What is mercury?
Mercury is a metal that has been used in products such as light bulbs, batteries, paint and thermometers. Although quite useful, mercury is also poisonous and can contaminate the environment if it is not disposed of properly. There are several forms of mercury: • Elemental (metallic) mercury: shiny, silver, odorless liquid used in thermometers. It is absorbed by the body through vapors. • Organic mercury: mercury combined with carbon. Methyl mercury is a common form of organic mercury. These forms of mercury are soluble in lipids and cross the blood brain barrier and placenta easily. Organic mercury is absorbed through the digestive tract and also through vapors. • Inorganic mercury: mercury combined with non-carbon substances. Mercury salts are one kind of inorganic mercury. Inorganic mercury is usually a white powder or crystals. This form of mercury has been used in medicines. Mercuric nitrate was used by the felt-hat industry in the process of curing felt. People in the felt-hat in
Mercury, also known as quicksilver because it is a silver-colored liquid at room temperature, is an element that does not break down. It occurs naturally and is found in very small amounts in oceans, rocks and soils. It becomes airborne when rocks erode, volcanoes erupt and soil decomposes. It then circulates in the atmosphere and is redistributed throughout the environment. Large amounts of mercury also become airborne when coal, oil or natural gas is burned as fuel or mercury-containing garbage is incinerated. Once in the air, mercury can fall to the ground with rain and snow, landing on soils or water bodies, causing contamination. Lakes and rivers are also contaminated when there is a direct discharge of mercury-laden industrial waste or municipal sewage. Once present in these water bodies, mercury accumulates in fish and may ultimately reach the dinner table. Although mercury has been a very useful element, due to its unique properties, it poses a very real health risk-from direct
Mercury occurs naturally in the environment. Sometimes known as quicksilver, it is a heavy metal, like lead or cadmium, that exists in different chemical forms: • Elemental mercury or metallic mercury is the element in its pure, ‘un-combined’ form. It is a shiny, silver-white metal that is liquid at room temperature, but is rarely found in this form in nature. If not sealed off, mercury slowly evaporates into the air, forming a vapour. The quantity of vapour formed increases as temperatures rise. Elemental mercury is traditionally used in thermometers and some electrical switches. • Inorganic mercury compounds or mercury salts, more commonly found in nature, include mercuric sulphide (HgS), mercuric oxide (HgO) and mercuric chloride (HgCl2). Most of these are white powders or crystals, except for mercuric sulphide which is red and turns black after exposure to light. Some mercury salts, such as mercury chloride, also form vapour, but they stay in the air for a shorter time than element
Mercury is an element that is naturally found on the surface of the earth. However, human activities have also contributed greatly to the amount of mercury released into the environment. There are three basic types of mercury that can be found in the environment: elemental mercury, mercury salts, and organic mercury compounds.[1] Elemental mercury This is the kind of mercury that is found in thermometers. It has a bright silver color and is a liquid at room temperature. Mercury salt A mercury salt is formed when mercury forms bonds with other elements like oxygen, chlorine, or sulfur. Mercury salts tend to be powders or crystals at room temperature. Both elemental mercury and mercury salts are often grouped together as inorganic mercury. Organic mercury An organic mercury compound results when mercury forms bonds with carbon. Two examples of organic mercury are methylmercury and phenylmercury. However, exposure to methylmercury is more likely than exposure to other forms of organic mer
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal which has several forms. The metallic mercury is a shiny, silver-white, odorless liquid. If heated, it is a colorless, odorless gas. Mercury combines with other elements, such as chlorine, sulfur, or oxygen, to form inorganic mercury compounds or “salts,” which are usually white powders or crystals. Mercury also combines with carbon to make organic mercury compounds. The most common one, methylmercury, is produced mainly by microscopic organisms in the water and soil. More mercury in the environment can increase the amounts of methylmercury that these small organisms make. Metallic mercury is used to produce chlorine gas and caustic soda, and is also used in thermometers, dental fillings, and batteries. Mercury salts are sometimes used in skin lightening creams and as antiseptic creams and ointments.
