MERCURY
(Chem.) A metallic element
mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar, one of its ores. It is a heavy,
opaque,
glistening liquid (commonly called {quicksilver}), and is used in
barometers, thermometers, ect. Specific gravity
13.6. Symbol Hg
(Hydrargyrum). Atomic weight 199.8. Mercury has a molecule which consists of
only one atom. It
was named by the alchemists after the god Mercury, and
designated by his symbol, [mercury].
SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING
1. Psychological Disturbances (erethysm)
Irritability,
Nervousness, Fits of Anger, Memory Loss, Lack of Attention, Depression, Low Self
Confidence, Anxiety, Drowsiness, Shyness/timidity, Decline of Intellect,
Insomnia, Low Self Control.
2. Oral Cavity Disorders
Bleeding Gums, White Patches - Mouth, Stomatitis,
Bone Loss Around Teeth, Loosening of Teeth, Ulcers of Gums- Palate- Tongue,
Excessive Saliva, Burning of Mouth, Foul Breath, Gum Pigmentation, Metalic
Taste.
3. Gastrointestinal Effects
Abdominal Cramps, Colitis, Crohn's disease,
Gastrointestinal Problems, Diarrhea.
4. Systemic Effects
Cardiovascular, Irregular Heart Beat, Changes in Blood
Pressure, Feeble or Irregular Pulse, Pain or Pressure in Chest
5. Neurologic
Chronic or Frequent Headaches, Dizziness, Ringing or Noises
in Ears, Fine Tremors (Hands, Feet, Eye Lids, Tongue)
6. Respiratory
Persistant Cough, Emphysema, Shallow or Irregular
Breathing.
7. Immunological
Allergies, Asthma, Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Swollen Lymph
Nodes in Neck
8. Endocrine
Subnormal Temperature, Cold Clammy Hands & Feet,
Excessive Perspiration, Muscle Weakness, Fatigue, Hypoxia, Edema, Loss of
Appetite, Loss of Weight, Joint Pain
" Mad as a Hatter "
The term "Mad as a Hatter" refers to someone who is behaving in an irrational way. The origins of the term come from 19th Century England. Hatmakers used felt that was treated with toxic chemicals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Symptoms included confused speech, personality changes and tremors.
How Can Mercury
Effect your Health
Exposure to high levels of elemental mercury vapor can result in
nervous system damage including tremors, and mood and personality alterations.
Exposure to relatively high levels of inorganic mercury salts can cause kidney
damage. Adult exposure to relatively high levels of methylmercury through fish
consumption can result in numbness or tingling in the extremities, sensory
losses and loss of coordination. Exposure of the developing fetus through
maternal intake of contaminated fish can result in neurologic developmental
abnormalities in cognitive and motor functions. Whether any of these symptoms
actually occur, and the nature and severity of the symptoms, depend on the
amount of exposure.
Mercury
Sources
THERMOMETERS Oral and rectal fever thermometers Basal thermometers
(for natural family planning) Candy, deep fry, and oven thermometers Indoor and
outdoor thermometers Specialty thermometers such as mason's hygrometer or sling
psychrometer (for determining relative humidity), minimum-maximum thermometer
(greenhouse/horticulture use) Thermometers for incubators and other on-farm uses
BAROMETERS AND MANOMETERS Barometers used for measuring barometric pressure
(climatological) Manometers used to monitor vacuum in milking systems (dairy
farms) Manometer/vacuum gauge device used for carburetor synchronization (for
multicarburetor motorcycles, cars, and boats) LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL/SWITCH
APPLICATIONS All fluorescent lamps All high intensity discharge (HID) lamps:
mercury vapor, metal halide, high pressure sodium 'Neon' lamps: many colors
contain argon gas and mercury; when purchasing, specify non-mercury colors
(filled with neon gas) if possible Tilt switch in 'silent' wall switches (look
for 'top' mark) Tilt switch in heating/cooling thermostats (also listed above
under heating and cooling systems) Tilt switch in automatic shut off steam irons
(except for newer models with one-hour shutoff) Tilt switch in some
cellular/portable phones Tilt switch in cover of some portable/laptop computers
Tilt switch in gas gauge of some riding lawnmowers and lawn tractors Tilt switch
in some sump pumps Mercuric oxide batteries; used primarily in hearing aids,
cameras/light meters, and watches AUTOMOTIVE & MARINE Tilt switch in hood
and trunk lights Tilt switch in bilge pumps Manometer/vacuum gauge device used
for carburetor synchronization (for multicarburetor motorcycles, cars, and
boats) MAJOR APPLIANCES:
Gas ranges and wall ovens (home and RV use,
standing and electronic pilot): mercury flame sensor/safety valve Gas dryers:
mercury flame sensor/safety valve (pre-glow plug models) Gas refrigerators:
Assume presence of mercury flame sensor/safety valve in all brands and models
except Norcold model 1082 and 600, 900, 1200 series gas and gas/electric
refrigerators Washing machines: spin cycle shutoff tilt switch attached to lid
(concealed under top cover) Chest Freezers: tilt switch in lid for light
Refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers: small mercury displacement relay with
"top" mark is believed to have been used in compressor circuit of most makes and
models and may still be in production (confirming this) Gas hot water heaters do
not use a mercury flame sensor/safety valve HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS Gas
space heaters: mercury flame sensor/safety valve Boilers/hot water or steam
heat: mercury flame sensor/safety valve (gas only); aquastat, pressurestat and
other hydronic controls (any fuel) Furnaces/gravity or forced air heat: mercury
flame sensor/safety valve (gas only); fan limit devices and other air controls
(any fuel) Gas air conditioners: assume presence of mercury flame sensor/safety
valve Thermostats for heating and air conditioning systems (may also contain
nickel-cadmium battery for clock) Other applications, e.g., heat pumps,
evaporative coolers, etc., are unknown CHEMICALS: PHARMACEUTICALS &
PESTICIDES MercurochromeŽ/Merbromin (topical disinfectant) Thimerosal/Tincture
of Merthiolate (topical disinfectant and preservative) Topical medications for
psoriasis, eczema, etc. (older products) Homeopathic remedies Mercurial
preservatives in over-the-counter nasal sprays, hemorrhoidal ointments, eye and
contact lens products Pesticides: crabgrass killer, fungicides (orchard/seed
dressing use, golf course mold treatment) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND USES
Weight/counterweight in grandfather clocks, homemade dumbbells
Archery/Crossbow/Firearms damper or shock/recoil absorber Jewelry (usually a
glass ampule) Mirrors (technology discontinued about 1900) Spiritual/ritual use
in some Caribbean/Hispanic communities
Harmful effects of mercury compounds
Manufacture of paints,
various household items, and pesticides uses mercury; the finished product and
the waste products released into air and water may contain mercury. The aquatic
food chain can concentrate organic mercury compounds in fish and seafood, which,
if eaten by humans, can affect the central nervous system, impairing muscle,
vision, and cerebral function, leading to paralysis and sometimes death (see
Minamata disease). Acute mercury poisoning causes severe digestive-tract
inflammation. Mercury accumulates in the kidneys, causing uremia and death.
Chronic poisoning, from occupational inhalation or skin absorption, causes
metallic taste, oral inflammation, blue gum line, extremity pain and tremor,
weight loss, and mental changes (depression and withdrawal). Drugs containing
mercury can cause sensitivity reactions, sometimes fatal. In young children,
acrodynia (pink disease) is probably caused by an organic mercury compound in
house paints.
Mercury and Autism
Vaccines caused my three children's neuro disorders Wednesday, December 10, 2003
I am writing regarding the
November 19 article, "Vaccines blamed for Lynwood female soldier's death,
Pentagon says."
I am the mother of three children. All of my children have a
neurological condition.
My oldest son has ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder], my daughter has Aspergers (also known as high functioning autism),
and my youngest son has PDD-NOS (also another form of autism).
The two
children with Autism disorders also have confirmed mercury poisoning from their
routine childhood vaccines.
The pharmaceutical companies are so large and
almighty that bringing them down is a challenge but one that I and many other
parents are slowly doing.
I'm not anti-vaccine. I am for safe vaccines -
vaccines without known neurotoxins such as thimerosal, and other additives such
as aluminum, aborted fetus cells, and formaldehyde.
I feel so bad for the
families who have lost their children to such a huge government cover-up. Yes,
government cover-up. See, these pharmaceutical companies knew that some of the
ingredients were neurotoxins yet chose the almighty dollar over the well being
of people.
CDC reports in 2000 concluded that thimerosal was "plausible" in
the rise in autism, then in November 2003 released another "study" by the same
author who just happens to work for a huge pharmaceutical company, Glaxo-Smith
Kline. The newest report is severely flawed.
Very few in government are
willing to stand up for the injured. They are afraid they won't get the big
bucks thrown their way for political funds. Bill Frist, for example, has
received very large contributions from GSK and Merck.
It's just about time
that someone stands up and tells the truth, but I don't see that day coming any
time soon. So in the meantime I will continue to do the best I can for my
vaccine-injured children.
While the big dogs live in their big fancy houses,
drive their expensive cars, and flaunt their money around, I'll do the best I
can to keep a roof over my kids heads, food in their tummies, and all of the
therapies and biomedical treatments I can possibly afford.
I don't see how
these people sleep at night, but one day they will have to answer to a higher
power and will get their due.
Samantha Vernetti
Fletcher, North
Carolina
Dartmouth Researcher Poisoned by Material She was Studying
Associated Press, 03/28/97
HANOVER, N.H. - A respected Dartmouth College
professor is in the hospital after an apparent research accident left her
poisoned by the toxic mercury she was studying.
Professor Karen Wetterhahn
was diagnosed with mercury poisoning eight weeks ago. The college and hospital
won't discuss her condition, but her family issued a statement saying treatment
is continuing.
Officials from Dartmouth's Chemistry and Environmental Health
and Safety departments believe Wetterhahn was poisoned sometime in August while
working alone with dimethylmercury. The mercury compound has no practical uses,
but Wetterhahn was using it in her studies of mercury toxicity. There also is a
delay between exposure and when a victim begins feeling the effects.
No one
knows for sure how Wetterhahn was poisoned, but they suspect some of the mercury
touched her skin and was absorbed into her body.
John Winn, chairman of
Dartmouth's chemistry department, said it was hard to tell how much she had
absorbed. He was not sure whether the mercury compound soaked through protective
gear or touched her skin directly.
Wetterhahn was diagnosed after tests in
January showed she had an elevated level of mercury. She was tested due to
numbness in her fingers, unsteady walking, difficulty in speaking and vision and
hearing problems.
Rare Form of Mercury Kills Dartmouth Chemistry
Teacher
The News York Times
HANOVER, N.H., June 10 - A Dartmouth College
chemistry professor has died from exposure to a rare form of mercury, first
synthesized more than 130 years ago.
Karen E. Wetterhahn, 48, who also had
served as an associate dean and a dean at the college, died on Sunday, about 10
months after accidentally spilling a few drops of dimethylmercury on her
disposable latex gloves while performing a laboratory experiment. The substance,
which has no practical application, is used in research on heavy
metals.
Prof. John S. Winn, chairmen of the college's chemistry department,
said Professor Wetterhahn was a leader in the study of how heavy metals can
initiate cancer at the molecular level. Dimethylmercury is so rare that it is
only in use in perhaps 100 laboratories worldwide at any given time, he
said.
Through a search of medical literature, the college determined that
exposure to the substance killed two laboratory assistants in 1865, shortly
after it was first synthesized, and a 28-year-old chemist in 1971.
"Karen
Wetterhahn's death is a tragedy for her family and for the Dartmouth community,"
said Dartmouth's president, James O. Freedman.
After years of study chromium
metal toxicity, Professor Wetterhahn had turned to the study of mercury in a
sabbatical at Harvard University in September 1995, Professor Winn said. In the
experiment at Dartmouth last August, she had used dimethylmercury to set up a
standard against which to measure other mercury involved in her research.
The
drops apparently spilled onto her gloves, passed quickly through the latex and
were absorbed through her skin. After her illness was diagnosed in late January,
the college had the latex gloves independently tested, and it was determined
that the mercury could pass through in 15 seconds or much less.
Other types
of gloves offer more protection, but she probably used latex to increase
dexterity during the delicate procedure, he said.
In a letter to Chemical and
Engineering News about the accident, Professor Winn and the other college
officials recommended that heavier gloves be used during experiments, and that
"medical surveillance measuring mercury concentrations in whole blood or urine"
should be considered during extended use of these compounds.
Professor
Wetterhahn's symptoms, which initially included difficulty with balance, speach,
vision and hearing, progressed rapidly and she was in a coma from late February
until her death. Although treatments were administered to eliminate the mercury
in her system, they began too late to prevent irreversible damage to the nervous
syster, Professor Winn said.
OSHA Fines Dartmouth for Mercury
Poisoning
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.
S. Department of Labor has concluded its investigation into the death by mercury
poisoning of a Dartmouth College professor. Federal regulators have fined
Dartmouth College $13,500 for "serious" safety violations in connection with the
death of Dr. Wetterhahn. A serious violation is defined by OSHA as one in which
there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could
result, and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.
David May,
OSHA's New Hampshire director, said Dartmouth had failed to provide adequate
training on the limits of the gloves and to provide appropriate gloves for the
research of dimethyl mercury. Also, the Lab's Chemical Hygiene Plan was fine for
deficiencies.
Director May stressed dimethyl mercury is highly toxic with
little commercial use. It was being used in research as an NMR standard.
Dartmouth officials said they would not contest the fine and would comply with
OSHA's safety recommendations. In the past months, the college has held
workshops on different types of gloves and their uses, and has affixed labels to
gloves warning of their limitations.