Mercury metal is a highly useful element, number 80 on the Periodic Chart of the elements. It is the only heavy metal that is a liquid at room temperature, one of only four elements that is so. Its qualities as a liquid and a heavy metal have made it both useful and deadly in history. Other metals on the Periodic Chart with similar characteristics are gold, silver, cadmium, and lead. Of these, only gold is denser.
Mercury was found in Egyptian tombs placed there 3500 years ago. It was known in ancient China and India. Mercury metal comes from cinnabar, or mercury sulfide. Most of the world’s supply comes from Spain and Italy in Europe, or California and Texas in the states. People have been used mercury for years in thermometers, barometers, and sphygmomanometers because the column of liquid can be 13 times shorter than using a column of water or a substance the same density as water. The problem is that mercury vapor, mercury metal, and all soluble salts of mercury are all very poisonous.
In spire of its poisonous nature, mercury has been used in a wide variety of ways. Street lights with a blue tinge are generally mercury vapor lights. Vermillion, which is really mercury sulfide, is used as a ship paint to reduce the problem of barnacles. Mercury has also been used in fluorescent lights. If they are broken indoors, the powder coming out contains enough poisonous mercury vapor to be a health risk. Mercury is also used in dental amalgams and some cosmetics though some claim no health risk has ever been proven. When the author growing up, it was common to paint mercurochrome on a wound with a glass rod to keep the wound from being infected. Today it is outlawed.
Researched has heightened awareness of the far reaching negative effects of heavy metals on health. The fact is, mercury, lead, cadmium and other heavy metals are not needed by the body. Indeed, their presence is nearly always negative. We ingest them in a variety of ways. The abundant use of mercury in the past has now poisoned water, land, and seas. Today mercury poisoning in tuna and swordfish is a serious health risk and must be monitored continually.
A few products that use mercury are listed here, each one posing a threat to cause mercury poisoning: air conditioner filters, battery manufacturing, burning newspapers and building materials, cosmetics, fabric softeners, fungicides, industrial waste, lumber, paints, photoengraving, psoriasis ointment, sewage disposal, suppositories, and wood preservatives.
These are a few of the effects of mercury poisoning on the body: allergies, anxiety, cataracts, depression, dizziness, emotional disturbances, fatigue, kidney damage, pain in limbs, suicidal tendencies, and others. These heavy metals can actually damage DNA increasing the risk of cancer.
Symptoms like those above often include sensory impairment such as vision, hearing, or speech problems, lack of coordination, and disturbed sensation. The type of symptom and the degree of the problem will depend on the individual, the metal causing the poisoning, and the duration of the exposure.
The multitude of products that once used or presently use a form of mercury is staggering. How many of these are in landfills today leaching their poisons into the ground water? Yes, city water systems are monitored for mercury poisoning. But what are wells and springs?
This article is not designed to frighten you but to alert you to possible danger of mercury poisoning. We can’t do anything about landfill leaching into our present water sources. Neither can we do anything about decreasing the number of products using mercury in some form. But we can do whatever possible to make our drinking water safe. If you have any doubts about your water, it is best to filter it before drinking or cooking with it. An activated charcoal filter, like the Berkey Water Filter for example, promises to remove up to 95% of any mercury or other heavy metals in the water. It does this through its ability to adsorb the toxins. The investment in a good water filter, like the Big Berkey Water Filter, will not only be worth the money, but will give the added benefit of bringing you peace of mind.
Possibly related articles:
- The Dangers Of Lead In Drinking Water
- Save Yourself From Chromium Toxicity
- Chlorine Drinking Water Can Cripple
Tags: amalgam poisoning, heavy metal poisoning, mercury poisoning
