The Effects Mercury can cause on the Environment & Health

Mercury can have detrimental effects on the environment and health through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin. The most dangerous however, is inhalation of mercury. Just a little bit of exposure to the vapors of mercury can cause nausea, vomiting, chills, diarrhea, and a number of other symptoms, however recovery is in most cases complete after the person is taken away from the cause. A person however that is exposed to mercury on a long term basis can have such symptoms as excessive salivation, shaking, insomnia, confusion, irritability, and a number of other weakening effects. In most cases, most of the exposure to mercury is by the cause of the ingestion of some foods such as in the case of fish where mercury has become accumulated in great amounts. While it is true that mercury is not absorbed in great amounts when it goes through the digestive system of a person, ingestion over a long period of time has proven to have cumulative effects. As far as industrial situations are concerned, the exposure to mercury is a lot more dangerous due to the fact that mining and processing the mercury ore can expose the workers to the vapors of mercury as well as direct contact with the skin. The fabrication of chlorine and caustic soda is something that can additionally bring about a great amount of exposure to the dangers of mercury. Given that mercury poses a very severe health risk, its use and discharge to the environment has some very strict restrictions. During the ending of the 1980’s it has been estimated that around twenty four million pounds per year of mercury were let free out to into the air, water and land all over the world because of activities that humans carried out. This also included the mercury that was released due to mining of mercury and refining of it as well as other manufacturing jobs such as combustion of coal, discarding of sewage sludge etc. The Environmental Protection Agency has forbidden the using of mercury in a great number of uses. Mercury however remains to be an important component in a number of processes and products despite the fact that its use is probably going to continue being reduced because of the danger involved. Better handling and recycling of mercury is expected to reduce the release it lets off to the environment and bring down the hazard it imposes on the health of those working around it.