Chronic mercury Exposure- The silent killer?
Mercury permeates our environment. Sources of mercury are acid rain, vegetables, fruits, fish (sea and fresh water), dental fillings, cosmetics and Thimerasal in vaccines.
Several disasters have resulted from mercury exposure- Minamata
And exposure in Iraq.
Effects of exposure to mercury include:
Central nervous system effects- possibilities include multiple sclerosis Alzheimer’s , Parkinson’s disease and cognitive deficits in adults.
In children it can cause congenital abnormalities developmental delay and autism.
Renal abnormalities,
Immune dysfunction
Hematological abnormalities
Musculoskeletal abnormalities
Dermatologic abnormalities, psoriasis, skin eruptions
Gastrointestinal dysfunction
The safe levels of mercury exposure are variable (depending on which regulatory body you look at- FDA, EPA etc and can vary from 0.1mcg/kgbody weight/day (1 can of tuna per week) to 0.5 mcg/kg/body weight per day
Tests for mercury include serum/urine testing and hair analysis
Recourse:
There are a variety of antioxidants to treat/protect against
Intoxication- oral and intravenous- an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Being a fish lover my mercury level was three times normal - I brought it down to zero !