Why Is Mercury Unique

Wrangell-St Elias is one in four Alaskan national parks that tested positive for mercury. In some cases the levels exceeded the State of Alaska’s human consumption levels of mercury for women and children. The test was part of a multi-year U.S. geological survey and study of fish in high elevation lakes and streams. Mercury was found in all fish and can be harmful to other fish, wildlife, humans etc. The mercury was found in fish in Copper, Tanada, and Summit Lakes. Consuming high amounts of mercury can damage developing brains in babies and

Mercury is another toxic pollutant that may be found in the tailings and in the surface and ground water supplies of the Silver Bow Creek area. While mercury is

Mercury also came up in science class. When first presented with the jumble of the periodic table, I scanned for mercury and couldn’t find it. It is there—between gold, which is also dense and soft, and thallium, which is also poisonous. But

Mercury is a heavy metal with serious side effects like heart problems, digestive imbalance, loss of memory, breathing problems, ADD, depression, etc.

While liquid gold may be a modern allegory for something desirable, there is another liquid metal that is quite the opposite of desirable. Mercury is an unusual metal in that in its standard elemental form it is a liquid. Due to the increase in industry over the last 100 years, Mercury levels have risen, which cause serious damage to humans.

Mercury is an element that can be found in our environment through air, water and soil. Being exposed to constant levels of mercury may be detrimental to one’s overall health since it can impact the nervous, digestive and immune systems of human (WHO). In 1960, the demand of Mercury (Hg) increased significantly as it was needed in many commercial and medical practices, despite its high toxicity levels (dwivedi). Thus, the increase in mercury consumption was due to industrialization. Mercury should be gaining increased medical concerns as it can impact the lives of several classes of society. In Canada, it is found that the vast majority of marine mammals contain methylmercury (MeHg) (Laird). Methylmercury is highly more lethal than Mercury

In conclusion, Mercury is a unique metal as it is the only one existing as a liquid at room temperature. It is highly toxic and also very rare. It reacts/works with many other metals and forms an amalgam with almost any other metal.

Mercury could have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Mercury belonging of six chemist elements which the most poisonous among the six million substations in nature 1. This compound was very poisonous for biologis system 1-2. The contamination of mercury could be decreased by bioremediation method, because this method proved more efficient and economic than the physical or chemical ways 3-4. Organisms respond to heavy metal stress using different defense system, such as exclusion, compartmentalization, formation of complexes and synthesis of binding proteins like metallothioneins 5. Bacteria use the intracellular mechanism for mercury detoxification process, by reducing the Hg2+ to non toxic Hg0, by a group of mercury reductase enzyme that incorporated in the mer operon. Hg0 formed then diffuses out of the cells 6. Mer operon structure is varied, consisting of genes that encode functional proteins for regulation (merR), transportation (MerT, merP and or merC, merF) and for reduction (merA). In species with broad-spectrum resistance, merB genes, these genes required for resistance to organomerkuri compounds, such as methylmercury and phenilmerkuri, by hydrolysis of the C-Hg bond before reducing Hg2+. Additional genes are located in the downstream (downstream) of the gene in the operon merA. MerB gene is rarely found in Gram-negative bacteria 7-8.

As already stated, many other locations around the world are affected by mercury poisoning and contamination. For example, Canada and Japan have an extensive history of mercury poisoning, including neurologic symptoms and contaminated fish. These studies have has been documented since the 1950’s in these locations. In fact, the contamination became so problematic the Ontario health department formed a task force on organic mercury in 1972. Further, recent protesting throughout Toronto has asked for Canada to address the contamination of mercury. Findings revealed levels of mercury exceeding those of international standards and included the highest recorded mercury contamination among in the western part of the world. (CITE 6)

Different forms of mercury has been detected in Onondaga Lake including elemental mercury, monomethyl and dimethyl mercury. Mean concentration of the compounds as well as reactive mercury and total mercury has been measured for bottom of the lake and depths of 10 and 18 m. Fractions of mercury has been also calculated and presented in table 3 (NYSDEC/TAMS, 2002).

Mercury is a heavy, silver-white, highly toxic metallic element. It is the only metallic element that is liquid at room temperature. Mercury can be used in thermometers, pesticides, pharmaceutical preparations, surfaces of mirrors, and dental fillings. There are several forms of mercury which include elemental or metallic mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, and organic mercury compounds. Elemental/metallic mercury is liquid at room temperature and turns into a colorless, odorless gas when heated. (Mercury: Basic Information, 2014)

Humans are primarily exposed to mercury through the consumption of freshwater and marine animals that have accumulated methylmercury in their fatty tissues 4. Mercury is absorbed in gastrointestinal (GI) tissues through dietary consumption. From the GI tract, mercury enters surrounding tissues and the blood stream where it can be transported throughout the body 8. The health consequences of mercury are resultant of the intracellular binding of organelles essential for cellular function 3. Thus, mercury exposure at a cellular level can cause cellular degradation and eventual

Inorganic mercury becomes deposited into the atmosphere and soil by both natural processes and anthropogenic processes. Natural processes include volcanic events, breakdown of

Mercury poisoning around the world spread dangerously into the waters and into foods that people ate, especially fish, creating not only health issues, but also environmental issues. Dietary exposure to methylmercury is the most common type of mercury exposure. Methylmercury is an organic form that is found in fish, contaminating them (Gerdes, 2006). Methylmercury was created when elemental mercury got into rivers, lakes, and oceans, therefore forming mercury poisoning in many types of fish. Even though fish contained many good vitamins, minerals, and protein, fish attracted methylmercury, which was extremely toxic to organ of the