Metals and metal compounds in reproductive and developmental toxicology

INTRODUCTION Most elements (88 of 112 known elements) are classified as metals in the periodic table. Metals and metal compounds that are commonly found in biological systems or commonly used in commerce have been studied for their reproductive toxicity, while little or no information is available for many other metals. Most of these studies are in the open literature, but metals have also been candidates for guideline toxicity testing. Risk assessments for metal toxicity are widely available. Documents from regulatory agencies that include review of the developmental and reproductive toxicity of metals are shown in Table 1. A number of other reviews of metal reproductive toxicity are available covering a literature that extends back more than 50 years (1-3), including newer reviews on topical issues (4).