What Is Mercury Poisoning & How Do You Get It?

Mercury is an element that is found naturally in our environment. Our bodies do not need mercury but because it is found in the earth's crust and atmosphere, we are exposed to certain levels of mercury every day. Mercury is found in some of our foods; fish, for example, are exposed to mercury because they live in streams or oceans. Mercury can be found in products you have at home, such as mercury thermometers. Mercury can also be found in the silver fillings dentists use. Certain exposures to mercury can cause mercury poisoning.

Types of Mercury

• Three types of mercury occur in the environment: elemental, inorganic salts and organic. Elemental mercury is the kind of mercury found in mercury thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs and older dental fillings. Inorganic salt mercury is used in industrial settings. Organic mercury is the type of mercury that gets into our food, including fish.

Exposure to Mercury

• You can be exposed to mercury in several ways. Because mercury is naturally found in the earth, low levels of mercury are in the air and eventually settle into the soil and water where it affects animal and plant life. Organic mercury finds its way into the food chain, especially in fish and shellfish.

  Elemental mercury is toxic if breathed in. Elemental mercury is a slippery liquid and usually rolls right off the skin, but if it is made airborne and inhaled it can cause a great deal of damage. Often, this kind of mercury poisoning happens when mercury is being cleaned up with a vacuum. Never try to sweep up elemental mercury.

  Inorganic mercury is found in chemical plants and other industrial settings. Inorganic mercury is poisonous, and if ingested it can cause severe kidney damage.

Signs and Symptoms of Exposure

• Symptoms of elemental mercury, harmful if inhaled, include tremors, difficulty breathing, vomiting, and a metallic taste in the mouth or a bad cough. High exposures can result in respiratory failure.

  Ingesting inorganic mercury can damage the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and nervous system. Symptoms include a burning sensation in the throat or stomach, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and skin rashes. This type of exposure attacks the kidneys and the brain.

  Exposure to organic mercury is the most common and can cause ill effects over long periods of time. Long-term exposure can cause memory problems, numbness or pain in certain parts of the body and skin, tremors, double vision or blindness, seizures and possibly death.

Treatment

• If you are exposed to high levels of elemental mercury, you need to be hospitalized. The mercury will be suctioned out of your lungs and you will receive humidified oxygen or air. Exposure to inorganic mercury also requires hospitalization where you will need IV fluids and activated charcoal to absorb the mercury in your stomach. Long-term exposure to organic mercury can be treated with medications called chelators. Chelators remove the mercury from the blood. These medications need to be used on a regular basis for several weeks to a few months.