Mercury is a naturally occurring metallic substance. It is found in several forms such as metallic mercury, inorganic mercury and organic mercury. Excessive exposure to all forms of mercury may causes serious side effects. Metallic mercury is found mostly in occupational areas, so exposure to metallic mercury exists only with workers who handle the substance. Inorganic mercury, at one time, was used in household laundry detergents and baby powders. Due to health hazards, inorganic mercury is no longer used in these products so overexposure is nearly impossible. Organic mercury, also known as methylmercury, is the most worrisome form of mercury. Individuals can become overexposed to methylmercury by eating large amounts of fish. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish have the highest levels of mercury. Methylmercury poisoning can cause some serious health issues for people of all ages.
Adult Exposure Symptoms
Several symptoms may develop in adults if they ingest too much mercury. Mercury poisoning mostly affects the nervous system so people may experience some symptoms associated with neurologic impairment. Some of these symptoms include loss of peripheral vision, changes in behavior, memory loss and headaches. Individuals may also experience loss of motor control and tingling sensations in the arms, legs and lips. Hair loss is also common with mercury poisoning.
Low Level Prenatal Exposure Symptoms
Mercury can be very dangerous to an unborn child. Pregnant women are strongly advised to reduce their consumption of fish, especially swordfish. Mercury poisoning can cause life-long, disabling effects on fetus. Children who are born after being over exposed to mercury in the womb can experience delayed learning, shortened attention span, memory deficits, delayed speech and language skills, and impaired coordination and motor control.
High Level Prenatal Exposure Symptoms
Minamata disease can result from exposure to high levels of methymercury. This disease is a neurologic syndrome that was first noticed in Japan in 1956 after an industrial release of methylmercury in waste water. Minamata disease can cause extremely serious neurological effects to fetuses such as mental retardation, seizures, cerebral palsy, blindness and deafness. Some musculo-skeletal effects such as tight, rigid muscles with twitching or spastic movement may be a result of Minamata disease.
