1. Determine the Method of Ingestion
Like a lot of other poisons, mercury is dangerous because it is an element, which means it can't be broken down into a safer form. Mercury poisoning usually takes place either through inhaling vapors containing mercury or ingesting a liquid compound. Lower levels of mercury can also build up by eating fish with trace amounts of the element in their bodies and through older fillings in your teeth. Mercury inhalation is marked by coughing, vomiting, a metallic taste in the mouth and bleeding gums. Symptoms of mercury ingestion include bloody diarrhea, more vomiting and burning in the stomach. If you spot these symptoms, call 911 and get to an emergency room immediately.
2. Take Activated Charcoal
Once mercury is in your body, the damage is usually done. The next step is to get it out of your body as quickly as possible without causing any more damage. Activated charcoal is an herbal supplement which absorbs mercury in the body and helps pass it out more readily. You should take activated charcoal as quickly as possible after you have ingested the mercury, though always consult a doctor or a poison control center before doing so.
3. Drink Lots of Clear Liquids
The vomiting and diarrhea caused by mercury poisoning can dehydrate the body. Drink lots of water and other clear liquids to keep dehydration from becoming a problem. You should always check with a doctor before doing so, however. In a hospital, he may want to give you fluids intravenously to help combat the fallout of vomiting and diarrhea.
4. Take Vitamin C
The ascorbic acid in vitamin C has mild effects that fight mercury. You can take it in orange juice and juice from other citrus fruits or in pill form.
5. Perform Chelation Therapy
Chelation therapy is usually only administered in a hospital. The doctor prescribes certain kinds of drugs that bond with the mercury and transform it into a less poisonous form. It can then be passed out of the body through urine or feces. Chelation therapy for mercury usually uses a drug called DMSA, or dimercaptosuccinic acid. The doctor may prescribe a laxative too, which will speed the mercury out of your body after the chelatic drug has done its work.
