Are residents being exposed to harmful levels of mercury in the soil?
No. Adult and child exposures from incidental ingestion of mercury are not expected to result in harmful health effects; the estimated exposure doses are below levels of health effects documented in the toxicological literature. These exposures are evaluated further in this section following a brief description of the forms of mercury, their uses, fate and transport in the body, and potential health effects. Mercury exists naturally in the environment in several different forms: metallic mercury (also known as elemental mercury), inorganic mercury, and organic mercury. Metallic mercury is the pure form of mercury; it is a shiny, silver-white metal, liquid at room temperature. Inorganic mercury is formed when metallic mercury combines with elements such as chlorine, sulfur, or oxygen. Most inorganic mercury compounds are white powders or crystals, with the exception of mercuric sulfide, which is red (but turns black after exposure to light). When mercury combines with carbon, organic me
