Carbon monoxide, carbon disulfide, lead and cadmium--four examples of occupational toxic agents linked to cardiovascular disease.

A variety of industrial agents to which large segments of the population are exposed have been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. These toxic agents, which include carbon monoxide, carbon disulphide, lead, and cadmium, are produced by a wide variety of industrial processes and so are ubiquitous in the modern industrial environment. Although the mechanisms by which such toxins may contribute to cardiovascular disease are not well defined, there are at least four possible theories that have received clinical and experimental support. The postulated mechanisms by which such toxins may play a role in vascular disease are: (1) an increase in blood pressure; (2) an increase in the levels of blood cholesterol and/or an induction of lipid accumulation in vessel walls; (3) an induction of a lipid peroxidation process thereby increasing the tendency of blood clotting; and (4) a promotion of a mutation in the arterial cell wall.