"Whether or not heavy metals are poisonous also depends on how they are stored," says Lin Cheng-fang, taking chrome as an example. One of the compounds in which this metal appears is seen as one of the most fearsome of lethal toxins by chemists. However, "in its natural environment chrome only appears in minuscule amounts," Lin adds.
「重金屬的毒不毒也與其存在的形態有關」，林正芳舉鉻為例，當它以「六價鉻」的化學式出現時，是化學業界人人懼怕的劇毒致癌物質，「但原本自然環境中的六價鉻是極為稀少的」，他說。