MERCURY

Mercury is a very toxic element. It can enter the body through an open wound or by

inhaling or ingesting it. It can then cause damage to nerves, the liver and the kidney, as well

as a number of other symptoms. Despite its toxic qualities, mercury can still be useful to us.

The element conducts electricity and is used in electrical switches of thermostats and certain

types of doze alarm-type alarm clocks. The place where people probably see it most

commonly is in the new light bulbs, the compact fluorescent light bulbs. (Daniel King, 2014)

Due to its high density and compactness, mercury is also used to make thermometers,

barometers and other scientific instruments. However, for safety reasons, consumer use of

mercury in thermometers has become less common over the years, as digital thermometers

have been introduced. (Jefferson Lab, 2014)

Mercury can form alloys with gold, silver, zinc and cadmium, which are called

amalgams. Through those amalgams, mercury can be used to extract gold from rocks. When

mercury comes into contact with gold, the gold dissolves into the mercury and then the two

are separated, with the mercury being distilled off. Other common mercury compounds

include mercuric chloride (HgCl2), a highly poisonous salt and that was once used as a

wound disinfectant. Another example is mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), also known as

calomel, an antiseptic used to kill bacteria. Mercuric sulfide (HgS) is used to make a red paint

pigment called vermilion, and mercuric oxide (HgO) is used to make mercury batteries.

(Jefferson Lab, 2014)

Natural deposits of mercury-bearing minerals, usually in the form of cinnabar, a

sulfide of mercury, have been found throughout the world. Elemental mercury is used in the

manufacture of certain chemicals, paints, batteries, electronic items, and fluorescent lamps. It

is the major constituent of traditional dental amalgams. It is used in some thermometers,

barometers, and other types of scientific apparatus. The organomercury compound

Thiomersal (commonly called Thimerosol) is a widely used antibacterial and antifungal

agent. Cinnabar ore is still used in some cultures for medical treatments. Mercury and most of

its compounds are highly toxic and need to be handled with extreme care. To prevent

inhalation and skin contact, they are stored in sealed containers. The most poisonous

compounds of mercury are its soluble salts (such as mercuric chloride) and organic

compounds (such as methylmercury). (New World Encyclopedia, 2018)

Classifications

Inorganic mercury compounds occur when mercury combines with elements such as

chlorine, sulfur, oroxygen, and some of these compounds can be created in a lab. These

mercury compounds are also called mercury salts. Most inorganic mercury compounds are

white powders or crystals, except for cinnabar (HgS), which is red and turns black after

exposure to light. Some inorganic mercury compounds, such as mercuric chloride (HgCl2),

are violent poisons. When mercury combines with carbon, the compounds formed are called

“organic” mercury compounds or organomercurials. There are a potentially large number of

organic mercury compounds, but the most common organic mercury compound in the

environment is methylmercury (HgCH3). When elemental mercury enters a water body,

certain microorganisms can convert it to methylmercury during their normal metabolic

processes. Methylmercury is the form that ends up in fish tissue and is ingested by humans.

Strcuture

The nucleus consists of 80 protons (red) and 122 neutrons (blue). 80 electrons (green)

bind to the nucleus, successively occupying available electron shells (rings). Mercury is a

transition metal in group 12, period 6, and the d-block of the periodic table. It is the only
metal to be liquid at room temperature, freezing at minus 39 degrees Celsius. This is because

the d-subshell shielding effect ends. It is a toxic metal, used in thermometers, barometers and

manometers. (Science Photo Library, 2019)

Advantages

Durability. Durability is one of the most important things we consider when buying

anything. When comparing the prices, the spirit-filled meters are cheaper than the mercury

ones. Anyway, the spirit-filled ones break easily. If you break the spirit-filled Thermometer

by mistake, impossible to rejoin it. The Mercury Thermometer, on the other hand, is more

durable under general conditions. (Viens, H., 2017)

Accuracy. Out of all the liquid-filled Thermometers, the mercury-filled ones are the

most accurate. High thermal conductivity, high sensitivity to temperature, and good visibility

make mercury the best for liquid-filled Thermometers. Alcohol Thermometers can leak easily

and wet the wall, leading less accurate and slow readings. Due to these downsides of alcohol

thermometers, some secondary schools don’t use them for educational purposes. (Viens, H.,

2017)

Disadvantages

Temperature Range. High-temperature range compared to the alcohol thermometers

is another advantage of the mercury types. Also, the Mercury Thermometers are smaller

compared to the alcohol types. Well, that’s because mercury expands less than other liquids.

Imagine you are taking the temperature of boiling water with an alcohol meter. Because

alcohol expands more compared to mercury, those meters are relatively big. In other words,

Mercury Thermometers are compact and easy to take with you. Also, the boiling point of
mercury is higher than that of alcohol. So, you can measure higher temperature with a

Mercury Thermometer. (Viens, H., 2017)

Elemental and methylmercury are toxic to the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and

immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal. The inorganic salts of mercury are

corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if

ingested. Neurological and behavioural disorders may be observed after inhalation, ingestion

or dermal exposure of different mercury compounds. Symptoms include tremors, insomnia,

memory loss, neuromuscular effects, headaches and cognitive and motor dysfunction. Mild,

subclinical signs of central nervous system toxicity can be seen in workers exposed to an

elemental mercury level in the air of 20 μg/m3 or more for several years. Kidney effects have

been reported, ranging from increased protein in the urine to kidney failure. (World Health

Organization, 2017)

Recent Research

The Toxicology of Mercury

Mercury (Hg) is a persistent bio-accumulative toxic metal with unique

physicochemical properties of public health concern since their natural and anthropogenic

diffusions still induce high risk to human and environmental health. The goal of this review

was to analyze scientific literature evaluating the role of global concerns over Hg exposure

due to human exposure to ingestion of contaminated seafood (methyl-Hg) as well as

elemental Hg levels of dental amalgam fillings (metallic Hg), vaccines (ethyl-Hg) and

contaminated water and air (Hg chloride). Mercury has been recognized as a neurotoxicant as

well as immunotoxic and designated by the World Health Organization as one of the ten most
dangerous chemicals to public health. It has been shown that the half-life of inorganic Hg in

human brains is several years to several decades. Mercury occurs in the environment under

different chemical forms as elemental Hg (metallic), inorganic and organic Hg. Despite the

raising understanding of the Hg toxicokinetics, there is still fully justified to further explore

the emerging theories about its bioavailability and adverse effects in humans. In this review,

we describe current research and emerging trends in Hg toxicity with the purpose of

providing up-to-date information for a better understanding of the kinetics of this metal,

presenting comprehensive knowledge on published data analyzing its metabolism, interaction

with other metals, distribution, internal doses and targets, and reservoir organs. (Bjorklund,

G., 2017)

Mercury transport and human exposure from global marine fisheries

Human activities have increased the global circulation of mercury, a potent

neurotoxin. Mercury can be converted into methylmercury, which biomagnifies along aquatic

food chains and leads to high exposure in fish-eating populations. Here we quantify temporal

trends in the ocean-to-land transport of total mercury and methylmercury from fisheries and

we estimate potential human mercury intake through fish consumption in 175 countries.

Mercury export from the ocean increased over time as a function of fishing pressure,

especially on upper-trophic-level organisms. In 2014, over 13 metric tonnes of mercury were

exported from the ocean. Asian countries were important contributors of mercury export in

the last decades and the western Pacific Ocean was identified as the main source. Estimates

of per capita mercury exposure through fish consumption showed that populations in 38% of

the 175 countries assessed, mainly insular and developing nations, were exposed to doses of

methylmercury above governmental thresholds. Our study shows temporal trends and spatial

patterns of Hg transport by fisheries. Given the high mercury intake through seafood
consumption observed in several understudied yet vulnerable coastal communities, we

recommend a comprehensive assessment of the health exposure risk of those populations.

(Amyot, M., Bouffard, A., et.al., 2018)

Mercury Poisoning: Analytical Aspects with Brief Overview

Mercury (quicksilver) comes under the class of metallic poisons. At room temperature

the metal is in liquid form. Although metallic mercury is not poisonous, but it causes

poisoning when inhaled in its vapour form, swallowed or rubbed into skin. The toxicity of

mercury depends on its chemical form and route of exposure. It affects the immune system,

alters genetic and enzyme systems, and damages the nervous system, including

incoordination and the tactile, gustatory and visual hallucinations. Clinical features of

mercury poisoning along with differential diagnosis have been presented. The pre-hospital,

hospital and post-hospital management will help in providing the proper care to the patient

along with the treatment which can be done using BAL, DMSA etc. The qualitative as well as

quantitative determination of mercury levels can be done with the help of various

sophisticated techniques. (Gupta, S.K., Yadav, A., et.al., 2014)

Application

Mercury is used in barometers and manometers (instruments for measuring the

pressure of gases and liquids), because of its high density. The metal also has a high rate of

nearly linear thermal expansion, so it is used extensively in thermometers. Its ease in

amalgamating with metals is made use of in extracting gold, silver, and platinum from their

ores. Mercury is widely used in making advertising signs, mercury switches and other

electrical apparatus. It is also used in mercury-vapor lamps (which emit light rich in

ultraviolet radiation). These lamps are typically used for street lighting, as sun lamps, and as
UV lights (black lights). Various compounds of mercury are used in medicine, dentistry,

cosmetics (mascara) and also in agriculture to make fungicides.

Environmental Issues

Mercury enters the environment as a result of normal breakdown of minerals in rocks

and soil through exposure to wind and water. Release of mercury from natural sources has

remained fairly the same over the years. Still mercury concentrations in the environment are

increasing; this is ascribed to human activity. Most of the mercury released from human

activities is released into air, through fossil fuel combustion, mining, smelting and solid waste

combustion. Some forms of human activity release mercury directly into soil or water, for

instance the application of agricultural fertilizers and industrial wastewater disposal. All

mercury that is released in the environment will eventually end up in soils or surface waters.

Mercury is not naturally found in foodstuffs, but it may turn up in food as it can be

spread within food chains by smaller organisms that are consumed by humans, for instance

through fish. Mercury concentrations in fish usually greatly exceed the concentrations in the

water they live in. Cattle breeding products can also contain eminent quantities of mercury.

Mercury is not commonly found in plant products, but it can enter human bodies through

vegetables and other crops, when sprays that contain mercury are applied in agriculture.

Mercury from soils can accumulate in mushrooms. Acidic surface waters can contain

significant amounts of mercury. When the pH values are between five and seven, the mercury

concentrations in the water will increase due to mobilisation of mercury in the ground.

Once mercury has reached surface waters or soils microrganisms can convert it to

methyl mercury, a substance that can be absorbed quickly by most organisms and is known to

cause nerve damage. Fish are organisms that absorb great amounts of methyl mercury from
surface waters every day. As a consequence, methyl mercury can accumulate in fish and in

the food chains that they are part of.

The effects that mercury has on animals are kidneys damage, stomach disruption,

damage to intestines, reproductive failure and DNA alteration. (Lenntech, 2015)

Societal Issues

Metallic mercury is used in a variety of household products, such as barometers,

thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs. The mercury in these devices is trapped and usually

does not cause any health problems. However, when a thermometer will break a significantly

high exposure to mercury through breathing will occur for a short period of time while it

vaporizes. This can cause harmful effects, such as nerve, brain and kidney damage, lung

irritation, eye irritation, skin rashes, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Mercury has a number of effects on humans, that can all of them be simplified into

the following main effects: disruption of the nervous system, damage to brain functions,

DNA damage and chromosomal damage, allergic reactions, resulting in skin rashes, tiredness

and headaches, and negative reproductive effects, such as sperm damage, birth defects and

miscarriages.

Damaged brain functions can cause degradation of learning abilities, personality

changes, tremors, vision changes, deafness, muscle incoordination, and memory loss.

Chromosomal damage is known to cause mongolism. (Lenntech, 2015)

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