What are the impacts of mercury exposure on humans?
Humans are exposed to mercury through their diet (primarily through fish), absorption, or through the inhalation of toxic elemental mercury fumes. Signs and symptoms of brief exposure may include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and bronchitis. Long-term exposure can result in shakiness, tremors, loss of muscle control, memory loss, kidney disease, and loss of appetite and weight. The health effects due to mercury exposure depend on several factors, including the amount of consumed, absorbed, or inhaled mercury and the length and frequency of exposures. Also a person’s general health status, age, gender, family history, diet and lifestyle, and exposure to other chemicals may have an effect on whether the mercury causes an ill effect. Young children and fetuses are most sensitive to mercury poisoning during early development to age six.
