of tea. The content of 5 teas, averaged, was 0,20 μg/g tea and that of 7 coffees was 0,93 μg/g coffee, the average of 3 different methods, each of which averaged 0,75, 0,89 and 1,14 μ/g coffee.

Does vitamin B12 have cobalt?

Cobalt is one of the components of vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin.

Is there a blood test for cobalt?

Blood cobalt levels can be used in the assessment of occupational exposure or toxic ingestion. Symptoms associated with cobalt toxicity vary based on route of exposure and may include cardiomyopathy, allergic dermatitis, pulmonary fibrosis, cough and dyspnea.

How long does cobalt stay in body?

The red blood cells which carry cobalt are thought to have a lifespan of ninety days, so in theory when the cobalt source is removed from the body the cobalt levels should return to normal. If the cobalt has caused the body’s inflammatory process to kick it, more serious ailments may have begun.

Does cobalt accumulate in the body?

Cobalt does not accumulate in the organism and is rapidly excreted in urine. The concentration of cobalt in urine or in blood is proposed as a biomarker of recent exposure to soluble cobalt species.

Who has the most cobalt in the world?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest cobalt reserves in the world, at some 3.5 million metric tons as of 2021. As the total global cobalt reserves amount to 7.6 million metric tons, this means that the DR Congo’s cobalt reserves account for nearly half of the world’s reserves of the metal.

What part of the body does cobalt affect?

It can harm the eyes, skin, heart, and lungs. Exposure to cobalt may cause cancer. Workers may be harmed from exposure to cobalt and cobalt-containing products. The level of harm depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.

Where is cobalt stored in the body?

Organic and inorganic cobalt
In the human body this element is present in amounts from 1 to 2 mg: we can find it in the heart, liver, kidney, and spleen, and considerably smaller quantities in the pancreas, brain, and serum [10, 11].

How do you clear heavy metals from your body?

The most common way is through chelation. Chelation therapy is a medical procedure (although it can also be performed at home) that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body by binding to molecules and allowing them to be dissolved and excreted in the urine.

What fruits are high in cobalt?

There is no recommended dietary intake of cobalt, however, for proper assimilation of vitamin B12, cobalt is essential. Some of the dietary sources that are abundant in cobalt include red meat, milk, fish, cabbage, figs and turnips.

Are eggs high in cobalt?

Milk and eggs contain about 0.004-0.005 mg Co per kg; dairy products like cheese and butter are relatively rich in cobalt (0.02 mg per kg FW). Virtually all cobalt in offal and beef meat can be attributed to vitamin B12.

Which disease is caused by high levels of cobalt in blood?

Cobalt is toxic to the heart muscle. It can cause heart muscle disease (toxic cardiomyopathy) after too much exposure. An increase in red blood cells (polycythemia) may be a symptom of too much cobalt. Not treating this issue can cause congestive heart failure.

Is there cobalt in tap water?

In most drinking water, cobalt levels are less than 1–2 ppb. For most people, food is the largest source of cobalt intake.

How do you prevent cobalt allergy?

To minimise cobalt exposure: Use metal instruments such as scissors, kitchen utensils, and combs that have plastic or wooden handle grips. Wear vinyl or rubber gloves to avoid contact. Items such as keys can be coated with several layers of clear nail polish.

What plants contain cobalt?

In this article, we proposed that cobalt (Co) is a potentially essential micronutrient of plants. Co is essential for the growth of many lower plants, such as marine algal species including diatoms, chrysophytes, and dinoflagellates, as well as for higher plants in the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae.