HOW MERCURY ENTERS AND
AFFECTS YOUR BODY
Liquid mercury easily changes into a vapor. You are most likely to be exposed by breathing in mercury vapors, which are easily absorbed through your lungs into your body. Liquid mercury is not well absorbed through the skin. However, harmful absorption can occur through broken or damaged skin, or if there is lengthy skin contact.
Most effects of mercury exposure develop slowly over time. Symptoms usually occur only after repeated overexposure. These effects include insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, and muscle tremors. Brief exposures to very high levels of mercury vapors can affect the lungs.
Nervous System: Long-term overexposure to mercury vapors can cause a number of symptoms. The first symptoms may be loss of appetite, fatigue, insomnia, and changes in behavior or personality (nervousness, excitability, and shyness). Later, more serious symptoms may include nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, weight loss, weakness, and muscle tremors. Some of these symptoms have been reported after years of exposure to mercury at air levels slightly above the legal limits (see "Legal Exposure Limits"). When overexposure stops, these symptoms will usually go away.
Severe mercury poisoning can permanently damage the nervous system. Such damage may be accompanied by hallucinations, whole-body tremors, a tingling "pins and needles" sensation, pain, tenderness, numbness, and weakness. An interesting note is the past use of mercury in felt production. Felt hat manufacturers suffered from many symptoms of high-level mercury exposure, as witnessed in the Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, and the popular phrase "mad as a hatter."
Kidney: Long-term overexposure to mercury can injure the kidneys. In most cases, this damage is reversible and kidney function will gradually recover once exposure is stopped. No obvious symptoms are associated with kidney damage, unless the injury is severe. Special urine tests are used to detect this kidney damage (see "Tests for Exposure and Medical Effects"). Generally you will not have kidney damage if you do not have other symptoms of chronic mercury overexposure.
Lungs: Inhalation of very high levels of mercury vapors can affect the lungs, causing coughing, chest tightness and pain, difficulty in breathing, and pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). Fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting may also occur. If you develop these symptoms after an exposure to mercury, see your physician immediately.
Eyes, Nose, and Throat: Long-term mercury overexposure can cause increased salivation and inflammation of the mouth and gums. Repeated exposure to mercury vapors may also discolor the lenses of your eyes. This discoloration (usually brown) is a sign of mercury overexposure. It can occur with or without other symptoms of overexposure.
Skin: Prolonged skin contact with liquid mercury can irritate the skin and cause a rash that allows increased absorption through the skin.
Cancer: There is little reason to think that mercury could cause cancer, although that possibility has not been studied.
Reproductive System: The effects of metallic mercury on pregnancy and reproduction have not been studied thoroughly. When metallic mercury vapor is absorbed into your body, some of it is changed into another form, inorganic mercury. In limited studies, exposure of pregnant animals to moderate levels of either metallic or inorganic mercury caused growth retardation, birth defects, and death of the fetus or of the offspring shortly after birth. In another study, exposure of male animals to inorganic mercury reduced their fertility.
It is not known whether mercury causes similar effects in humans, but, based on the animal studies, you should handle it as a potential human reproductive toxin and minimize your exposure (see "Reducing Your Exposure"). Nursing women should also avoid exposure to mercury, since inhaled mercury can enter a woman's breast milk.
Notice terms like "long term" and "prolonged".
My girl does NEON for a living. She has been exposed to mercury in levels 1000000x that in a CFL on a daily basis for almost 10 years. She exhibits none of the symptoms yet.
Thanks Ansar!
