Mercury: MedlinePlus

Mercury: MedlinePlus

New on the MedlinePlus Mercury page:

Heavy Metal Blood Test

05/01/2018 03:50 PM EDT

Source: National Library of Medicine - 

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Mercuric chloride poisoning
• Mercuric oxide poisoning
• Mercury
• Methylmercury poisoning

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Mercury is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

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Summary

Mercury is an element that is found in air, water and soil. It has several forms. Metallic mercury is a shiny, silver-white, odorless liquid. If heated, it is a colorless, odorless gas. It also combines with other elements to form powders or crystals. Mercury is in many products. Metallic mercury is used in glass thermometers, silver dental fillings, and button batteries. Mercury salts may be used in skin creams and ointments. It's also used in many industries.

Mercury in the air settles into water. It can pass through the food chain and build up in fish, shellfish, and animals that eat fish. The nervous system is sensitive to all forms of mercury. Exposure to high levels can damage the brain and kidneys. Pregnant women can pass the mercury in their bodies to their babies.

It is important to protect your family from mercury exposure:

• Carefully handle and dispose of products that contain mercury
• Limit your consumption of fish with higher levels of mercury

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Start Here

• Basic Information about Mercury (Environmental Protection Agency)Also in Spanish
• Mercury (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)Also in Spanish
• Mercury (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Mercury and Your Health (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry)
• Tox Town  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Heavy Metal Blood Test  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• About Dental Amalgam Fillings (Food and Drug Administration)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Thimerosal (Ethylmercury)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury (Environmental Protection Agency)Also in Spanish
• Storing, Transporting and Disposing of Mercury in Your Home(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste)

Specifics

• Mercury Poisoning Linked to Skin Products (Food and Drug Administration)Also in Spanish
• Should I Be Concerned about Eating Fish and Shellfish? (Environmental Protection Agency)

Statistics and Research

• TOXMAP  (National Library of Medicine) - Create maps showing locations of toxic chemical releases

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Microplastics cause neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and energy-related changes and interact... 
• Article: Presenting information on regulation values improves the public's sense of... 
• Article: Reversible and Sensitive Hg2+ Detection by a Cell-Permeable Ytterbium Complex. 
• Mercury -- see more articles 
• Mercury poisoning -- see more articles 

Find an Expert

• Environmental Protection Agency Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

• Mercury (Environmental Health Student Portal)  (National Library of Medicine)
• Mercury Report-Children's exposure to elemental mercury 

Women

• Mercury and Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
• Methylmercury and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists)Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Mercuric chloride poisoning (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Mercuric oxide poisoning (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Mercury (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Mercury Quick Facts: Health Effects of Mercury Exposure(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - PDFAlso in Spanish
• Methylmercury poisoning (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish