October 30, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR VANESSA BUI IN TX
Mercury is a silver-colored liquid metal that is highly toxic, can be found in liquid or vapor (can not be seen or smelled) forms, does not dissolve in water or alcohol, and has a metallic taste. Mercury is dangerous because when it is spilled, it breaks into tiny beads that roll and can stick to surfaces. Spilled or improper storage of mercury may evaporate and contaminate the air you breathe or may remain in the air for a long time. It can be found in many household products like thermometers, batteries, athletic shoes with flashing lights in the soles, and fluorescent lighting to name a few. Mercury can cause permanent damage to the brain and other systems of your body. It can also affect vital organs such as the kidneys, lungs, and skin. Exposure to mercury is especially dangerous to pregnant women and children.
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A: FROM MENTOR ELIZABETH HINCHEY IN RI
Hi Alexis-
Great question- this definitely hit close to home for you. I was able
to find some information on mercury for you on two Environmental
Protection Agency websites (below). I summarized some of the content,
but there is a load of great information on mercury and its effects on
humans and the environment on these pages. I encourage you to check it
out!

Mercury: In Your Community and the Environment

http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bnsdocs/merccomm/

Although mercury does indeed occur naturally in the environment (in
rocks, soils, and the ocean), it occurs in trace amounts. It becomes
airborne naturally when rocks erode, volcanoes erupt, and soil
decomposes. Large amounts of mercury also become airborne when coil,
oil or natural gas are burned as fuel. Once in the air, mercury can
fall to the ground with rain and snow, landing on soil or water bodies
and causing contamination (note the contamination magnifies as you move
up the food chain). Mercury is an element that does not break down.
Once concentrated (like the kind stolen from the school) you simply
can't throw it back onto the ground...its too toxic in that
concentration.

The US EPA Mercury Web Site
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is present throughout
the environment. Human activity can
release some of that mercury into the air, water and soil. In the
U.S., coal-fired power plants are the
biggest source of mercury emissions to the air.

When liquid mercury is spilled, it forms droplets that can accumulate
in the tiniest of spaces and then emit
vapors into the air. Health problems caused by mercury depend on how
much has entered your body, how it
entered your body, how long you have been exposed to it, and how your
body responds to the mercury. All
mercury spills, regardless of quantity, should be treated seriously.

Mercury concentrations in air are usually low and of little direct
concern. But when mercury enters water,
biological processes transform it to a highly toxic form that builds
up in fish and animals that eat fish.
People are exposed to mercury primarily by eating fish.

The Environmental Protection Agency is working to reduce the amount
of mercury in the environment.
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A: FROM MENTOR ANNE LUCIETTO IN IL
You may want to consult with the history of mercury... one of the more
popular terms a decade or so ago was "mad as a mad hatter". You may want to
refer to the following website for more information:
http://dmi-www.mc.duke.edu/oem/hatters.htm
You may want another answer to your question and will find the following
website a plethora of information:
http://www.cem.msu.edu/~cem181h/projects/97/mercury/
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A: FROM MENTOR MAMIE MOY IN TX
Mercury metal is a silver-gray liquid. When exposed to the air or if
spilled, mercury metal vapor gets into the air where it can be
breathed into the lungs. The warmer the temperature, the more quickly
the mercury gets into the air. Mercury can also be absorbed through
the skin

Mercury Can Make You Sick:

Repeated exposure to breathing mercury metal vapor affects the human
brain, spinal cord, eyes, and kidneys. It may cause mood changes;
inability to concentrate; memory loss; a fine shaking, tingling, or
loss of feeling of the hand, tongue, or eyelid; discoloration of the
cornea and lens of the eye; disturbances of vision; and kidney
disease.

Swallowing mercury compounds can cause nausea, vomiting, and
diarrhea. Severe kidney damage can occur. Some mercury compounds can
cause irritation of the skin and eyes on contact.

If a pregnant woman eats large amounts of fish contaminated with
methylmercury, her unborn child may develop damage to vision,
hearing, taste, smell, memory, and mental ability. Infants and
children are also at high risk from methylmercury-contaminated fish
and possibly breast milk.

Very high exposure to breathing mercury metal vapor in the air can
poison quickly. Symptoms begin with cough, chest pain, trouble
breathing, and upset stomach. Chemical pneumonia, which can be fatal,
can then develop.

Children are more susceptible than adults to mercury poisoning. They
can get "pink disease" with a rash over the body, chills, swelling
and irritation of hands, feet, cheeks, and nose, light sensitivity,
trouble sleeping, and heavy sweating.

How Exposure to Mercury Can Occur:

There are four main types of mercury. The first type, mercury metal,
accounts for most exposure at work, at home, and in the community
environment. Exposure to the second type, methylmercury, only occurs
from eating some types of fish. Exposure to the other two types of
mercury are less common.

Exposure to any form of mercury on a repeated basis, or even from a
single high exposure, can cause mercury toxicity. If you are exposed
to mercury from more than one source, these exposures will add up.
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A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON IN IL
Hi, Alexis,
Your question really interests me because of an event that happened during my
childhood. I was sick and lying on the couch. My mother needed to take my
temperature. Back then, the only thermometers used were glass ones that
contained mercury. She always told me NOT to bite down on it and I always
wondered why. So, one day, my curiosity got the best of me and I bit down on
it. It broke and there were soft silvery balls all over the couch! It was very
cool! I yelled to Mom and she came out of the kitchen and freaked out! Mercury
attracts other mercury so she had me move and she moved the balls of mercury
together with a piece of paper as best she could. And then vacuumed. Of
course, I'm sure it was not totally out of the couch. There wasn't any
information that came with the thermometer on how to clean up mercury!

Anyway, I found information on mercury at
http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/mercury.pdf
and
http://www.llnl.gov/es_and_h/hsm/doc_14.05/doc14-05.html#1.0

The first URL is very readable and I suggest you read it. It's very
interesting. The second was the one I took the following information from,
because I could cut and paste. The first I could not cut and paste.

The second url had a document that says that
"All forms of mercury are toxic. Mercury poisoning can result from inhalation,
ingestion, and injection or absorption through the skin. Elemental mercury poses
a health hazard because it is volatile. Elemental mercury, as a vapor,
penetrates the central nervous system, where it is ionized and trapped,
attributing to its extreme toxic effects. Elemental mercury is not well absorbed
by the gastrointestinal tract; therefore, when ingested, it is only mildly
toxic. Mercury metal and mercury compounds are highly hazardous if inhaled or if
they remain on the skin for more than a short period of time. Dimethyl mercury
rapidly penetrates intact skin. Depending on the type of mercury and dose,
symptoms may appear relatively quickly or take a number of years to appear."

Also, the effects include "...damage to the liver, ...attack the nervous system
causing tremors, impaired vision and hearing, and paralysis. These compounds may
also cause birth defects. ...Persons heavily exposed to elemental mercury will
develop worsening tremors of the hands, shyness, insomnia, and emotional
instability."

So, that answers your question about why it's so dangerous. Here is what
mercury is:

"Mercury is a liquid metal that is environmentally persistent and bioaccumulates
in the food chain. Mercury is present in both organic and inorganic forms. The
inorganic form can be further divided into elemental mercury and mercuric salts.
Organo-mercury consists of long and short alkyl and aryl compounds. Elemental
mercury evaporates at room temperature and reacts with many elements to form
salts, amalgams, and organomercury compounds. Elemental mercury and some mercury
compounds are listed in state and federal regulations as hazardous wastes"

This answers what mercury does to you and what it is. It does come from the
soil, the water, in microorganisms, the air, in fish and shellfish.

The reason we can't just throw it back into the earth, water, etc, is because
then it is concentrated in that area and becomes very toxic. Our bodies can
handle mercury in small concentrations, but it becomes very toxic when we touch
it, breath it, eat it every day.

I hope I've answered your questions.
Kristin Taghon
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