What is mercury (Hg) and what are the health effects of exposure?
Mercury is a metallic element that, in its pure state is a heavy liquid. Elemental mercury can evaporate even at ambient temperatures, but especially when heated. In addition to this pure form (known as elemental mercury), mercury reacts with other substances to form organic and inorganic compounds. Mercury occurs naturally in ores and other geologic formations and is released into the environment through various human activities. Mercury released into the environment is primarily inorganic or elemental by nature. Inorganic mercury is the most common form present in drinking water. In this form, it is not considered to be harmful to human health in the levels typically found in drinking water. Organic mercury (primarily methyl mercury) is produced by specific bacterial organisms in surface waters that convert inorganic mercury into organic mercury, which is the form of mercury that poses a significant threat to human health. Methyl mercury is ingested typically by fish and bioaccumulat
