There are several sources of heavy metal exposures whether occupational or environmental. These are connected both with the existence of natural reservoirs of metal toxicants or human activity such as mining, welding and construction. In general, exposure to heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and metalloids, such as arsenic (As), has been associated with diseases including neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. Common to these diseases is the loss of cellular physiologic performance and phenotype required for proper function. On the metal side, electrophilic behavior that disrupts the electronic (or redox) state of cells is a common feature. This suggests that there may be a connection between changes to the redox equilibrium of cells caused by environmental exposures to heavy metals and the pathogenic effects of such exposures. In this mini-review, we will focus on two environmental contaminants cadmium (a metal) and arsenic (a metalloid) and explore their interactions with living organisms from the perspective of their electrophilic chemical reactivity that underlies both their potential as carcinogens and as drivers of more aggressive tumor phenotypes.

无论是职业还是环境，都有多种重金属暴露来源。这些都与金属毒物的天然储存库或人类活动（如采矿、焊接和建筑）的存在有关。一般而言，接触镉 (Cd)、汞 (Hg)、镍 (Ni)、铅 (Pb) 等重金属和砷 (As) 等准金属与神经退行性疾病、糖尿病和癌症。这些疾病的共同点是失去正常功能所需的细胞生理性能和表型。在金属方面，破坏细胞电子（或氧化还原）状态的亲电行为是一个共同特征。这表明环境暴露于重金属引起的细胞氧化还原平衡的变化与这种暴露的致病作用之间可能存在联系。在这篇小型综述中，我们将重点关注两种环境污染物镉（一种金属）和砷（一种准金属），并从它们作为致癌物和驱动因素的亲电化学反应性的角度探讨它们与生物体的相互作用。更具侵袭性的肿瘤表型。