Mercury in its pure form is not toxic, but its vapors and ions are very toxic. Especially when mercury is very easy to liquefy, mercury poisoning is also very common. Understanding how toxic mercury is is the knowledge you need to equip yourself to take preventive measures if you accidentally catch yourself or a loved one.
Mercury is a metal that occurs naturally in the environment due to volcanic activity, weather, especially man-made. Factories using coal, mining metals, gold... are the main sources of mercury release into the environment. Mercury in its pure form is not toxic, but its vapors and ions are very toxic. This substance is easily oxidized to Hg2+. In water, Hg converts into toxic Hg(CH3)2. The harmful effects of mercury in the environment are that it will enter water sources, plants and infect organisms, especially fish, along the food chain entering the body of livestock and humans. Understanding how toxic mercury is is one of the knowledge that you need to know in order to promptly take appropriate measures if you are unfortunately exposed to mercury toxicity.
The image of mercury in liquid form looks like a silver drop of water
Signs of mercury poisoning?
Harmful effects of mercury
When exposed to the body, mercury is absorbed almost completely into the bloodstream and distributed to all tissues, including the brain. It is then eliminated 10 g in the urine and 10 mg in the faeces per day. The rest, toxicity of mercury accumulates in the liver, intestines, kidneys, nervous system and some other parts.
The most susceptible group is the fetus, when the mother is exposed to too much mercury, it will cause damage to the nervous system, slow the child's development, language disorders... It also passes through the placenta to the fetus and fetal brain. Workers in coal plants, metal mining, or by eating a lot of fish and oysters containing a lot of mercury, are also susceptible to infection.
How toxic is mercury?
With low levels of mercury poisoning , people experience numbness and stinging pain in their lips, fingers, and toes; if severe, can cause acute pulmonary edema, respiratory failure.
Numbness and sharp pain in the lips, fingers, and toes caused by mercury poisoning is called paresthesia.
Depending on the form of mercury, the length of time, the intensity of exposure, and certain physical conditions, the symptoms of poisoning vary from person to person. Signs of mercury poisoning appear days to weeks after exposure to the source.
Swallowing inorganic mercury causes acute poisoning; exposure to organic forms such as ingesting mercury-containing fish often causes chronic poisoning; Inhaling mercury vapor causes severe acute lung disease.
People exposed to mercury concentrations in the air above 50 micrograms/m3 for a long time will experience symptoms such as tremors, inability to regulate movement, personality changes, memory loss, insomnia, etc. fatigue, headache, weight loss, psychological stress, gingivitis... More severe can lead to acute pulmonary edema, respiratory failure and death.
Mercury poisoning causes terrible itching
Mercury poisoning treatment
Initial treatment of mercury poisoning is similar to other poisonings, with rapid assessment of respiratory and circulatory status. Eliminate skin toxicity of mercury by removing contaminated clothing and washing skin and eyes if contaminated.
Poisoning by swallowing does not induce vomiting nor does gastric lavage, due to the risk of gastric perforation and esophageal perforation. Do not use activated carbon because it does not have the effect of metal adsorption.
In case of inorganic mercury poisoning, it is necessary to receive fluids to prevent cardiovascular collapse. If damage to the oropharyngeal mucosa causes significant edema, endotracheal intubation is recommended to prevent respiratory obstruction.
Patients with poisoning from mercury ingestion, the doctor will not induce vomiting nor do gastric lavage, because of the risk of gastric perforation and perforation of the esophagus. Do not use activated charcoal for detoxification because charcoal does not have the effect of absorbing mercury toxicity.
In case of inorganic mercury poisoning, the doctor will give the patient intravenous fluids to prevent cardiovascular collapse. If there is damage to the oropharyngeal mucosa causing significant edema, the patient must be intubated to prevent respiratory obstruction. When systemic symptoms appear, there is conversion of organic mercury to inorganic mercury in the body, the patient is given a specific antidote immediately.
Measures to prevent harmful effects of mercury
Areas with mercury fires should be avoided because mercury vapor is very toxic
When to visit?
You should contact your doctor for advice if you have any of the above symptoms. Rinse skin or eyes with warm water for at least 10-15 minutes if they come into contact with mercury. Change clothes and put soiled clothes in a sealed bag. In case of detecting signs of poisoning, the patient needs to go to the hospital for examination immediately to receive timely treatment, to avoid possible serious consequences.
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