Concise Review of Nickel Human Health Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Nickel (Ni) metal and Ni compounds are widely used in applications like stainless steel, alloys, and batteries. Nickel is a naturally occurring element in water, soil, air, and living organisms, and is essential to microorganisms and plants. Thus, human and environmental nickel exposures are ubiquit...

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Published inInorganics Vol. 7; no. 7; p. 89
Main Authors Buxton, Samuel, Garman, Emily, Heim, Katherine E., Lyons-Darden, Tara, Schlekat, Christian E., Taylor, Michael D., Oller, Adriana R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2019
Subjects
Abiotic factors
Aerosols
allergy
Alloys
asthma
Bioavailability
Cancer
Carcinogenicity
Carcinogens
Dermatitis
Drinking water
ecotoxicity
environment
Environment models
Epigenetics
Food
Genotoxicity
Inhalation
Jewelry
Lungs
Microorganisms
nanoparticles
Nickel
Nickel compounds
Particle size
reproductive
Respiration
Skin
Soil water
Stainless steel
Stainless steels
Steel production
Toxicity
Toxicology
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Summary:Nickel (Ni) metal and Ni compounds are widely used in applications like stainless steel, alloys, and batteries. Nickel is a naturally occurring element in water, soil, air, and living organisms, and is essential to microorganisms and plants. Thus, human and environmental nickel exposures are ubiquitous. Production and use of nickel and its compounds can, however, result in additional exposures to humans and the environment. Notable human health toxicity effects identified from human and/or animal studies include respiratory cancer, non-cancer toxicity effects following inhalation, dermatitis, and reproductive effects. These effects have thresholds, with indirect genotoxic and epigenetic events underlying the threshold mode of action for nickel carcinogenicity. Differences in human toxicity potencies/potentials of different nickel chemical forms are correlated with the bioavailability of the Ni2+ ion at target sites. Likewise, Ni2+ has been demonstrated to be the toxic chemical species in the environment, and models have been developed that account for the influence of abiotic factors on the bioavailability and toxicity of Ni2+ in different habitats. Emerging issues regarding the toxicity of nickel nanoforms and metal mixtures are briefly discussed. This review is unique in its covering of both human and environmental nickel toxicity data.
ISSN:2304-6740
2304-6740
DOI:10.3390/inorganics7070089