Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : April 3, 2015 4:48 PM IST
Mercury is present almost everywhere, in the air, water and soil. High levels of mercury inside the human body leads to impairment of various organs and disturbs the various physiological functions of the body, leading to a condition called as -- mercury poisoning.
What is mercury poisoning?
Mercury poisoning simply means an overdose of the metal inside the human body. The metal can get into the systems either by breathing it, having foods that have been contaminated with high levels of mercury or by direct skin contact. Mercury is found in various forms elemental, vapour, organic and inorganic. Intake of mercury in any of these forms can result in the same.
What causes mercury poisoning?
Mercury poisoning can occur in the following forms:
Inhalation: This usually happens if a person inhales large amounts of the metal fumes due to an industrial accident or ignorance. Such episodes happen when products like thermometers, medical equipments, valves containing elemental mercury are destroyed in any way and the metal evaporates in the air. The situation is more worrisome if the person is indoors or is in a closed enclosure when it happens.
Ingestion: This is one of the most frequent ways in which mercury poisoning happens. There is an entire ecological process that takes place before mercury is ingested into the human tissues. The liquid metal when released in air can settle in the water surfaces, wetlands, streams and taken in by fishes or other aquatic creatures. Mercury binds with the tissues of various fishes or other aquatic creatures and turns into a toxic form called methyl mercury. Dining on such fishes and seafood can increase one's chances of getting a mercury poisoning. Remember mercury once embedded into the skin of these aquatic creatures cannot be cleaned. Bigger the fish more are the chances of it carrying high levels of toxic mercury. So sea food lovers beware!
Sometimes mercury used in dental amalgam (commonly called silver fillings) can also sent small amount of vapour over time and these vapours can either be ingested or inhaled rising the mercury levels in the system. Talk to your dentist once to clear your concerns before you go for it. There are various other safer filling options you can choose from.
Skin contact: If mercury in the form of liquid or in any other compound forms (like that from batteries or other electronic equipments) comes in contact with the skin, it can be readily absorbed by the skin tissues and give rise to mercury poisoning.
How does mercury poisoning harm a person?
The metal can be potent if it gets into the system of an otherwise healthy individual. Mercury poisoning can lead to:
Dysfunction of crucial organs: High levels of methylmercury in the body can lead to impaired functioning of the brain, kidneys, and lungs and disrupt the smooth functioning of the immune system. If a pregnant woman gets poisoned with high doses of methylmercury it can lead to impaired development of the baby's nervous system and lead to concentration problems in future.
Impairment of vision and motor movements: Methylmercury can also lead to disturbances in peripheral vision. It can also lead to loss of coordination among various parts of the body, impairment of speech, hearing, walking and muscle weakness.
Other health problems: If metallic mercury is inhaled in large amounts it can lead to respiratory failure if absorbed by the lungs. Muscle atrophy, tremors, changes in nerve impulses, mood swings, headaches and cognitive function failure if it affects the nervous system. Vapours inhaled can also lead to kidney failure or even sudden death.
What are the symptoms of mercury poisoning?
The symptoms of mercury poisoning depend upon the type and extent of the damage.
High levels of the metal if inhaled can lead to:
If mercury is ingested into the system in the form of methylmercury it can lead to:
If mercury poisoning happens due to skin contact it can lead to:
How is the condition diagnosed?
The symptoms of mercury poisoning aren't easy to differentiate from other health crises that present with similar signs, like that of Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis etc, hence a diagnosis for the same becomes difficult.
If you know that you have been exposed to mercury in any form then tell your doctor about the same to make the diagnosis easy. The diagnosis of mercury poisoning involves:
Blood test: A blood test is done to measure the ratio of blood plasma along with red blood cells. With mercury poisoning the red blood cells concentrate the organic mercury on them. A complete blood count is also done to check if the metal has caused considerable damage to the red blood cells.
Stool test: A stool test is usually done to check if there are traces of blood on the feces and identify if the poisoning has caused any kind of gastrointestinal bleeding.
MRI: An MRI is done to check on the extent of brain and muscle atrophy occurred due to the toxicity of the metal.
X-ray: An x-ray is usually done on people who have ingested mercury by accident like due to a broken thermometer or a battery rupture. The x-ray shows the movement of the metal inside the systems.
How is the condition treated?
The damage caused due to methylmercury is usually irreversible. The treatment options for mercury poisoning involves
Limiting mercury exposure: If a person is staying in an area where there is too much mercury exposure, it is wise to shift base or move to an area where there will be less exposure of the metal to limit or stop mercury poisoning.
Activated charcoal treatment: In this form of treatment charcoal in form of a black liquid is given which stays out of the GI tract and attracts the toxin in the system before it is flushed out with other medications.
Dialysis: A kidney dialysis is done to flush out toxic mercury from the systems. This option is usually worked out if the poisoning has affected the kidneys to a great extent.
Laxatives: Sometimes laxatives are also given to flush out the toxics from the systems. Usually people undergoing such treatment would need fluids and electrolytes intravenously to make up for dehydration due to the laxative treatment.
Chelating therapy: In this form of therapy, chelating agents bind with the toxins in the system and ready it to be washed out from the blood stream. Usually the toxic blood can be removed through dialysis. This form of treatment is usually offered if the extent of the poisoning is too high.
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