Pigments are coloured substances present in the majority of  living forms, including humans, and are widely distributed in our environment both as pollutants and as artifacts of cultural practices such as smoking tobacco and tattooing the skin.

Pigments are generally classified into two broad categories:

(1) Endogenous pigments : Endogenous pigments, which are normal constituents of cells and tissues, for example, tyrosine and tryptophan-derived pigments, such as melanin, argentaffin substances and adrenochromes, hemoproteins, which include porphyrins, hemoglobin, and hemosiderin (ferritin)  and lipid-rich pigments such as lipofuscin and ceroid; and

(2) Exogenous pigments :  Exogenous pigments introduced into the body from outside, such as anthracotic pigments, mineral dusts containing silica and oxides of iron, ingested iron, lead, and liver salts, and the various pigments that are used in tattoos of the skin.

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Environmental Pathology - Toxic effect of Metal

Lead Intoxication

Mercury Exposure

Arsenic

Cadmium

Nickel

Iron

Pneumoconiosis

Silicosis

Asbestosis