Mercury Flyer PDF

How is Mercury Used?

Mercury and You

Adverse Health Effects and Symptoms of Mercury Exposure

 

How is Mercury Used?

Mercury is used in several types of lighting devices with a number of applications. Mercury containing lamps include fluorescent lamps and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, such as mercury-vapor, metal halide, low pressure sodium and high-pressure sodium lamps. Application of HID lighting include street lighting, industrial lighting, flood lighting, photography, underwater lighting, insect lamps, and sun lamps. 

  

Although disposal of a few isolated bulbs does not seem to be a major problem, the cumulate effect of all the bulbs being thrown away creates a serious threat to our environment. Approximately six hundred million mercury containing lamps per year are being disposed. The typical 4 foot fluorescent lamps contains about 40 milligrams of mercury.

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Mercury and You

Mercury enters the human system through air, surface water, soil and ground water contamination. The primary environmental human exposure pathway for mercury is through the consumption of contaminated fish. There are currently over fifteen hundred fish consumption bans or advisories due to mercury in effect in the United States.

Mercury is unique among trace metals in that it regularly moves back and forth between liquid, solid, aqueous, and gaseous species. Mercury, including it’s oxides and sulfides is the most volatile of the trace metals.

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Adverse Health Effects and Symptoms of Mercury Exposure

There are five basic categories in which mercury attacks the human body. The categories are neurological, cardiovascular, collagen, immunological, and miscellaneous. The following are some adverse health effects and symptoms of mercury exposure.