It then returns to the soil, water, or living organisms. Mercury and its related compounds are being circulated and concentrated in soil and distributed into the air via coal fuels, industrial furnaces or active volcanoes. Mercury could be found in different commercial forms. Similarly, heavy metals, either released from natural sources or from industries wastes pose a consistent health threat to human being. People can overuse or misuse drugs, chemicals, and may get poisoned intentionally or accidentally. In recent years, due to abundant availability of various chemicals, the rate of intoxication has been surprisingly increased. It exists in the environment in three forms: elemental mercury (poisonous as vapor), organic mercury (methyl mercury and ethyl mercury) and inorganic mercury (mercuric mercury) and all these forms have toxic health effects.

It is sometimes called quick silver and is easily alloyed with many other metals, such as gold, silver and tin. Mercury freezes at -38.9☌ and boils at 357☌. Mercury (Hg) atomic number 80, is a liquid metal at room temperature and pressure. Natural biologic scavengers such as algae, azolla and other aquatic plants possess the ability to uptake mercury traces from the environment. succimer) and dimercaptopropanesulfoxid acid (DMPS) are currently used as chelating agents in mercury poisoning. Besides supportive therapy, British anti lewisite, dimercaprol (BAL), 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA. Silver nanoparticles are used as a sensitive detector of low concentration Hg 2+ ions in homogeneous aqueous solutions. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a rapid, cheap and sensitive method for detection of thymine bound mercuric ions. methyl mercury) can be detected easily in feces. Urinary concentration is a good indicator of poisoning of elemental and inorganic mercury, but organic mercury (e.g. Mercury level can be measured in plasma, urine, feces and hair samples. water, food, soil and air lead to toxic effects on cardiovascular, pulmonary, urinary, gastrointestinal, neurological systems and skin. Long term exposure to mercury compounds from different sources e.g. Mercury compounds are classified in different chemical types such as elemental, inorganic and organic forms.

Mercury poisoning cases have been reported in many parts of the world, resulting in many deaths every year.

Mercury poisoning treatment