Question

Lead competes with ___ in heme location, but it cannot:

a) Iron, replace it completely
b) Copper, enhance its function
c) Zinc, promote heme formation
d) Calcium, transport oxygen efficiently

Answer 1

Lead competes with calcium in the heme location but cannot transport oxygen efficiently, impacting the function of hemoglobin, which relies on iron to bind and transport oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

Lead competes with calcium in the heme location within hemoglobin but cannot transport oxygen efficiently. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs.

Hemoglobin is made up of four protein subunits and a heme group that has iron associated with it. The iron in hemoglobin binds to oxygen, which is essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body. However, lead can displace calcium but cannot fulfill the role of transporting oxygen, hence it is toxic and causes various health issues.