Identify a correct statement about heavy metals of concern and their primary exposure routes.

• A. Cadmium, Chromium, and Nickel are the primary heavy metals of concern, mainly exposure through air.
• B. Lead (ingested via paint/dust, soil); Mercury (bioaccumulates in fish from coal combustion); Arsenic (drinking water in some regions).
• C. Mercury exposure occurs only through skin contact.
• D. Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic are not typically monitored in environmental health.

Answer: (B)

Understanding how people are exposed to heavy metals hinges on matching the metal with its common environmental sources and the routes by which people take it in. Lead exposure is most often due to ingestion of lead from old paint, dust, and soil, which is why child exposure concerns focus on household dust and paint chips. Mercury tends to reach people mainly through the diet, because inorganic mercury released from coal combustion is converted to methylmercury in the environment and bioaccumulates in fish, so consumption of contaminated seafood is the key exposure route. Arsenic commonly enters the body through drinking water in affected regions, where groundwater can contain inorganic arsenic due to geology or contamination.

Thus, the statement that ties lead to ingestion of paint/dust/soil, mercury to fish consumption stemming from coal-fired emissions, and arsenic to drinking water in certain regions accurately reflects well-established exposure pathways. Other options misstate primary routes or overlook monitoring concerns, such as suggesting air is the primary route for all three or that mercury exposure is only through skin, which is not correct.