How Does Mercury Affect the Brain?

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By: Aidan Ryder


What is Mercury? Simply, it is an element of the periodic table. Complexly, it is an abnormal metal that does not freeze under room temperature. Actually, Mercury's melting point is -38 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the freezing point is so low, mercury was named hydrargyrum. This Greek name means "liquid silver". Today, mercury can be very lethal to the human body. It can cause mercury poisoning which can potentially lead to harmful diseases.
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 How does mercury affect the body and mind? When mercury vaporizes, it can be inhaled. When it is inhaled, it goes into the lungs and then into the bloodstream. When it enters the bloodstream, mercury can cause many problems to the body and mind. Sleeping disorders, agitation, and possibly paralysis could be symptoms when high amounts of mercury are inhaled. As well as these symptoms, many different diseases are connected to mercury poisoning. 
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The main disease that is the result of mercury poisoning is Erethism. Erethism is a disease that has symptoms of abnormal excitement or irritation. The term "Mad as a hatter" is a commonly used term from mercury poisoning. In Alice in Wonderland, the main antagonist is the Mad Hatter. This man was exposed to mercury, causing him to go mad. When the hat industry was making hats, they used mercurous nitrate which is a mixture using mercury. When the Mad Hatter went mad, he obtained the disease Erethism. 

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How can mercury poisoning be stopped? The simplest way to prevent mercury poisoning is to simply refrain from being around it. Currently, thermometers are the main use of mercury and they are the easiest way of knowing the temperature, but if mercury isn't used, then mercury poisoning won't be as much of an issue. As well as thermometers, many fish have high levels of mercury, called methylmercury, inside their bodies. When humans eat these fish, they can get mercury poisoning if the fish had lots of mercury inside of it. In the future, there should be a simple, yet easy way, to remove mercury from fish and other similar products.


Links:

https://www.epa.gov/mercury/how-people-are-exposed-mercury

https://www.healthline.com/health/mercury-poisoning





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