Mercury: Uses and Dangers
Mercury. It’s a dangerous neurotoxin, deadly to humans and dangerous in all of its forms but so common place that we often forget about the risks. Mercury is a heavy metal. Whether we encounter is in its metallic for or its methylmercury form, it is incredibly toxic and should be avoided. This said, we’ve all likely consumed or absorbed quite a bit of mercury without giving it a second thought. Let’s talk about how that happens and what we can do about it.
One of the most well-known ways to ingest mercury is through seafood. Fish, such as salmon, are exposed to mercury through contaminated bodies of water and it builds up in their system. Like most heavy metal, Mercury is extremely difficult to expel once consumed so the salmon accumulate the metal over time. Now, when a predator such as a larger fish, a bear, or a human being eats this salmon, they also consume the cumulated mercury! This process is known as bioaccumulation and is one of the most common ways we might ingest mercury on a regular basis. While small amounts of Mercury might not cause observable issues right away, you can imagine the result of higher levels of mercury building up in the body.
Mercury exposure is can also occur when someone uses a device, object or tools that has metallic mercury in it. We run into this kind of exposure with old dental work where mercury used to be used for fillings. Light bulbs and thermometers also commonly used mercury though both of these uses are less common than they once were.
Health Effects from Mercury Exposure
Pursuant to Proposition 65, mercury was listed as a chemical known to cause reproductive and developmental harm on July 1, 1990 while methylmercury and methylmercury compounds were listed as reproductive and developmental toxicants on June 1, 1987 and carcinogens on May 1, 1996. (Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment “OEHHA”.) Further, in their mercury factsheet (March 2016), OEHHA states that “taking certain dietary supplements and traditional medicine” can cause exposure to mercury and mercury compounds.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR, 1999), mercury exposure may cause nervous system damage and adverse effects on our brains and kidneys and well as harm to unborn children. Mercury may also affect breathing and “may cause effects including lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation (ATSDR, 1999, Mercury, ToxFAQs). Children may be at even more risk than adults may. Mercury can pass from mother to fetus causing “brain damage, mental retardation, incoordination, blindness, seizures, and inability to speak. Children poisoned by mercury may develop problems of their nervous and digestive systems, and kidney damage.” id.
Now What?
So, knowing the risk the mercury causes, what can you do to limit your exposure and protect yourself? The biggest thing you can do is limiting the use of items and foods containing mercury in your daily life. Reducing your exposure will reduce your overall absorption and consumption, protecting your health as best as you can. For those things containing mercury already present in your life, learn how to safely dispose of them and support societal movement toward mercury-free alternatives.
Further Reading:
EPA Mercury: https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-exposures-mercury