Ultrastructural， Confocal and Viscoelastic Characteristics of Whole Blood and Plasma After Exposure to Cadmium and Chromium Alone and in Combination: An Ex Vivo Study.

Heavy metal pollution is increasing in the environment， contaminating water， food and air supplies. This can be linked to many anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals are absorbed through the skin， inhalation and/or orally. Irrespective of the manner of heavy metal entry in the body， the blood circulatory system is potentially the first to be affected following exposure and adverse effects on blood coagulation can lead to associated thrombotic disease. Although the plasma levels and the effects of cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) on erythrocytes and lymphocytes have been described， the environmental exposure to heavy metals are not limited to a single metal and often involves metal mixtures， with each metal having different rates of absorption， different cellular， tissue， and organ targets. Therefore the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the heavy metals Cd and Cr alone and whether Cr synergistically increases the effect of Cd on physiological important processes such as blood coagulation.