- 1. MercuryCiarra Vermadette S. MendozaDMD2D
2. Mercury is a chemicalelement with thesymbol Hg and
atomicnumber 80. A heavy, silvery d-block element, mercury is the
onlymetal that is liquid at standardconditions for temperature and
pressure; the only other element that is liquid under these
conditions is bromine, thoughmetals suchas caesium, francium,
gallium, and rubidium melt just aboveroom temperature. 3. Chronic
MercuryPoisoning Mercury poisoning (alsoknownas hydrargyria or
mercurialism) is a disease caused byexposure to mercury or its
compounds. Mercury (chemical symbol Hg) is a heavy metal occurring
inseveral forms, all of which can produce toxic effects inhigh
enough doses. 4. PreventionMercury poisoning can be prevented (or
minimized) by eliminating or reducing exposure to mercury and
mercury compounds. To that end, many governments and private groups
have made efforts to regulateheavily the use of mercury, or to
issue advisories aboutits use. 5. Diagnosis Diagnosis of elemental
or inorganic mercury poisoning involves determining the history of
exposure, physical findings, and anelevated body burden of
mercury.If the exposure is chronic, urinelevels can be obtained;
24-hourcollections are more reliable than spot collections. It is
difficult or impossible to interpret urine samples of patients
undergoing chelation therapy, as thetherapy itself increases
mercury levelsin the samples 6. Signs and Symptoms Psychological
Disturbances Fits of anger, short term memory loss, low
self-esteem, inability to sleep, loss of self-control, sleepiness
are some signs of psychological disturbances. Besides, a person may
also suffer from the loss of ability to learn new things or things
that require memorization. 7. Oral Cavity ProblemsInflammation of
themouth, loss of bonearound teeth, ulceratedgums and other areas
inthe mouth, darkening ofgums, taste of metal,bleeding gums,
etc.point to a possibility ofmercury poisoning.Digestive Tract
ProblemsCramps, inflamed colon, diarrhea andother digestive
problems are alsoindicative of mercury poisoning. 8. Cardiovascular
ProblemsWeak pulse, blood pressure changes, chest painor feeling of
pressure in the chest area are somecardiovascular problems
associated with thiscondition.Respiratory problemsWeakness and
problems with breathing,emphysema, persistent cough are
somerespiratory problems that are linked withmercury
poisoning.Neurological ProblemsHeadaches, vertigo, tinnitus,
twitching invarious areas of the body (eyelids, feet etc.),may be
warning signs of mercuryoverexposure. 9. Treatment Identifying and
removing the source of the mercury is crucial. Decontamination
requires removal of clothes, washing skin with soap and water, and
flushing the eyes with saline solution as needed.
Inorganicingestion such as mercuricchloride should be approached as
theingestion of any other serious caustic.Immediate chelation
therapy is the standard of care for a patientshowing symptoms of
severe mercury poisoning or the laboratory evidence of a large
total mercury load 10. Dental CorrelationThis is indirect evidence
suggesting that mercury from dental amalgam fillings may contribute
to the bodyburden of mercury in the brain. The toxic levels of
mercury in human tissues have not been sufficientlyinvestigated and
the amount of mercury in humanbrain tissue from dental amalgam may
or may not be clinically significant. Nevertheless, dental
amalgamexposure should be considered in monitoring sources of
mercury accumulation in human brain tissue. 11. Dental amalgam
fillings contain mercury and other metals.Because mercury has long
been recognized as poisonous to humans, concerns about the
potential of mercury poisoning from dental amalgams have been
addressed by abundantresearch. Most scientific studies find no
relationship between amalgam fillings and symptoms of mercury
poisoning in any age group, although a small number of people have
allergicreactions to these fillings. Research continues in order
toexpand knowledge about any potential effects of amalgamfillings
on certain populations, particularly fetuses, breast-fedinfants,
and very young children. 12. Freya Koss (right) was diagnosed
withMyasthenia Gravis after being stuckwith double vision and
ptotis(drooping eyelids) after havingamalgam fillings placed. Freya
in 2002 after safe amalgam removal and detoxification. She is now
Director of Development for Consumers for Dental Choice.
