How does Mercury get into your water?
Elemental Mercury is typically released from:
- industrial processes
- agricultural processes
- household, commercial and medical products containing Mercury
- sewage discharge and sediment
Elemental Mercury vapor may cause nervous system damage when humans are exposed too it at high concentrations.
Inorganic Mercury is found in batteries and is very often used in the chemical industry. It is produced from elemental Mercury through a process of oxidation.
Inorganic Mercury is the most common form of a the Mercury compound that is present in drinking water. It is not considered to be very harmful to humans.
Kidney damage may result from exposure to inorganic Mercury through other sources.
Organic Mercury, or Methyl Mercury is produced by specific bacterial organisms in surface waters such as lakes where they convert inorganic Mercury into organic Mercury. This form of mercury poses a significant threat to humans.
Methyl Mercury is ingested typically by fish and bio-accumulates both in the body or tissues of fish and the humans that eat these fish. Large predatory fish (i.e. Tuna) can contain as much as 100,000 times more Methyl Mercury than the surrounding water medium.
The Health Implications of Mercury
Through the consumption of Mercury in food the people of many geographical areas have been affected. This is even more so the case where the country is considered a developing one. Many have had to deal with the catastrophic outbreaks of Mercury‐induced diseases and mortality.
Countries such as Japan, Iraq, Ghana, the Seychelles, and the Faroe Islands have faced such epidemics.
They revealed the insidious and debilitating nature of Mercury poisoning. Its creeping neuro-toxicity is highly devastating. Mainly the central and peripheral nervous systems of children were affected.
Central nervous system defects and erethism as well as arrythmias, cardiomyopathies, and kidney damage have all been associated with Mercury exposure.
Necrotizing bronchitis and pneumonitis can also arise from inhalation of Mercury vapors, which can in the worst cases result in respiratory failure.
Mercury is also considered a potent immunostimulant and suppressant. Depending on exposure dose and individual susceptibility. It produces a number of pathologic sequelae including lympho-proliferation, hypergammaglobulinemia and total systemic hyper‐ and hyporeactivities. We have highlighted above all the common sources of Mercury and where humans could be exposed to it.
We explained its biogeochemical cycling in the environment and it systemic, immunotoxic, genotoxic/carcinogenic, and teratogenic health effects. More, we talked about the dietary influences on its toxicity; as well as the important considerations in risk assessment and management of Mercury poisoning.
We would like to recommend this website as an excellent reference on all things Mercury.
Testing for and Diagnosing Asbestosis
Your doctor will perform several tests to learn whether you have asbestosis and to rule out other conditions that have similar symptoms.
First, your doctor will usually use a stethoscope to listen for abnormal breath sounds as part of a physical exam. Your doctor may also order X-rays to look for a white or honeycomb appearance on your lungs or chest. Pulmonary (lung) function tests may be used to measure the amount of air you can inhale and the airflow to and from your lungs.
Your doctor might also test to see how much oxygen is transferred from your lungs to your bloodstream. CT scans can be used to examine your lungs in more detail. Your doctor might also order a biopsy to look for asbestos fibers in a sample of your lung tissue.
You can find some more information in our 'latest news' section about why it is not only plastic fibers in your water you should be worried about, there could be Asbestos in your water too.
