Heavy metals are, in general, foreign to the body. They are excreted in the tears, saliva, sweat, bowel fluids, and urine. When in excess, they get deposited in the brain and peripheral nerves, the liver, the bone marrow, or the kidney and rarely in the heart muscle. They don't all do all of these things, but knowing these possibilities give a framework on which to build and store knowledge of this area of medicine. If the metal is inhaled, there may be a toxic pneumonia.
Some metals also interfere with certain enzymatic processes.
Some metals accumulate in the nails, the hair, or the bones and may be opaque on x-rays. Blood levels can also be measured. They are given intravenously or intramuscularly. Also, kidney dialysis in acute poisoning may limit the deposition of the metal and hasten its excretion. With only natural elimination, it may take 20 years or longer to excrete a heavy metal load.