THE TOXICITY OF MERCURY

Mercury isn't just in thermometers, and it doesn't effect just the Mad Hatter. You already knew that—we (the public and the medical world) have known that for years.

So why is this poison still methodically distributed to infants, children, and adults?!

WHERE IS MERCURY FOUND?

• There are currently only two manufacturers from which the United States gets its flu shot vaccine, Aventis Pasteur and Chiron. Both products use mercury as a preservative. A new study conducted at the University of Rochester in New York found that 5 to 6 parts per billion mercury shuts down specific brain cells. A flu shot is 50,000 ppb.
• Mercury is present in environmental pollution, since agricultural products (fungicides) and fossil fuels contain it.
• Industries using mercury include battery, thermometer, barometer, fluorescent or mercury vapor lamp manufacturing, textile production, metal plating, and electrical generation turbines.
• Dental amalgams and some antiseptic agents contain mercury.
• Paints manufactured prior to 1990 contained mercury for its anti-mildew properties.
• Fish contain mercury because the waters they live in and the food they eat are contaminated through naturally occurring mercury or human-made pollution as runoff or in the airshed.

HOW DO YOU GET MERCURY POISONING?

Mercury in any form is toxic. Vapor inhalation, injection, absorption through the skin, and ingestion are all routes of mercury poisoning. The systems in your body most affected are gastrointestinal, renal, and nervous, with mercury accumulating in the brain, liver, kidney, hair, and skin. Birth defects occur, and genetic damage is suspected.

Consumption of mercury-tainted fish is the most common source of mercury poisoning in the general population. Symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, kidney failure, skin burns and irritation, respiratory distress, swollen gums and mouth sores, drooling, numbness and tingling in the lips, mouth, tongue, hands and feet, tremors and incoordination, vision and hearing loss, memory loss, personality changes and headache. Allergic reactions can also occur. Fish anyone?

For a more complete listing of the symptomatology of mercury poisoning, see the addendum pages in the attachment to this newsletter.

AVOIDING MERCURY POISONING

You can take a virtual home tour to discover where mercury might lurk, with this excellent website guide. You will probably be very surprised at what you find: http://www.nwf.org/mercury/housetour.cfm

Fully the other half of this toxicity issue is cleaning up and disposing of mercury products appropriately. For instance, broken fluorescent lamps contain mercury powder that if not cleaned up and disposed of correctly is a dangerous inhalation hazard. Using a broom or vacuum cleaner is an absolute no-no! Liquid and powder forms of mercury must be treated as hazardous waste, so it is very important to follow specific disposal procedures. Use this web address to obtain a great cleanup and disposal primer: http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/fae_mercury.pdf