Author: Water S, World Health Organization
Source: World Health Organization
Year: 2005
Comment:
Abstract / Excerpt:
Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal. At ambient temperature and pressure, mercury is a silvery-white liquid that readily vaporizes and may stay in the atmosphere for up to a year. When released to the air, mercury is transported and deposited globally. Mercury ultimately accumulates in lake bottom sediments, where it is transformed into its more toxic organic form, methyl mercury, which accumulates in fish tissue. Mercury is highly toxic, especially when metabolized into methyl mercury. It may be fatal if inhaled and harmful if absorbed through the skin. Around 80% of the inhaled mercury vapour is absorbed in the blood through the lungs. It may cause harmful effects to the nervous, digestive, respiratory, immune systems and to the kidneys, besides causing lung damage. Adverse health effects from mercury exposure can be: tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development, and attention deficit and developmental delays during childhood. Recent studies suggest that mercury may have no threshold below which some adverse effects do not occur.
Citation: Water S, World Health Organization. Mercury in health care: policy paper. World Health Organization; 2005.