The element mercury can be found in several forms: elemental, found, for instance, inside glass thermometers; inorganic, found in some chemistry labs as well as in batteries; and organic, most commonly found in fish that have eaten a form called methylmercury. Skin-related, or dermatological, symptoms, may occur in inorganic mercury poisoning; however, more commonly, dermatological symptoms are seen in poisoning from methylmercury. Interestingly, the symptoms on the skin may occur even if the person has not touched mercury but has been ingesting small amounts of it over a long period of time.
Acrodynia
Acrodynia is a term used to refer to a group of symptoms that may occur in cases of poisoning from inorganic mercury. These symptoms include skin that becomes abnormally pink and begins peeling. The National Resource Defense Council, in its brief discussion on inogranic mercury poisoning, says that inorganic mercury poisoning is no longer a major issue in the United States. In the past, however, babies were especially susceptible due to disinfectants used in baby powders and laundry detergents. The National Institutes of Health website, Medline Plus, reports that such antiseptics are no longer available in the United States and have been banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA.
Strange Sensations on the Skin
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or (EPA, in its online discussion of health effects of mercury, reports that people who have been poisoned by methylmercury may experience uncomfortable sensations of "pins and needles," similar to the sensation of an arm or leg being "asleep." This sensation is called a paresthesia--that is, a disturbance in the normal perception of sensation on the skin--that occurs due to nerve damage. According to the EPA, this type of tingling sensation is most often noticed around the mouth, the hands, or the feet.
Numbness of the Skin
An uncomfortable sense that the skin is numb is another possible indication that a person has been poisoned by methylmercury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, on its website discussing mercury poisoning, reports that often, symptoms of methylmercury toxicity are delayed--that is, it may take more than a month before symptoms begin being apparent. Numbness of the skin is one such symptom that may occur. As with paresthesias of the hands and feet, this is an indication that the central nervous system has been damaged.
Pain on the Skin
A third possible dermatological symptom suggesting that methylmercury levels in a patient are dangerously high, and that he has been poisoned, is that of pain in the skin. Pain on the skin when there is no clear cause for the pain--such as a scratch or a bruise--may be another form of paresthesia and can signal that there is a problem with the nerves that relay messages to the brain.
