Most exposures to mercury happen when a product that contains mercury breaks. Toxic mercury exposures typically happen through the environment. And if eaten in moderation, they pose little to no health risk. Most fish and shellfish contain trace amounts of methylmercury. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends eating 2 servings of heart-healthy fish per week for adults who aren’t planning to become pregnant, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding. They would not happen from eating fish normally. These isolated episodes were the result of people eating high amounts of mercury due to contamination. It was treated with mercury to prevent fungus from growing, and it was meant to be used by farmers. ![]() ![]() Later in the 1970s, a large outbreak of mercury poisoning happened in Iraq after people ate contaminated grain. The residents there developed mercury poisoning after eating the fish from the bay.Ī similar chemical spill occurred along the Agano River in Japan and led to another Minamata disease epidemic in the 1960s. Large amounts of mercury were spilled into the sea by a chemical company in a small town in Japan called Minamata. There are very few instances of mercury poisoning from eating contaminated fish, and these are related to chemical spills like: So, it’s important to limit mercury exposure during:Īll of this may have you wondering if you should avoid eating fish. Young infants who are exposed may develop problems with their nervous system, digestive system, kidneys, and liver. Newborns can also be exposed to mercury through breastmilk. This can lead to many different health problems later on in childhood, like: Mercury - in any form - can impact the developing brain, even in smaller amounts. Instead, mercury toxicity more commonly happens when someone is exposed to some sort of mercury spill or leakage in their workplace, rather than from food.īut there are two groups of people who do need to be careful about how much mercury they’re exposed to from their food: young children and anyone who is pregnant. And people usually don’t eat enough of these high-mercury foods to lead to health issues. The level of mercury in food isn’t very high. The good news is that most people do not develop mercury toxicity from their food. ![]() Nervous system damage, which can lead to tremors, insomnia, memory loss, and mood and personality changes Severe lung damage that can affect their ability to breatheīut when someone is exposed to lower levels of mercury over a long period of time, it tends to affect the body a little differently. It can lead to adverse health effects like: When someone is suddenly exposed to high levels of mercury, particularly, it can be toxic to the body in many different ways. This is the type of mercury anyone can be exposed to, since it’s the type found in food. Most of the concern around mercury’s effects on human health is related to organic mercury compounds. From there, it gets absorbed by plants and then eaten by animals (and eventually by humans). Once deposited on land, the mercury can combine with carbon through a complicated process that scientists still don’t fully understand. Mercury that’s released into the air by burning fossil fuels eventually falls back to the earth’s surface via rain and snow. This is the type of mercury that can be found in food. Organic mercury compounds form when mercury attaches to carbon. Organic mercury (methylmercury) compounds When people use these items, they get exposed to inorganic mercury. But inorganic mercury compounds are found in some skin-lightening creams and in certain remedies used in traditional forms of medicine. Again, most people aren’t exposed to this type of mercury on a regular basis, unless they work in metal or chemical processing. Inorganic mercury compounds are used in industrial processes. They can occur naturally and be released into the air during mining and the burning of fossil fuels. Inorganic mercury compounds form when mercury binds to other elements. ![]() So everyone is exposed to a small amount of elemental mercury. When coal fossil fuels are burned, mercury is released into the atmosphere. But this is also the type of mercury that naturally exists on the Earth’s surface, so it’s found in coal and fossil fuels. Most people aren’t exposed to high levels of this type of mercury on a regular basis, unless they work with it as part of their job. Elemental mercury is a silver liquid that used to be part of thermometers and is still used in manufacturing processes. This is the type of mercury most people picture when they think of this element. Like carbon, oxide, and hydrogen, it’s one of the elements that’s part of the earth’s makeup. Mercury is a naturally occurring element.
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