How to Know You're Getting Mercury Poisoning From Fish

Ingestion of fish is the prominent cause of organic mercury poisoning, a dangerous and debilitating form of methyl mercury poisoning. For years now, most people have heard about the dangers of consuming too much fish, especially women who are pregnant or of reproductive age. There is validity to these cautions, as organic methyl mercury poisoning has severe and often irreversible effects in both adults and children. If you're wondering whether your fish consumption could be causing a detrimental overexposure to mercury, there are signs and symptoms to look for that are red flags to unsafe mercury levels in the body from ingesting fish.

Things You'll Need

• Blood test

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Instructions

• 1

  Detect potential mercury poisoning from fish in adults by noticing any visual disturbances, such as constriction of your visual field. You may also notice hair loss that is otherwise unexplained, tremor and impairment of fine motor skills.

• 2

  Look for behavioral changes, as well as headaches and memory loss. Other symptoms in adults with organic mercury poisoning may include paresthesias (tingling, numbness or "pins and needles" sensations) of the extremities and lips and muscle spasms.

• 3

  Detect possible mercury poisoning in infants and children caused by prenatal mercury exposure by looking for signs of delayed learning, shortened attention span or memory, delayed speech and lack of coordination or motor control. These are the most common symptoms of prenatal exposure to methyl mercury at lower levels.

• 4

  Look for signs of higher prenatal mercury exposure in infants and children. Exposure to higher levels of mercury in the womb can cause Minamata Disease in children, which includes symptoms such as mental retardation, blindness or deafness, seizures, problems with swallowing, sucking and speech, and cerebral palsy.

• 5

  Visit your doctor or a specialist if you detect these signs and symptoms. Your doctor can confirm or rule out organic mercury poisoning by performing a blood test. If the mercury levels in your blood are greater than 60 micrograms per liter, you're in the "toxic range," according to the levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.