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A Simple Guide To Mercury Poisoning, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
Mercury poisoning is a medical disorder induced by exposure to mercury or its compounds.
The consumption of fish is by far the most important source of ingestion-linked mercury exposure in humans and animals.
Plants and livestock also have mercury due to bio-concentration of mercury from seawater, freshwater, marine and sediments, soils, and atmosphere.
Mercury is a geologically occurring element that is present in air, water and soil.
It appears in several
1. Elemental or metallic mercury,
2. Inorganic mercury compounds, and
3. Organic mercury compounds.
Sources of mercury
Mercury is an element present in many rocks including coal in the earth's crust.
It has conventionally been used to make products like thermometers, switches, and light bulbs.
Humans cannot produce or destroy mercury.
Pure mercury is a liquid metal, occasionally known as quicksilver that volatizes readily.
When coal is incinerated, mercury is freed into the atmosphere.
Burning dangerous wastes, producing chlorine, breaking mercury products, and spilling mercury, and the inappropriate treatment and removal of products or wastes having mercury, can also release it into the environment.
Mercury in the air ultimately settles into water or on land where it can be washed into water.
Once in the water, certain microorganisms can alter it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.
Fish and shellfish are the main causes of methylmercury exposure to humans.
Methylmercury accumulates more in some types of fish and shellfish than others.
Fish is a beneficial component of the diet, so FDA advises people to persist eating fish that are low in methylmercury.
Another less frequent exposure to mercury that can be a concern is breathing mercury vapor.
These exposures can happen when elemental mercury or products that have elemental mercury break and free mercury to the air, especially in poorly-ventilated or warm indoor spaces.
Health effects of mercury
Mercury exposure at high levels can injure the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.
Mercury is not used in batteries except for the two exceptions that are mercuric oxide batteries and button cell batteries.
Mercury is an indispensable component of all fluorescent light bulbs, and permits these bulbs to be energy-efficient light sources.
Mercury thermometers are also likely to break freeing mercury after being discarded.
Some doctors have raised worries about ethyl mercury (thiomersal), a chemical used in some vaccines.
Research shows that childhood vaccines do not lead to dangerous mercury levels in the body.
Dental Amalgam can free small quantities of mercury vapor over time, and patients can take in these vapors by inhaling or ingesting them.
Diagnosis is by Blood and urine tests for mercury.
Methylmercury poisoning injuries to the body cannot be reversed.
The person should be moved away from the source of exposure to methylmercury.
Treatment may
1. Activated charcoal by mouth or tube through the nose into the stomach, if mercury is swallowed
2. Breathing support, including oxygen, tube through the mouth into the throat, and breathing machine
3. Dialysis (kidney machine)
4. Fluids through a vein (by IV)
5. Medicine to treat symptoms
The symptoms cannot be reversed.
They do not normally get worse unless there is a fresh exposure to methylmercury, or the person is still exposed to the initial source.
Avoiding any foods contaminated with methylmercury will help prevent mercury poisoning.
Because of manufacturing, mercury has become so frequent in the surroundings that trace quantities of methylmercury are present in many foods from the ocean, such as deep-sea tuna.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Mercury Poisoning
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapte
The consumption of fish is by far the most important source of ingestion-linked mercury exposure in humans and animals.
Plants and livestock also have mercury due to bio-concentration of mercury from seawater, freshwater, marine and sediments, soils, and atmosphere.
Mercury is a geologically occurring element that is present in air, water and soil.
It appears in several
1. Elemental or metallic mercury,
2. Inorganic mercury compounds, and
3. Organic mercury compounds.
Sources of mercury
Mercury is an element present in many rocks including coal in the earth's crust.
It has conventionally been used to make products like thermometers, switches, and light bulbs.
Humans cannot produce or destroy mercury.
Pure mercury is a liquid metal, occasionally known as quicksilver that volatizes readily.
When coal is incinerated, mercury is freed into the atmosphere.
Burning dangerous wastes, producing chlorine, breaking mercury products, and spilling mercury, and the inappropriate treatment and removal of products or wastes having mercury, can also release it into the environment.
Mercury in the air ultimately settles into water or on land where it can be washed into water.
Once in the water, certain microorganisms can alter it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.
Fish and shellfish are the main causes of methylmercury exposure to humans.
Methylmercury accumulates more in some types of fish and shellfish than others.
Fish is a beneficial component of the diet, so FDA advises people to persist eating fish that are low in methylmercury.
Another less frequent exposure to mercury that can be a concern is breathing mercury vapor.
These exposures can happen when elemental mercury or products that have elemental mercury break and free mercury to the air, especially in poorly-ventilated or warm indoor spaces.
Health effects of mercury
Mercury exposure at high levels can injure the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.
Mercury is not used in batteries except for the two exceptions that are mercuric oxide batteries and button cell batteries.
Mercury is an indispensable component of all fluorescent light bulbs, and permits these bulbs to be energy-efficient light sources.
Mercury thermometers are also likely to break freeing mercury after being discarded.
Some doctors have raised worries about ethyl mercury (thiomersal), a chemical used in some vaccines.
Research shows that childhood vaccines do not lead to dangerous mercury levels in the body.
Dental Amalgam can free small quantities of mercury vapor over time, and patients can take in these vapors by inhaling or ingesting them.
Diagnosis is by Blood and urine tests for mercury.
Methylmercury poisoning injuries to the body cannot be reversed.
The person should be moved away from the source of exposure to methylmercury.
Treatment may
1. Activated charcoal by mouth or tube through the nose into the stomach, if mercury is swallowed
2. Breathing support, including oxygen, tube through the mouth into the throat, and breathing machine
3. Dialysis (kidney machine)
4. Fluids through a vein (by IV)
5. Medicine to treat symptoms
The symptoms cannot be reversed.
They do not normally get worse unless there is a fresh exposure to methylmercury, or the person is still exposed to the initial source.
Avoiding any foods contaminated with methylmercury will help prevent mercury poisoning.
Because of manufacturing, mercury has become so frequent in the surroundings that trace quantities of methylmercury are present in many foods from the ocean, such as deep-sea tuna.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Mercury Poisoning
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapte
127 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2016
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