Mercury pollution in modern times and its

socio-medical consequences

May 9, 2019
Lady Shalma I. Guiapar
 ABSTRACT

Mercury plays a role in unhealthy manner because this chemical is highly toxic to humans, animals

and other living things. It might destroy our environment due to the exposure of this element. There are

certain areas where are mercuries are seen and used for tools that can be helpful to others. But there is risk

in the used of it might cause health risk when exposed because it has highly intoxicated element into humans

when it was inhaled, touched or exposed thru air contaminants. It was determined that its adverse effects

might cause a huge change of biochemical reaction in certain places or areas it might also affects the air

pollution that can be the reason of illnesses or diseases to humans and animals, not also in us but it can also

contaminate the water thru atmosphere. Preventing this cycle of exposure of mercury is to get rid of the

things that causes it and put it in and use it in a right way. Related to climate change (especially in boreal

and arctic regions), bioaccumulation and biomagnification of methyl mercury in the food chain, especially

in fish and marine mammals, needs to be addressed in more detail. Many people are lack of information

about mercury because soaps, skin creams had a mercury product on it they use mercury for skin whitening

others use it for wildfire emission and arsenals.

INTRODUCTION

Mercury is the ranked elements and it is highly toxic to human according to aka. “Pureearth,

2015” it has been said that there is a health risk in people which is about 19 million of people worldwide.

As for further view of mercury it has can cause environmental contamination which can destroy the

human health and can be an urgent global health treat (Eagles-Smith et al., 2018). In the theory of this

mercury exposure is that it can be in such a high risk to people and other wildlife if it is exposed rather

than to be as an arsenals or fire extinction. Due to human activities it has the potential to enhance mercury

methylation by remobilizing previously released mercury. The bioaccumulation in aquatic and terrestrial

food chains results in elevated exposure to humans and wildlife (Chen et al., 2018).

We now have better insights in some special specific characteristics such as biomagnification and

the capacity for crossing the placental and blood-brain barrier. Based on the opinions and other researchers’

mercury such as inorganic salts of mercury can be corrosive in certain parts of the body which are skin and

eyes and other parts of body organs when it is exposed to humans that can affect gastrointestinal tract and

can cause kidney toxicity (renal tubule necrosis). The organization of WHO in 2007 discovered that

mercury can cause neurological symptoms include tremors, insomnia, memory loss, neuromuscular effects,

headaches and cognitive and motor dysfunction symptoms include mental retardation, seizures, vision and

hearing loss, delayed development, language disorders and memory loss. Exposure risks to mercury arise

from numerous different sources and routes of exposure.

The emissions of mercury include anthropogenic sources such as fossil fuel combustion, smelting

of ores, cement production, waste incineration, and artisanal gold mining (Kobal et al., 2017). Production

processes such as those in small gold mining involve the heating of elemental mercury, which results in the

release of mercury vapors into the environment (Schmidt, 2012).

Current environmental and occupational exposures

As of today’s, environment there are lots of air contaminant in the world due to climate change

which can affect air and oceans. Invasion thru mercury that can be a health risk to the ecosystem and many

people use it as fertilizer, skin cream products and other emission in improving the use of it. However, this

should be prohibited due to its high toxicity to prevent the destruction of our environment or nature.

Identification of the chemical forms (or aging states) of mercury and methyl mercury that enter surface

waters can help guide policies that prioritize reductions of certain sources, or perhaps assign value terms to

individual sources as a basis for economic incentives or trading programs for dis- charge permits (Hsu-Kim

et al., 2018).

Batteries, fluorescent, thermometer and other containing waste elements of mercuries are

dangerous when it is not protected from wind. According to the statement that I read is that it is also came

from work and their families and especially to the other communities (Gibb and O'Leary, 2014; Yard et al.,

2012). Coal combustion is the highest consumption of anthropogenic mercury because of the heat and wind

that exposed which converts to mercury toxicity. In U.S.A. the power plants itself generate more airborne

mercury pollution than other industries hopefully we need it that too to give our environment a healthy

living and the same as we go.

As of now we know that our environment and us are exposed in mercury we don’t have any choice

just to live with it but to prevent it is use it in proper way for my opinion is that have a proper disposal of

mercury products and proper place to prevent the exposure of airborne mercury pollution. Nevertheless, we

should be aware to those who are using it to prevent health risk or other diseases that can be cause of death

and know the warnings and cautions because it can help you in near future on how to immediately respond

to the mercuric exposures.

Special impact of mercury exposure on children's health

As per mercury exposure to children’s health is eventually at high risk possibly can cause mental

irritation or mental retardation, dizziness and other neurological symptoms in child. Otherwise, children

who are playing with thermometer are also at high risk which can cause to poisoning or might be possible

death. As children are different from adults in several respects, including differences in metabolism

(potentially signifying less effective detoxification and physiological elimination of contaminants), diets,

patterns of behavior, growth and changes of organ systems and functions, this special vulnerable group

should be considered separately. It is known that specific windows exist in the prenatal time span in which

metals show a particularly high degree of toxicity (Bjorklund et al., 2017).

In later life of child when it is born and it is exposed in mercury it is expected that the child inhaled

a little amount of mercury and it can destroy the child’s brain which can affect the growth and mind of a

child. This can also change the habit of newborn baby when it comes to food because it affects the appetite

due to the exposed mercury. Throughout the developed and developing world, children face mercury

exposure risks from numerous different sources as well to multiple different species of mercury both in

utero and during early development.

. Pregnant women who eat methyl mercury-contaminated fish endanger the development

of the peripheral and central nervous system of the fetus; this can lead to mental retardation,

delayed development, speech disorders, seizures and impaired memory. Children whose parents

work as miners may be exposed to mercury residue on the parents clothing, hair, and skin.

Additionally, in a worst case scenario, as much as 95% of mercury used in ASGM can be released

into the environment, constituting danger to human health (Veiga and Baker, 2004).
Cost burden to the society by human exposure to mercury

The WHO suggest that both immediate and long-term policy actions are necessary to reduce the

release of mercury and its compounds into the environment in order to protect the children from current

and future exposure threats (WHO, 2010). The most important action that national, regional, and

international agencies can take is the development and promotion of mercury-free alternatives in the

industrial, medical, and occupational sector (WHO, 2010).

Many people are witnesses of mercury death exposure and others are experiencing mercuric

toxicity without realizing it because as it was said above it can be acquired by inhaling contaminant air,

food, water and by using mercuric products like skin creams, toothpaste, soap and other mercuric element

ingredients that is added. Others are using it as a weapon or for gold mining without knowing the risk of it

according to the journal that I read is that socioeconomic trends can also influence human exposure to

inorganic mercury, particularly from sources associated with ASGM (Eagles-Smith et al., 2018). It has been

argued that ASGM is a poverty-driven activity with pertinent micro- and macroeconomic drivers as well as

push–pull factors. Biomonitoring surveys of ASGM workers and community members show that they have

among the highest mercury exposures of any group worldwide.

Based on our community and in our environment, we are lacking of understanding about mercury

and we are not fully equipped to the risk of it and what will be the cause that can might possibly destroy

the nature, the health of others. Lastly, is that we need to encourage or warn them on the air contaminants

of mercuric pollutions and we need to provide some any brochure about the diseases or illnesses that can

possibly acquire from it.

CONCLUSION

Mercury is an element that is highly toxic when it comes to its nature or its probability to damage

our environment or health. Mercury is can be also used as skin cream products, toothpaste, fluorescent

lamps and other materials that is present form now. Air pollution are contaminated by mercury because of

coal combustion and use of mercuric batteries that are being burnt. Therefore, I conclude that mercury can

be a such high risk to humans and it has a large impact within our health and environment so we need to

learn about the chances on how to prevent the exposure and the contaminants of a mercuric elements. The

probability that we can prevent mercuric exposure is also high when we are educated by the WHO (World

Health Organization) in a such manner by informing us and others for us not to use and not let the mercuric

elements or substance to spread in our environment.

Increasingly controlling mercury pollution, and thereby protecting human health and the

environment from its adverse effects, has become a policy goal on both global and national scales. On 16

August 2017 the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global environmental treaty, entered into force (UN-

Environment, 2018b).
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