MERCURY

By: Ka’Chelle Parker 2nd Hour AP

Environmental Science

MERCURY

What is Mercury used for and why was it developed?

• Mercury is a chemical that human use for several things such as to make electrical equipment, wire, and switching devices; to extract gold and silver from ores; and to produce chlorine gas and caustic soda, a liquid chemical. • Mercury compounds were once used in latex

paints, but were banned from that use in 1990.• Also, Mercury is used in some thermometers,

barometers, vapor and fluorescent lamps, mirror coatings, dental fillings, batteries, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals.

• Mercury was not developed is a metal that occurs naturally in the environment and is used for the following reasons listed above.

How prevalent is Mercury in our Environment? How are humans exposed to

it?• Mercury is very wide spread because it is released everyday into our

environment from the natural sources and human sources such as coal-fired power plants, municipal incinerators, and industrial boilers

Exposure• Breathing: People can be exposed by breathing mercury vapors. This

type of exposure can happen in the workplace, or in homes where mercury is spilled. People who use exterior latex paints that contain mercury in unventilated areas may be exposed and could become seriously ill.

• Drinking/Eating: People can be exposed to mercury by eating fish or shellfish caught in contaminated waters. Some dental fillings contain mercury and blood levels may be elevated for a short time after teeth are filled. Mercury can enter the body when contaminated water is used for drinking or for preparing food.

• Touching: People who work with exterior latex-paints containing mercury can absorb mercury through their skin. If a water supply is contaminated, people can absorb mercury as they bathe or use the water for other purposes.

Concerns and Health Affects

1) Why some are concerned about our exposure to this chemical?

Most people are concerned about their exposure to Mercury because it can affect ones health.

2) Health affects of this chemical in laboratory animals. •In a chronic study on toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Mercuric Chloride in F344 Rats and B6C3F1 Mice mercuric chloride in rats and mice reported an increased incidence of fore stomach and thyroid tumors in rats, and an increased incidence of renal tumors in mice.

Impact on Wildlife

Mercury is one of the must harmful pollutants faced by fish and wildlife, it is a very strong neurotoxin that impacts the function and development of the central nervous system in wildlife. Mercury can also cause deformities in developing animals.

For example, fish that live in contaminated waters have difficulty schooling which decrease their spawning success. Since these fish are contaminated they also affect those that feed on them such as:

• Mammals: have impaired motor skills that affect their ability to hunt and find food.

• Birds: lay fewer eggs and have trouble caring for their chicks.

Legislation Regulation & Maximum Contaminant Level

Legislation RegulationsMercury Export Ban Act of 2008• This Act includes provisions on both mercury exports and

long-term mercury management and storage. Because the United States is ranked as one of the world's top exporters of mercury, implementation of the act will remove a significant amount of mercury from the global market.

Maximum Contaminant Level • EPA has set an enforceable regulation for mercury, called a

maximum contaminant level (MCL), at 0.002 mg/L or 2 ppb.

What can we do to minimize exposure to Mercury?

1. Avoid fish in high mercury.2. Avoid purchasing and using consumer

products that contain mercury. 3. Make sure your medicines are free of

mercury. 4. Dispose of mercury-containing products

responsibly.

Mercury in the news!Mercury Treaty: Last Chance to Address Health Affects

Several people in Nigeria, Tanzania, are exposed to mercury poisoning because in western governments they have resisted in including stronger health provisions.

This situation relates to our real life because people are unaware of the health affects that mercury can cause. Just as the people in Africa, they are gold miners and that includes mercury they are being severely exposed to Mercury causing all kinds of health affects.

Conclusion

Mercury can be a highly toxic chemical it occurs naturally in the environment but is mainly released by human activities. There is no way to destroy it but by learning and understanding how to avoid exposure to his chemical can prevent humans from getting mercury poisoning and other severe health problems brought on by mercury.

CITATION PAGE Specialized Information Services, Environmental Health and Toxicology. (2011, October 27). Mercury. Retrieved from http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=17

Bethlehem, S. (June, 2001). In.gov. Retrieved from http://www.in.gov/idem/4246.htm

Gagnon , S. (n.d.). Thomas jefferson national accelerator facility - office of science education. Retrieved from http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele080.html

Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2010). Retrieved from Wisconsin Department of Health Services website: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/mercury.htm

http://www.usgs.gov. (2009, February 19). Retrieved from http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/

National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Mercury pollution . Retrieved from http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Pollutants/Mercury-and-Air-Toxics.aspx