Nations adopt landmark mercury pollution convention

[flacaltenn]

About those mercury free fish before coal plants...

Legacy mercury levels in fish, environment will persist for centuries -- Earth Changes -- Sott.net

Surface reservoirs, such as soil, air and water, hold an enormous amount of mercury from past pollution going back thousands of years. Scientists believe it will continue to persist in the ocean and accumulate in fish for decades to centuries.

"It's easier said than done, but we're advocating for aggressive reductions, and sooner rather than later," says Helen Amos, a PhD candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The findings of this study were published in a recent issue of Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Amos worked with a team of researchers from the the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) to collect historical data concerning mercury emissions as far back as 2,000 BC. The team has also been building environmental models of mercury cycling that captures the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and land.

People have long assumed mercury pollution began with the Industrial Revolution. The truth is humans have been releasing mercury into the environment for thousands of years. Prior studies found mercury stored in peat in Europe and layers of sediment at the bottoms of lakes in South America, as well as use by ancient Greeks and Chinese as pigments. Posts of quicksilver have been found in tombs dating back to 2000 BC; and as early as 1900 BC, the Assyrians are presumed to have used quicksilver and cinnabar (the bright red ore in which mercury naturally occurs). Spanish colonists in Central and South America used mercury to extract silver in 1570 AD, while 300 years later mercury was used in the California gold rush.

"Today, more than half of mercury emissions come from Asia, but historically the US and Europe were major emitters," says Daniel J. Jacob, Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard SEAS and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences. "We find that half of mercury pollution in the present surface ocean comes from emissions prior to 1950, and as a result the contribution from the US and Europe is comparable to that from Asia."

Of course that particular study is making the point that about 1/2 of the environmental Mercury was there PRIOR to your lifetime, BUT their motivation is to show that the problem is WORSE because YOU SHOULD NOTIGNORE the accumulated amounts PRIOR to the Industrial Revolution..

Seems like the argument I've made that Plutonium may have a 1/2 life, but mercury, lead, and other heavy metals are "forever"..

 

[Abraham3]

That article does NOT say that half the mercury was anthropogenic before the industrial revolution. It makes no comment about the amounts present. And, of course, it certainly doesn't support Paddy's (BriPat1234) assertion that 95% is from black smokers.

 

[flacaltenn]

That article does NOT say that half the mercury was anthropogenic before the industrial revolution. It makes no comment about the amounts present. And, of course, it certainly doesn't support Paddy's (BriPat1234) assertion that 95% is from black smokers.

Doesn't matter WHERE it came from to me. The article and authors state...

Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard SEAS and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences. "We find that half of mercury pollution in the present surface ocean comes from emissions prior to 1950, and as a result the contribution from the US and Europe is comparable to that from Asia."

The study also found anthropogenic emissions have increased the amount of mercury in the atmosphere, surface ocean, and deep ocean by factors of 7.5, 5.9, and 2.1, respectively, compared to natural conditions, with at least half of the anthropogenic mercury content of the surface ocean originating before 1950. Another key finding is that 60 percent of the mercury currently in the atmosphere comes from legacy mercury that continues to cycle through the environment.

See I'm into assessing the magnitude and risks of the problem, not hiring lawyers to indict either man or volcanoes..

Read those statement to mean ---- IF NO COAL PLANTS were ever operated after you were born --- We could eat tuna about TWICE a week instead of once..

Which brings me to the next point.... Requoted from the medical source I gave at the top of this page..

The primary source of environmental exposure to mercury in the general population is through the consumption of contaminated fish.[46] Fish consumption has clear health benefits, and the risk posed by mercury exposure is currently speculative.

WHY is it speculative? Because there are NOT a lot of epidemiological studies of blood Mercury vs symptoms.. ESPECIALLY NOT in the USA.. Go help me look --- but they don't seem to exist.. And the studies that the EPA and CDC base their "guidelines" on come from only 2 or 4 studies done in parts of the world with particular mercury pollution problems..

When was last time we rushed off to solve an enviro problem without an accurate quantization of harm??

Go find me human blood levels in the USA population that EXCEED clinical significance..
I'll take any evidence you come up with...

 

[Abraham3]

That article does NOT say that half the mercury was anthropogenic before the industrial revolution. It makes no comment about the amounts present. And, of course, it certainly doesn't support Paddy's (BriPat1234) assertion that 95% is from black smokers.

Doesn't matter WHERE it came from to me.

Huh???

The article and authors state...

Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard SEAS and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences. "We find that half of mercury pollution in the present surface ocean comes from emissions prior to 1950, and as a result the contribution from the US and Europe is comparable to that from Asia."

This text was not in the quote you posted.

Neither was this. But note the rearranged emphases.

The study also found anthropogenic emissions have increased the amount of mercury in the atmosphere, surface ocean, and deep ocean by factors of 7.5, 5.9, and 2.1, respectively, compared to natural conditions, with at least half of the anthropogenic mercury content of the surface ocean originating before 1950. Another key finding is that 60 percent of the mercury currently in the atmosphere comes from legacy mercury that continues to cycle through the environment.

See I'm into assessing the magnitude and risks of the problem, not hiring lawyers to indict either man or volcanoes..

Read those statement to mean ---- IF NO COAL PLANTS were ever operated after you were born --- We could eat tuna about TWICE a week instead of once..

And so you agree that coal plants are responsible for a large portion of the environment's current mercury load and that coal and other mercury sources were used less 'responsibly' in the past than today.

Which brings me to the next point.... Requoted from the medical source I gave at the top of this page..

The primary source of environmental exposure to mercury in the general population is through the consumption of contaminated fish.[46] Fish consumption has clear health benefits, and the risk posed by mercury exposure is currently speculative.

WHY is it speculative? Because there are NOT a lot of epidemiological studies of blood Mercury vs symptoms.. ESPECIALLY NOT in the USA.. Go help me look --- but they don't seem to exist.. And the studies that the EPA and CDC base their "guidelines" on come from only 2 or 4 studies done in parts of the world with particular mercury pollution problems..

When was last time we rushed off to solve an enviro problem without an accurate quantization of harm??

Go find me human blood levels in the USA population that EXCEED clinical significance..
I'll take any evidence you come up with...

Below are the contents of the reference section for Wikipedia's article on mercury poisoning. I have sorted the list into studies published in peer reviewed journals, information from other technical journals and references and, finally, information from the more popular press. I think there are a great deal more studies on the topic than you suggest.

Studies on mercury toxicology published in the peer reviewed literature

Clifton JC 2nd (2007). "Mercury exposure and public health". Pediatr Clin North Am 54 (2): 237–69, viii. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2007.02.005. PMID 17448359.
Bjørklund G (1995). "Mercury and Acrodynia". Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 10 (3 & 4): 145–146.
Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Weiss B (2004). "Mercury exposure and child development outcomes". Pediatrics 113 (4 Suppl): 1023–9. doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.S1.1023. PMID 15060195.
Horowitz Y, Greenberg D, Ling G, Lifshitz M (2002). "Acrodynia: a case report of two siblings". Arch Dis Child 86 (6): 453. doi:10.1136/adc.86.6.453. PMC 1762992. PMID 12023189.
Dufault R, LeBlanc B, Schnoll R et al. (2009). "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar". Environ Health 8 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-8-2. PMC 2637263. PMID 19171026. Lay summary – Medscape Today (2009-01-27).
Levy M. (1995). "Dental Amalgam: toxicological evaluation and health risk assessment". J Cdn Dent Assoc 61: 667–8, 671–4.
Goldman LR, Shannon MW; American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Environmental Health (2001-07). "Technical report: mercury in the environment: implications for pediatricians". Pediatrics 108 (1): 197–205. doi:10.1542/peds.108.1.197. PMID 11433078. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
Pacyna EG, Pacyna JM, Steenhuisen F, Wilson S (2006). "Global anthropogenic mercury emission inventory for 2000". Atmos Environ 40 (22): 4048–63. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.03.041.
Reeves, M.A.; Hoffman, P.R. (2009). "The human selenoproteome: recent insights into functions and regulation.". Cell Mol Life Sci. 66 (15): 2457–2478. doi:10.1007/s00018-009-0032-4. PMC 2866081. PMID 19399585.
Carvalho, C.M.L.; Hashemy, S.I., Lu, J., Holmgren A. (2008). "Inhibition of the human thioredoxin system: A molecular mechanism of mercury toxicity.". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (18): 11913–11923.
Linster, C.L.; Van Schaftingen, E. (2007). "Vitamin C: Biosynthesis, recycling and degradation in mammals.". FEBS Journal 274 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05607.x. PMID 17222174.
Ralston, Nicholas V.C.; Raymond, Laura J. (2010). "Dietary selenium's protective effects against methylmercury toxicity.". Toxicology 278: 112–123.
Hendry WF, A'Hern FPA, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by mercury exposure in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
Clarkson TW, Magos L (2006). "The toxicology of mercury and its chemical compounds". Crit Rev Toxicol 36 (8): 609–62. doi:10.1080/10408440600845619. PMID 16973445.
Hursh JB, Clarkson TW, Miles E, Goldsmith LA (1989). "Percutaneous absorption of mercury vapor by man". Arch. Environ. Health 44 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1080/00039896.1989.9934385. PMID 2494955.
Cherian MG, Hursh JG, Clarkson TW (1978). "Radioactive mercury distribution in biological fluids and excretion in human subjects after inhalation of mercury vapor". Archives of Environmental Health 33: 190–214.
Ngim CH, Foo SC, Boey KW, and Keyaratnam J (1992). "Chronic neurobehavioral effects of elemental mercury in dentists". British Journal of Industrial Medicine 49 (11): 782–790. PMC 1039326. PMID 1463679.
Liang YX, Sun RK, Chen ZQ, and Li LH (1993). "Psychological effects of low exposure to mercury vapor: Application of computer-administered neurobehavioral evaluation system". Environmental Research 60 (2): 320–327. doi:10.1006/enrs.1993.1040. PMID 8472661.
Langford NJ, Ferner RE (1999). "Toxicity of mercury" (PDF). Journal of Human Hypertension 13 (10): 651–6. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1000896. PMID 10516733. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
Benaissa M.L., Hantson P., Bismuth C., Baud F.J. (1995). "Mercury oxycyanide and mercuric cyanide poisoning: two cases.". Intensive Care Med. 21 (12): 1051–1053. doi:10.1007/BF01700673. PMID 8750135.
Aylett, B.J. "Mercury (II) Pseudohalides: Cyanide, Thiocyanate, Selenocyanate, Azide, Fulminate." Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry 3:304-306. J.C. Bailar, H.J. Emeléus, Sir Ronald Nyholm, and A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, ed. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1973; distributed by Compendium Publishers (Elmsford, NY), p. 304.
Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB (2006). "Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits". JAMA 296 (15): 1885–99. doi:10.1001/jama.296.15.1885. PMID 17047219.
Froberg B, Wolf A, Rusyniak DE (2006). "Heavy metal poisoning: clinical presentations and pathophysiology". Clin Lab Med 26 (1): 67–97, viii. doi:10.1016/j.cll.2006.02.003. PMID 16567226.
Risher JF, Amler SN (2005). "Mercury exposure: evaluation and intervention the inappropriate use of chelating agents in the diagnosis and treatment of putative mercury poisoning". Neurotoxicology 26 (4): 691–9. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2005.05.004. PMID 16009427.
Rooney JP (2007). "The role of thiols, dithiols, nutritional factors and interacting ligands in the toxicology of mercury". Toxicology 234 (3): 145–56. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2007.02.016. PMID 17408840.
Watanabe C (2002). "Modification of mercury toxicity by selenium: practical importance?" (PDF). Tohoku J Exp Med 196 (2): 71–7. doi:10.1620/tjem.196.71. PMID 12498318.
Brown MJ, Willis T, Omalu B, Leiker R (2006). "Deaths resulting from hypocalcemia after administration of edetate disodium: 2003–2005". Pediatrics 118 (2): e534–6. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0858. PMID 16882789.
Baxter AJ, Krenzelok EP (2008). "Pediatric fatality secondary to EDTA chelation". Clin Toxicol 46 (10): 1083–4. doi:10.1080/15563650701261488. PMID 18949650.
Hendry WF, A'Hern RP, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by exposure to mercury in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
R. Baselt, Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 8th edition, Biomedical Publications, Foster City, CA, 2008, pp. 923-927.
Zhao HL, Zhu X, Sui Y (2006). "The short-lived Chinese emperors". J Am Geriatr Soc 54 (8): 1295–6. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00821.x. PMID 16914004.
Waldron HA (1983). "Did the Mad Hatter have mercury poisoning?". Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 287 (6409): 1961. doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6409.1961. PMC 1550196. PMID 6418283.
An Account of the Effect of Mercurial Vapors on the Crew of His Majesty's Ship Triumph, in the year 1810. By Wm. Burnet, M.D. one of the Medical Commissioners of the Navy, formerly Physician and Inspector of Hospitals to the Mediterranean Fleet.
Michael J. Doherty MD: The Quicksilver Prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps (2003).
Stock A (1926). "Die Gefaehrlichkeit des Quecksilberdampfes". Zeitschrift für angewandte Chemie 39 (15): 461–466. doi:10.1002/ange.19260391502.
Hunter D, Bomford RR, Russell DS (1940). "Poisoning by methylmercury compounds". Quart. J. Med. 9: 193–213.
James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM (2006). Andrews' diseases of the skin: clinical dermatology (10th ed.). Saunders. p. 134. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
The name erythema arthricum epidemicum more commonly describes Haverhill fever (rat-bite fever).
Dally A (1997). "The rise and fall of pink disease". Soc Hist Med 10 (2): 291–304. doi:10.1093/shm/10.2.291. PMID 11619497.
Shandleya K, Austina D (2011). "Ancestry of Pink Disease (Infantile Acrodynia) Identified as a Risk Factor for Autism Spectrum Disorders". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 74 (18).
Ford M, Delaney KA, Ling L, Erickson T (2000). Clinical Toxicology (1st ed.). Saunders. ISBN 0-7216-5485-1.
to: a b Offit PA (2007). "Thimerosal and vaccines—a cautionary tale". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1278–9. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187. PMID 17898096.
Sugarman SD (2007). "Cases in vaccine court—legal battles over vaccines and autism". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1275–7. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078168. PMID 17898095.
Gerber, Jeffrey S.; Paul A. Offit (2009). "Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses". Clinical Infectious Diseases 48 (4): 456–451. doi:10.1086/596476. PMC 2908388. PMID 19128068.
Doja A, Roberts W (2006). "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature". Can J Neurol Sci 33 (4): 341–6. PMID 17168158.
Ferracane JL (2001). Materials in Dentistry: Principles and Applications (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 3. ISBN 0-7817-2733-2.
L. Barregard.(2005) Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 1, 2005. no. 62 pg. 352-353. Mercury From Dental Amalgam: Looking Beyond the Average. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...v062p00352.pdf
Aucott M, McLinden M, Winka M (2003). "Release of mercury from broken fluorescent bulbs". J Air Waste Manag Assoc 53 (2): 143–51. PMID 12617289.
Tunnessen WW Jr, McMahon KJ, Baser M (1987). "Acrodynia: exposure to mercury from fluorescent light bulbs". Pediatrics 79 (5): 786–9. PMID 3575038.
Diana Echeverria, et al. (1998) The FASEB Journal vol. 12, no. 11, pg. 971-980. Neurobehavioral Effects from Exposure to Dental Amalgam (Hg0): new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden. http://www.fasebj.org/content/12/11/971.full retrieved:19/10/2011.
Edlich RF, Cochran AA, Cross CL, Wack CA, Long WB, Newkirk AT (2008). "Legislation and informed consent brochures for dental patients receiving amalgam restorations". Int J Toxicol 27 (4): 313–6. doi:10.1080/10915810802366851. PMID 18821394.

Information on mercury toxicology from the technical literature

United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 3. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
ATSDR Mercury ToxFAQ (1999-04). "ToxFAQs: Mercury". Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 4. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
ATSDR. 1999. Toxicological Profile for Mercury. Atlanta, GA:Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp46.pdf
"Mercuric Cyanide." 1987. Mercuric Cyanide (accessed April 2, 2009).
OSHA update following Karen Wetterhahn's death
What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish - Advice for women who might become pregnant women who are pregnant nursing mothers young children. U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA Advisory EPA-823-F-04-009, March 2004.
"Export-ban of mercury and mercury compounds from the EU by 2011" (Press release). European Parliament. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
ATSDR - Mercury - Regulations and Advisories
Hazards of chelation therapy:
Immunization Safety Review Committee (2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. The National Academies Press. ISBN 0-309-09237-X.
Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Mercury, OSHA, US Department of Labor http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html

Information on mercury toxicology from the more popular press

"Spills, disposal and site cleanup". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
Russian lawyer suspects mercury poisoning, USA Today.com
German inquiry into 'poisoning' of Russian dissidents, Telegraph
url = Mercury danger in dolphin meat | The Japan Times
Counter SA (December 16, 2003). Whitening skin can be deadly. The Boston Globe.
"FDA Proposes Hydroquinone Ban".FDA bans hydroquinone in skin whitening products
"NYC Health Dept. Warns Against Use of "Skin-lightening" Creams Containing Mercury or Similar Products Which Do Not List Ingredients". January 27, 2005.
Counter SA, Buchanan LH. Mercury exposure in children: a review (PDF).
Mahaffey KR. "Dynamics of Mercury Pollution on Regional and Global Scales".
In a survey, 28% of Koreans and 50% of Philippians say that they use skin whitening products."Skin lightening in Asia? A bright future?".
Bray M (2002-05-15). SKIN DEEP: Dying to be white. CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
No Given Author or Editor. (1935). Everybody's Family Doctor. London, UK: Odhams Press LTD. p. 16.
Down To Earth: India's Minimata
Engler R (April 27 1985). "Technology out of Control". The Nation 240.
Vargas JA (2007-01-26). "'Mad Scientist': On Court TV, Fatal Chemistry". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
Swearengin M (2008-04-01). "Man dies from mercury poisoning after trying to extract gold". Durant Daily Democrat.
(Associated Press) (2008-04-01). "Colbert man dies from mercury poisoning". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
Tiffany McGee (2009-01-15). "Jeremy Piven Explains His Mystery Ailment". People. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
EPA Fish Kids Flash-based Movie
"An article about the cathedral.". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25.
"An article about gilding.".
What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
Emsley, John. The Elements of Murder. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-280599-1
The Karen Wetterhahn story - University of Bristol web page documenting her death, retrieved December 9, 2006.
How mercury poisons gold miners and enters the food chain, BBC News

 

[flacaltenn]

That article does NOT say that half the mercury was anthropogenic before the industrial revolution. It makes no comment about the amounts present. And, of course, it certainly doesn't support Paddy's (BriPat1234) assertion that 95% is from black smokers.

Doesn't matter WHERE it came from to me.

Huh???



And so you agree that coal plants are responsible for a large portion of the environment's current mercury load and that coal and other mercury sources were used less 'responsibly' in the past than today.

Which brings me to the next point.... Requoted from the medical source I gave at the top of this page..

The primary source of environmental exposure to mercury in the general population is through the consumption of contaminated fish.[46] Fish consumption has clear health benefits, and the risk posed by mercury exposure is currently speculative.

WHY is it speculative? Because there are NOT a lot of epidemiological studies of blood Mercury vs symptoms.. ESPECIALLY NOT in the USA.. Go help me look --- but they don't seem to exist.. And the studies that the EPA and CDC base their "guidelines" on come from only 2 or 4 studies done in parts of the world with particular mercury pollution problems..

When was last time we rushed off to solve an enviro problem without an accurate quantization of harm??

Go find me human blood levels in the USA population that EXCEED clinical significance..
I'll take any evidence you come up with...

Below is the reference section for Wikipedia's article on mercury poisoning. I think you will find a great deal more than 2-4 studies have been performed on the topic. By my count this list contains more than 50 studies on mercury poisoning published in refereed technical journals.

References

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Clifton JC 2nd (2007). "Mercury exposure and public health". Pediatr Clin North Am 54 (2): 237–69, viii. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2007.02.005. PMID 17448359.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Bjørklund G (1995). "Mercury and Acrodynia". Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 10 (3 & 4): 145–146.
^ Jump up to: a b Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Weiss B (2004). "Mercury exposure and child development outcomes". Pediatrics 113 (4 Suppl): 1023–9. doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.S1.1023. PMID 15060195.
Jump up ^ Horowitz Y, Greenberg D, Ling G, Lifshitz M (2002). "Acrodynia: a case report of two siblings". Arch Dis Child 86 (6): 453. doi:10.1136/adc.86.6.453. PMC 1762992. PMID 12023189.
Jump up ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 3. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Jump up ^ ATSDR Mercury ToxFAQ (1999-04). "ToxFAQs: Mercury". Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
Jump up ^ Dufault R, LeBlanc B, Schnoll R et al. (2009). "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar". Environ Health 8 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-8-2. PMC 2637263. PMID 19171026. Lay summary – Medscape Today (2009-01-27).
Jump up ^ Levy M. (1995). "Dental Amalgam: toxicological evaluation and health risk assessment". J Cdn Dent Assoc 61: 667–8, 671–4.
Jump up ^ Goldman LR, Shannon MW; American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Environmental Health (2001-07). "Technical report: mercury in the environment: implications for pediatricians". Pediatrics 108 (1): 197–205. doi:10.1542/peds.108.1.197. PMID 11433078. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
Jump up ^ url = Mercury danger in dolphin meat | The Japan Times
Jump up ^ Pacyna EG, Pacyna JM, Steenhuisen F, Wilson S (2006). "Global anthropogenic mercury emission inventory for 2000". Atmos Environ 40 (22): 4048–63. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.03.041.
Jump up ^ How mercury poisons gold miners and enters the food chain, BBC News
Jump up ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 4. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Jump up ^ Reeves, M.A.; Hoffman, P.R. (2009). "The human selenoproteome: recent insights into functions and regulation.". Cell Mol Life Sci. 66 (15): 2457–2478. doi:10.1007/s00018-009-0032-4. PMC 2866081. PMID 19399585.
Jump up ^ Carvalho, C.M.L.; Hashemy, S.I., Lu, J., Holmgren A. (2008). "Inhibition of the human thioredoxin system: A molecular mechanism of mercury toxicity.". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (18): 11913–11923.
Jump up ^ Linster, C.L.; Van Schaftingen, E. (2007). "Vitamin C: Biosynthesis, recycling and degradation in mammals.". FEBS Journal 274 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05607.x. PMID 17222174.
Jump up ^ Ralston, Nicholas V.C.; Raymond, Laura J. (2010). "Dietary selenium's protective effects against methylmercury toxicity.". Toxicology 278: 112–123.
Jump up ^ Hendry WF, A'Hern FPA, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by mercury exposure in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
^ Jump up to: a b c Clarkson TW, Magos L (2006). "The toxicology of mercury and its chemical compounds". Crit Rev Toxicol 36 (8): 609–62. doi:10.1080/10408440600845619. PMID 16973445.
^ Jump up to: a b ATSDR. 1999. Toxicological Profile for Mercury. Atlanta, GA:Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp46.pdf
Jump up ^ Hursh JB, Clarkson TW, Miles E, Goldsmith LA (1989). "Percutaneous absorption of mercury vapor by man". Arch. Environ. Health 44 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1080/00039896.1989.9934385. PMID 2494955.
Jump up ^ Cherian MG, Hursh JG, Clarkson TW (1978). "Radioactive mercury distribution in biological fluids and excretion in human subjects after inhalation of mercury vapor". Archives of Environmental Health 33: 190–214.
Jump up ^ Ngim CH, Foo SC, Boey KW, and Keyaratnam J (1992). "Chronic neurobehavioral effects of elemental mercury in dentists". British Journal of Industrial Medicine 49 (11): 782–790. PMC 1039326. PMID 1463679.
Jump up ^ Liang YX, Sun RK, Chen ZQ, and Li LH (1993). "Psychological effects of low exposure to mercury vapor: Application of computer-administered neurobehavioral evaluation system". Environmental Research 60 (2): 320–327. doi:10.1006/enrs.1993.1040. PMID 8472661.
^ Jump up to: a b Langford NJ, Ferner RE (1999). "Toxicity of mercury" (PDF). Journal of Human Hypertension 13 (10): 651–6. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1000896. PMID 10516733. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "Mercuric Cyanide." 1987. Mercuric Cyanide (accessed April 2, 2009).
Jump up ^ Benaissa M.L., Hantson P., Bismuth C., Baud F.J. (1995). "Mercury oxycyanide and mercuric cyanide poisoning: two cases.". Intensive Care Med. 21 (12): 1051–1053. doi:10.1007/BF01700673. PMID 8750135.
Jump up ^ Aylett, B.J. "Mercury (II) Pseudohalides: Cyanide, Thiocyanate, Selenocyanate, Azide, Fulminate." Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry 3:304-306. J.C. Bailar, H.J. Emeléus, Sir Ronald Nyholm, and A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, ed. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1973; distributed by Compendium Publishers (Elmsford, NY), p. 304.
Jump up ^ Emsley, John. The Elements of Murder. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-280599-1
^ Jump up to: a b The Karen Wetterhahn story - University of Bristol web page documenting her death, retrieved December 9, 2006.
^ Jump up to: a b OSHA update following Karen Wetterhahn's death
Jump up ^ What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish - Advice for women who might become pregnant women who are pregnant nursing mothers young children. U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA Advisory EPA-823-F-04-009, March 2004.
^ Jump up to: a b Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB (2006). "Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits". JAMA 296 (15): 1885–99. doi:10.1001/jama.296.15.1885. PMID 17047219.
^ Jump up to: a b Ibrahim D, Froberg B, Wolf A, Rusyniak DE (2006). "Heavy metal poisoning: clinical presentations and pathophysiology". Clin Lab Med 26 (1): 67–97, viii. doi:10.1016/j.cll.2006.02.003. PMID 16567226.
Jump up ^ "Export-ban of mercury and mercury compounds from the EU by 2011" (Press release). European Parliament. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
Jump up ^ ATSDR - Mercury - Regulations and Advisories
Jump up ^ What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
Jump up ^ EPA Fish Kids Flash-based Movie
Jump up ^ Risher JF, Amler SN (2005). "Mercury exposure: evaluation and intervention the inappropriate use of chelating agents in the diagnosis and treatment of putative mercury poisoning". Neurotoxicology 26 (4): 691–9. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2005.05.004. PMID 16009427.
^ Jump up to: a b Rooney JP (2007). "The role of thiols, dithiols, nutritional factors and interacting ligands in the toxicology of mercury". Toxicology 234 (3): 145–56. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2007.02.016. PMID 17408840.
Jump up ^ Watanabe C (2002). "Modification of mercury toxicity by selenium: practical importance?" (PDF). Tohoku J Exp Med 196 (2): 71–7. doi:10.1620/tjem.196.71. PMID 12498318.
Jump up ^ Hazards of chelation therapy:
Brown MJ, Willis T, Omalu B, Leiker R (2006). "Deaths resulting from hypocalcemia after administration of edetate disodium: 2003–2005". Pediatrics 118 (2): e534–6. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0858. PMID 16882789.
Baxter AJ, Krenzelok EP (2008). "Pediatric fatality secondary to EDTA chelation". Clin Toxicol 46 (10): 1083–4. doi:10.1080/15563650701261488. PMID 18949650.
Jump up ^ [1]
Jump up ^ Hendry WF, A'Hern RP, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by exposure to mercury in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
Jump up ^ R. Baselt, Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 8th edition, Biomedical Publications, Foster City, CA, 2008, pp. 923-927.
Jump up ^ Zhao HL, Zhu X, Sui Y (2006). "The short-lived Chinese emperors". J Am Geriatr Soc 54 (8): 1295–6. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00821.x. PMID 16914004.
Jump up ^ Waldron HA (1983). "Did the Mad Hatter have mercury poisoning?". Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 287 (6409): 1961. doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6409.1961. PMC 1550196. PMID 6418283.
Jump up ^ An Account of the Effect of Mercurial Vapors on the Crew of His Majesty's Ship Triumph, in the year 1810. By Wm. Burnet, M.D. one of the Medical Commissioners of the Navy, formerly Physician and Inspector of Hospitals to the Mediterranean Fleet.
Jump up ^ Michael J. Doherty MD: The Quicksilver Prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps (2003).
Jump up ^ "An article about the cathedral.". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25.
Jump up ^ "An article about gilding.".
Jump up ^ Stock A (1926). "Die Gefaehrlichkeit des Quecksilberdampfes". Zeitschrift für angewandte Chemie 39 (15): 461–466. doi:10.1002/ange.19260391502.
Jump up ^ Hunter D, Bomford RR, Russell DS (1940). "Poisoning by methylmercury compounds". Quart. J. Med. 9: 193–213.
Jump up ^ Engler R (April 27 1985). "Technology out of Control". The Nation 240.
Jump up ^ Vargas JA (2007-01-26). "'Mad Scientist': On Court TV, Fatal Chemistry". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
Jump up ^ Swearengin M (2008-04-01). "Man dies from mercury poisoning after trying to extract gold". Durant Daily Democrat.
Jump up ^ (Associated Press) (2008-04-01). "Colbert man dies from mercury poisoning". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
Jump up ^ Tiffany McGee (2009-01-15). "Jeremy Piven Explains His Mystery Ailment". People. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
Jump up ^ Down To Earth: India's Minimata
Jump up ^ James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM (2006). Andrews' diseases of the skin: clinical dermatology (10th ed.). Saunders. p. 134. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
Jump up ^ The name erythema arthricum epidemicum more commonly describes Haverhill fever (rat-bite fever).
^ Jump up to: a b c Dally A (1997). "The rise and fall of pink disease". Soc Hist Med 10 (2): 291–304. doi:10.1093/shm/10.2.291. PMID 11619497.
Jump up ^ No Given Author or Editor. (1935). Everybody's Family Doctor. London, UK: Odhams Press LTD. p. 16.
Jump up ^ Shandleya K, Austina D (2011). "Ancestry of Pink Disease (Infantile Acrodynia) Identified as a Risk Factor for Autism Spectrum Disorders". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 74 (18).
Jump up ^ Ford M, Delaney KA, Ling L, Erickson T (2000). Clinical Toxicology (1st ed.). Saunders. ISBN 0-7216-5485-1.
^ Jump up to: a b Offit PA (2007). "Thimerosal and vaccines—a cautionary tale". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1278–9. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187. PMID 17898096.
Jump up ^ Sugarman SD (2007). "Cases in vaccine court—legal battles over vaccines and autism". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1275–7. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078168. PMID 17898095.
Jump up ^ Immunization Safety Review Committee (2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. The National Academies Press. ISBN 0-309-09237-X.
Jump up ^ Gerber, Jeffrey S.; Paul A. Offit (2009). "Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses". Clinical Infectious Diseases 48 (4): 456–451. doi:10.1086/596476. PMC 2908388. PMID 19128068.
Jump up ^ Doja A, Roberts W (2006). "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature". Can J Neurol Sci 33 (4): 341–6. PMID 17168158.
Jump up ^ Ferracane JL (2001). Materials in Dentistry: Principles and Applications (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 3. ISBN 0-7817-2733-2.
Jump up ^ L. Barregard.(2005) Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 1, 2005. no. 62 pg. 352-353. Mercury From Dental Amalgam: Looking Beyond the Average. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1741026/pdf/v062p00352.pdf
Jump up ^ Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Mercury, OSHA, US Department of Labor http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/mercuryvapor/recognition.html
Jump up ^ Diana Echeverria, et al. (1998) The FASEB Journal vol. 12, no. 11, pg. 971-980. Neurobehavioral Effects from Exposure to Dental Amalgam (Hg0): new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden. Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hgo: new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden retrieved:19/10/2011.
Jump up ^ Edlich RF, Cochran AA, Cross CL, Wack CA, Long WB, Newkirk AT (2008). "Legislation and informed consent brochures for dental patients receiving amalgam restorations". Int J Toxicol 27 (4): 313–6. doi:10.1080/10915810802366851. PMID 18821394.
Jump up ^ Counter SA (December 16, 2003). Whitening skin can be deadly. The Boston Globe.
Jump up ^ "FDA Proposes Hydroquinone Ban".FDA bans hydroquinone in skin whitening products
Jump up ^ "NYC Health Dept. Warns Against Use of "Skin-lightening" Creams Containing Mercury or Similar Products Which Do Not List Ingredients". January 27, 2005.
Jump up ^ Counter SA, Buchanan LH. Mercury exposure in children: a review (PDF).
Jump up ^ Mahaffey KR. "Dynamics of Mercury Pollution on Regional and Global Scales".
Jump up ^ In a survey, 28% of Koreans and 50% of Philippians say that they use skin whitening products."Skin lightening in Asia? A bright future?".
Jump up ^ Bray M (2002-05-15). SKIN DEEP: Dying to be white. CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
Jump up ^ Aucott M, McLinden M, Winka M (2003). "Release of mercury from broken fluorescent bulbs". J Air Waste Manag Assoc 53 (2): 143–51. PMID 12617289.
Jump up ^ "Spills, disposal and site cleanup". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
Jump up ^ Tunnessen WW Jr, McMahon KJ, Baser M (1987). "Acrodynia: exposure to mercury from fluorescent light bulbs". Pediatrics 79 (5): 786–9. PMID 3575038.
Jump up ^ Russian lawyer suspects mercury poisoning, USA Today.com
Jump up ^ German inquiry into 'poisoning' of Russian dissidents, Telegraph

I'll look thru that list.. But be aware that EXPOSURE to mercury leading to poisoning and death or serious illness is NOT what I'm (we're) looking for. We looking for evidence that casual dining or breathing leads to MEASURABLE amounts of clinically important value in the bloodstream of 1000s or MILLIONS of citizens. There's a diff. Because DIRECT contact or exposure cases are NOT usually environmentally caused and ACTUAL reported symptoms outside of these special cases appear to be very rare..

Is there even one large population study in that list that measures BLOOD levels of mercury or mercury compounds in the GENERAL Population??

Find it and I could become a believer that we need more remediation...

And what part of "if no coal plants had NOT been operated in your lifetime, these numbers indicate that we could eat twice a week safely instead of just once" --- didn't you understand??

 

[Abraham3]

[
And what part of "if no coal plants had NOT been operated in your lifetime, these numbers indicate that we could eat twice a week safely instead of just once" --- didn't you understand??

Umm... well, first there's the part up front with the double negative:"no coal plants had NOT been operated...". Then there's the part where this would SEEM to suggest you think coal plants should be shut down and that doesn't agree with your stated opinions on the matter.

So, yeah, I am having some trouble with that statement.

 

[Abraham3]

If you go back you will find that I have sorted that long list from Wikipedia. Of the 51 peer reviewed studies, 47 were population studies. Two were investigations into a murder by mercury and two were studies of the HMS Triumph, whose crew experienced a massive exposure when a bladder carrying a large quantity of mercury (elemental, by the way) ruptured and spilled its contents on board. But, again, 47 were population studies.

 

[flacaltenn]

[
And what part of "if no coal plants had NOT been operated in your lifetime, these numbers indicate that we could eat twice a week safely instead of just once" --- didn't you understand??

Umm... well, first there's the part up front with the double negative:"no coal plants had NOT been operated...". Then there's the part where this would SEEM to suggest you think coal plants should be shut down and that doesn't agree with your stated opinions on the matter.

So, yeah, I am having some trouble with that statement.

Well --- it IS awkwardly constructed. That's what you get for multi-tasking.. Lemme relieve your trouble..

Logic and Reason 211

If 60% of the mercury contamination in the enviro is "legacy" and goes back to before our lifetimes, then if NO FURTHER mercury contamination had been added, the tuna we eat would be only 1/2 as saturated... Thus if the current recommended fish diet is ONCE a week --- with no coal plants operating since 1950 -- IT MIGHT be tuna TWICE a week. Although the numbers suggest that OTHER ADDITIONS from non-coal sources would make that more like 5 times a month --- instead of the recommended four.

Just making sure that one understands the "background" levels of mercury contamination WITHOUT making coal plants THE ISSUE.. The results are not really impressive EVEN IF the plants never existed. So the mythical all you can eat "clean fish" was never really an option.

 

[flacaltenn]

If you go back you will find that I have sorted that long list from Wikipedia. Of the 51 peer reviewed studies, 47 were population studies. Two were investigations into a murder by mercury and two were studies of the HMS Triumph, whose crew experienced a massive exposure when a bladder carrying a large quantity of mercury (elemental, by the way) ruptured and spilled its contents on board. But, again, 47 were population studies.

Really don't see that.. But I'll look... MOST seemed to be extreme cases of DIRECT contact, superfluous shit about light bulbs, crap about mining and gilding, etc.. No 47 out of 51 for sure...

Could you point to a couple REAL blood level population studies out of that list????

 

[Abraham3]

No. I could point you to 47 studies of how mercury has affected, affects or will affect the population.

You said you were looking for information about the actual risks of the stuff. You don't think these studies have anything worthwhile to say on that point? I do. I think the stuff is very bad. I wouldn't ban the burning of coal because of it but I think I'd definitely require some good scrubbers on every stack.

BTW, saw your note about the "no coal plants not something-or-other". I get the point.

 

[bripat9643]

No. I could point you to 47 studies of how mercury has affected, affects or will affect the population.

You said you were looking for information about the actual risks of the stuff. You don't think these studies have anything worthwhile to say on that point? I do. I think the stuff is very bad. I wouldn't ban the burning of coal because of it but I think I'd definitely require some good scrubbers on every stack..

Scrubbers are already required. The only purpose of the new EPA regulations is to destroy coal as a power source.

 

[Old Rocks]

That article does NOT say that half the mercury was anthropogenic before the industrial revolution. It makes no comment about the amounts present. And, of course, it certainly doesn't support Paddy's (BriPat1234) assertion that 95% is from black smokers.

Huh???



And so you agree that coal plants are responsible for a large portion of the environment's current mercury load and that coal and other mercury sources were used less 'responsibly' in the past than today.

Which brings me to the next point.... Requoted from the medical source I gave at the top of this page..



WHY is it speculative? Because there are NOT a lot of epidemiological studies of blood Mercury vs symptoms.. ESPECIALLY NOT in the USA.. Go help me look --- but they don't seem to exist.. And the studies that the EPA and CDC base their "guidelines" on come from only 2 or 4 studies done in parts of the world with particular mercury pollution problems..

When was last time we rushed off to solve an enviro problem without an accurate quantization of harm??

Go find me human blood levels in the USA population that EXCEED clinical significance..
I'll take any evidence you come up with...

Below is the reference section for Wikipedia's article on mercury poisoning. I think you will find a great deal more than 2-4 studies have been performed on the topic. By my count this list contains more than 50 studies on mercury poisoning published in refereed technical journals.

References

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Clifton JC 2nd (2007). "Mercury exposure and public health". Pediatr Clin North Am 54 (2): 237–69, viii. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2007.02.005. PMID 17448359.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Bjørklund G (1995). "Mercury and Acrodynia". Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 10 (3 & 4): 145–146.
^ Jump up to: a b Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Weiss B (2004). "Mercury exposure and child development outcomes". Pediatrics 113 (4 Suppl): 1023–9. doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.S1.1023. PMID 15060195.
Jump up ^ Horowitz Y, Greenberg D, Ling G, Lifshitz M (2002). "Acrodynia: a case report of two siblings". Arch Dis Child 86 (6): 453. doi:10.1136/adc.86.6.453. PMC 1762992. PMID 12023189.
Jump up ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 3. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Jump up ^ ATSDR Mercury ToxFAQ (1999-04). "ToxFAQs: Mercury". Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
Jump up ^ Dufault R, LeBlanc B, Schnoll R et al. (2009). "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar". Environ Health 8 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-8-2. PMC 2637263. PMID 19171026. Lay summary – Medscape Today (2009-01-27).
Jump up ^ Levy M. (1995). "Dental Amalgam: toxicological evaluation and health risk assessment". J Cdn Dent Assoc 61: 667–8, 671–4.
Jump up ^ Goldman LR, Shannon MW; American Academy of Pediatrics: Committee on Environmental Health (2001-07). "Technical report: mercury in the environment: implications for pediatricians". Pediatrics 108 (1): 197–205. doi:10.1542/peds.108.1.197. PMID 11433078. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
Jump up ^ url = Mercury danger in dolphin meat | The Japan Times
Jump up ^ Pacyna EG, Pacyna JM, Steenhuisen F, Wilson S (2006). "Global anthropogenic mercury emission inventory for 2000". Atmos Environ 40 (22): 4048–63. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.03.041.
Jump up ^ How mercury poisons gold miners and enters the food chain, BBC News
Jump up ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 1997). Mercury Study Report to Congress (PDF) 4. Washington, D.C.: United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Jump up ^ Reeves, M.A.; Hoffman, P.R. (2009). "The human selenoproteome: recent insights into functions and regulation.". Cell Mol Life Sci. 66 (15): 2457–2478. doi:10.1007/s00018-009-0032-4. PMC 2866081. PMID 19399585.
Jump up ^ Carvalho, C.M.L.; Hashemy, S.I., Lu, J., Holmgren A. (2008). "Inhibition of the human thioredoxin system: A molecular mechanism of mercury toxicity.". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 283 (18): 11913–11923.
Jump up ^ Linster, C.L.; Van Schaftingen, E. (2007). "Vitamin C: Biosynthesis, recycling and degradation in mammals.". FEBS Journal 274 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1111/j.1742-4658.2006.05607.x. PMID 17222174.
Jump up ^ Ralston, Nicholas V.C.; Raymond, Laura J. (2010). "Dietary selenium's protective effects against methylmercury toxicity.". Toxicology 278: 112–123.
Jump up ^ Hendry WF, A'Hern FPA, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by mercury exposure in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
^ Jump up to: a b c Clarkson TW, Magos L (2006). "The toxicology of mercury and its chemical compounds". Crit Rev Toxicol 36 (8): 609–62. doi:10.1080/10408440600845619. PMID 16973445.
^ Jump up to: a b ATSDR. 1999. Toxicological Profile for Mercury. Atlanta, GA:Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp46.pdf
Jump up ^ Hursh JB, Clarkson TW, Miles E, Goldsmith LA (1989). "Percutaneous absorption of mercury vapor by man". Arch. Environ. Health 44 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1080/00039896.1989.9934385. PMID 2494955.
Jump up ^ Cherian MG, Hursh JG, Clarkson TW (1978). "Radioactive mercury distribution in biological fluids and excretion in human subjects after inhalation of mercury vapor". Archives of Environmental Health 33: 190–214.
Jump up ^ Ngim CH, Foo SC, Boey KW, and Keyaratnam J (1992). "Chronic neurobehavioral effects of elemental mercury in dentists". British Journal of Industrial Medicine 49 (11): 782–790. PMC 1039326. PMID 1463679.
Jump up ^ Liang YX, Sun RK, Chen ZQ, and Li LH (1993). "Psychological effects of low exposure to mercury vapor: Application of computer-administered neurobehavioral evaluation system". Environmental Research 60 (2): 320–327. doi:10.1006/enrs.1993.1040. PMID 8472661.
^ Jump up to: a b Langford NJ, Ferner RE (1999). "Toxicity of mercury" (PDF). Journal of Human Hypertension 13 (10): 651–6. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1000896. PMID 10516733. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "Mercuric Cyanide." 1987. Mercuric Cyanide (accessed April 2, 2009).
Jump up ^ Benaissa M.L., Hantson P., Bismuth C., Baud F.J. (1995). "Mercury oxycyanide and mercuric cyanide poisoning: two cases.". Intensive Care Med. 21 (12): 1051–1053. doi:10.1007/BF01700673. PMID 8750135.
Jump up ^ Aylett, B.J. "Mercury (II) Pseudohalides: Cyanide, Thiocyanate, Selenocyanate, Azide, Fulminate." Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry 3:304-306. J.C. Bailar, H.J. Emeléus, Sir Ronald Nyholm, and A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, ed. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1973; distributed by Compendium Publishers (Elmsford, NY), p. 304.
Jump up ^ Emsley, John. The Elements of Murder. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-19-280599-1
^ Jump up to: a b The Karen Wetterhahn story - University of Bristol web page documenting her death, retrieved December 9, 2006.
^ Jump up to: a b OSHA update following Karen Wetterhahn's death
Jump up ^ What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish - Advice for women who might become pregnant women who are pregnant nursing mothers young children. U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA Advisory EPA-823-F-04-009, March 2004.
^ Jump up to: a b Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB (2006). "Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits". JAMA 296 (15): 1885–99. doi:10.1001/jama.296.15.1885. PMID 17047219.
^ Jump up to: a b Ibrahim D, Froberg B, Wolf A, Rusyniak DE (2006). "Heavy metal poisoning: clinical presentations and pathophysiology". Clin Lab Med 26 (1): 67–97, viii. doi:10.1016/j.cll.2006.02.003. PMID 16567226.
Jump up ^ "Export-ban of mercury and mercury compounds from the EU by 2011" (Press release). European Parliament. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
Jump up ^ ATSDR - Mercury - Regulations and Advisories
Jump up ^ What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
Jump up ^ EPA Fish Kids Flash-based Movie
Jump up ^ Risher JF, Amler SN (2005). "Mercury exposure: evaluation and intervention the inappropriate use of chelating agents in the diagnosis and treatment of putative mercury poisoning". Neurotoxicology 26 (4): 691–9. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2005.05.004. PMID 16009427.
^ Jump up to: a b Rooney JP (2007). "The role of thiols, dithiols, nutritional factors and interacting ligands in the toxicology of mercury". Toxicology 234 (3): 145–56. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2007.02.016. PMID 17408840.
Jump up ^ Watanabe C (2002). "Modification of mercury toxicity by selenium: practical importance?" (PDF). Tohoku J Exp Med 196 (2): 71–7. doi:10.1620/tjem.196.71. PMID 12498318.
Jump up ^ Hazards of chelation therapy:
Brown MJ, Willis T, Omalu B, Leiker R (2006). "Deaths resulting from hypocalcemia after administration of edetate disodium: 2003–2005". Pediatrics 118 (2): e534–6. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0858. PMID 16882789.
Baxter AJ, Krenzelok EP (2008). "Pediatric fatality secondary to EDTA chelation". Clin Toxicol 46 (10): 1083–4. doi:10.1080/15563650701261488. PMID 18949650.
Jump up ^ [1]
Jump up ^ Hendry WF, A'Hern RP, Cole PJ (1993). "Was Young's syndrome caused by exposure to mercury in childhood?". BMJ 307 (6919): 1579–82. doi:10.1136/bmj.307.6919.1579. PMC 1697782. PMID 8292944.
Jump up ^ R. Baselt, Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 8th edition, Biomedical Publications, Foster City, CA, 2008, pp. 923-927.
Jump up ^ Zhao HL, Zhu X, Sui Y (2006). "The short-lived Chinese emperors". J Am Geriatr Soc 54 (8): 1295–6. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00821.x. PMID 16914004.
Jump up ^ Waldron HA (1983). "Did the Mad Hatter have mercury poisoning?". Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 287 (6409): 1961. doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6409.1961. PMC 1550196. PMID 6418283.
Jump up ^ An Account of the Effect of Mercurial Vapors on the Crew of His Majesty's Ship Triumph, in the year 1810. By Wm. Burnet, M.D. one of the Medical Commissioners of the Navy, formerly Physician and Inspector of Hospitals to the Mediterranean Fleet.
Jump up ^ Michael J. Doherty MD: The Quicksilver Prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps (2003).
Jump up ^ "An article about the cathedral.". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25.
Jump up ^ "An article about gilding.".
Jump up ^ Stock A (1926). "Die Gefaehrlichkeit des Quecksilberdampfes". Zeitschrift für angewandte Chemie 39 (15): 461–466. doi:10.1002/ange.19260391502.
Jump up ^ Hunter D, Bomford RR, Russell DS (1940). "Poisoning by methylmercury compounds". Quart. J. Med. 9: 193–213.
Jump up ^ Engler R (April 27 1985). "Technology out of Control". The Nation 240.
Jump up ^ Vargas JA (2007-01-26). "'Mad Scientist': On Court TV, Fatal Chemistry". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
Jump up ^ Swearengin M (2008-04-01). "Man dies from mercury poisoning after trying to extract gold". Durant Daily Democrat.
Jump up ^ (Associated Press) (2008-04-01). "Colbert man dies from mercury poisoning". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
Jump up ^ Tiffany McGee (2009-01-15). "Jeremy Piven Explains His Mystery Ailment". People. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
Jump up ^ Down To Earth: India's Minimata
Jump up ^ James WD, Berger TG, Elston DM (2006). Andrews' diseases of the skin: clinical dermatology (10th ed.). Saunders. p. 134. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
Jump up ^ The name erythema arthricum epidemicum more commonly describes Haverhill fever (rat-bite fever).
^ Jump up to: a b c Dally A (1997). "The rise and fall of pink disease". Soc Hist Med 10 (2): 291–304. doi:10.1093/shm/10.2.291. PMID 11619497.
Jump up ^ No Given Author or Editor. (1935). Everybody's Family Doctor. London, UK: Odhams Press LTD. p. 16.
Jump up ^ Shandleya K, Austina D (2011). "Ancestry of Pink Disease (Infantile Acrodynia) Identified as a Risk Factor for Autism Spectrum Disorders". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 74 (18).
Jump up ^ Ford M, Delaney KA, Ling L, Erickson T (2000). Clinical Toxicology (1st ed.). Saunders. ISBN 0-7216-5485-1.
^ Jump up to: a b Offit PA (2007). "Thimerosal and vaccines—a cautionary tale". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1278–9. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187. PMID 17898096.
Jump up ^ Sugarman SD (2007). "Cases in vaccine court—legal battles over vaccines and autism". N Engl J Med 357 (13): 1275–7. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078168. PMID 17898095.
Jump up ^ Immunization Safety Review Committee (2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. The National Academies Press. ISBN 0-309-09237-X.
Jump up ^ Gerber, Jeffrey S.; Paul A. Offit (2009). "Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses". Clinical Infectious Diseases 48 (4): 456–451. doi:10.1086/596476. PMC 2908388. PMID 19128068.
Jump up ^ Doja A, Roberts W (2006). "Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature". Can J Neurol Sci 33 (4): 341–6. PMID 17168158.
Jump up ^ Ferracane JL (2001). Materials in Dentistry: Principles and Applications (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 3. ISBN 0-7817-2733-2.
Jump up ^ L. Barregard.(2005) Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 1, 2005. no. 62 pg. 352-353. Mercury From Dental Amalgam: Looking Beyond the Average. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1741026/pdf/v062p00352.pdf
Jump up ^ Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Mercury, OSHA, US Department of Labor http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/mercuryvapor/recognition.html
Jump up ^ Diana Echeverria, et al. (1998) The FASEB Journal vol. 12, no. 11, pg. 971-980. Neurobehavioral Effects from Exposure to Dental Amalgam (Hg0): new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden. Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hgo: new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden retrieved:19/10/2011.
Jump up ^ Edlich RF, Cochran AA, Cross CL, Wack CA, Long WB, Newkirk AT (2008). "Legislation and informed consent brochures for dental patients receiving amalgam restorations". Int J Toxicol 27 (4): 313–6. doi:10.1080/10915810802366851. PMID 18821394.
Jump up ^ Counter SA (December 16, 2003). Whitening skin can be deadly. The Boston Globe.
Jump up ^ "FDA Proposes Hydroquinone Ban".FDA bans hydroquinone in skin whitening products
Jump up ^ "NYC Health Dept. Warns Against Use of "Skin-lightening" Creams Containing Mercury or Similar Products Which Do Not List Ingredients". January 27, 2005.
Jump up ^ Counter SA, Buchanan LH. Mercury exposure in children: a review (PDF).
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I'll look thru that list.. But be aware that EXPOSURE to mercury leading to poisoning and death or serious illness is NOT what I'm (we're) looking for. We looking for evidence that casual dining or breathing leads to MEASURABLE amounts of clinically important value in the bloodstream of 1000s or MILLIONS of citizens. There's a diff. Because DIRECT contact or exposure cases are NOT usually environmentally caused and ACTUAL reported symptoms outside of these special cases appear to be very rare..

Is there even one large population study in that list that measures BLOOD levels of mercury or mercury compounds in the GENERAL Population??

Find it and I could become a believer that we need more remediation...

And what part of "if no coal plants had NOT been operated in your lifetime, these numbers indicate that we could eat twice a week safely instead of just once" --- didn't you understand??

What part of "We damned well should not be making the situation worse!" do you not understand. What you are stating is that since we are already at dangerous levels, nothing to worry about, just add as much as you wish to.

 

[flacaltenn]

No. I could point you to 47 studies of how mercury has affected, affects or will affect the population.

You said you were looking for information about the actual risks of the stuff. You don't think these studies have anything worthwhile to say on that point? I do. I think the stuff is very bad. I wouldn't ban the burning of coal because of it but I think I'd definitely require some good scrubbers on every stack.

BTW, saw your note about the "no coal plants not something-or-other". I get the point.

But I think the risk we're looking for is the saturation level in the blood and tissue of most Americans.. NOT evidence or statistics on mercury poisoning since I doubt you could find more than a handful of cases where mercury compound exposure DUE TO LONG TERM enviro absorption was the culprit..

To assess that risk -- you have to run studies of statistically sufficient numbers of blood samples. Then you compare those numbers to the accepted medical guidance for blood levels of mercury.. SURELY --- there should be ONE DOMESTIC STUDY before we launch off to another slay the coal plants forum....

This has been done for MOST OTHER heavy metals.. Why is it so hard to find for mercury and why did the EPA have to rely on 2 FOREIGN studies to lower the limits to where they are today.. (they did that just 5 or 10 years ago -- IIRC)

 

[bripat9643]

I'll look thru that list.. But be aware that EXPOSURE to mercury leading to poisoning and death or serious illness is NOT what I'm (we're) looking for. We looking for evidence that casual dining or breathing leads to MEASURABLE amounts of clinically important value in the bloodstream of 1000s or MILLIONS of citizens. There's a diff. Because DIRECT contact or exposure cases are NOT usually environmentally caused and ACTUAL reported symptoms outside of these special cases appear to be very rare..

Is there even one large population study in that list that measures BLOOD levels of mercury or mercury compounds in the GENERAL Population??

Find it and I could become a believer that we need more remediation...

And what part of "if no coal plants had NOT been operated in your lifetime, these numbers indicate that we could eat twice a week safely instead of just once" --- didn't you understand??

What part of "We damned well should not be making the situation worse!" do you not understand. What you are stating is that since we are already at dangerous levels, nothing to worry about, just add as much as you wish to.

We aren't at dangerous levels. There have been no cases of people becoming ill from environmental Mercury aside from industrial accidents.

 

[flacaltenn]

I found ONE cite in that list with any scientific data on mercury blood levels in the US population..

And the results of those studies is very inconclusive.. As my first medical reference alluded to..

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3/reports/volume4.pdf
The expected concentration cited by IUPAC (1996) for mercury in serum of healthy individuals
is 0.5 μg/L. In packed cells the level is about 5 μg/kg. Standard reference materials for mercury in
whole blood are available in the range of 4 to 14 μg/L. Using the IUPAC (1996) expected concentration,
whole blood mercury would be less than 2.5 μg/L.

Normative data to predict blood mercury concentrations for the United States population are not
available. With a very few exceptions all of the data that have been identified are for adult subjects. The largest single study appears to be that of former United States Air Force pilots. Kingman et al. (Kingman et al., in press; Nixon et al., 1996) analyzed urine and blood levels among 1127 Vietnam-era United States Air Force pilots (all men, average age 53 years at the time of blood collection ) for whom
extensive dental records were available. Blood values were determined for total mercury, inorganic
mercury and organic/methylmercury. Mean total blood mercury concentration was 3.1 μg/L with a range
of “zero” (i.e., detection limit of 0.2) to 44 μg/L. Overall, 75% of total blood mercury was present as
organic/methylmercury. Less than 1% of the variability in total blood mercury was attributable to
variation in the number and size of silver-mercury amalgam dental restorations. Dietary data on the
former pilots were very limited, so typical patterns of fish consumption are not reported.
Additional North American studies have been reported by various individual states in the United
States. These are described below and summarized in Table 6-2.

Arkansas
The Arkansas Department of Health reported on total blood mercury for 236 individuals with a
mean of 10.5 μg/L (range “zero” to 75 μg/L) (Burge and Evans, 1996). Of these, 139 participants had
total blood mercury above 5 μg/L and 36 participants had blood mercury concentrations more than 20
μg/L. To have been included in the survey, subjects had to confirm that their fish consumption rate was
a minimum of two meals per month with eight ounces of fish per meal.

Exposures may be elevated among some members of this subpopulation; these may be evidenced by analyses of blood mercury showing concentrations in excess of 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L) that have been reported among multiple freshwater fish-consumer subpopulations. The mean value of blood mercury in an Arkansas study was 10μg/L. Because general populations data on the distribution of blood mercury concentrations have not been gathered, it is not known how common blood mercury concentration above 10μg/L are.

Data describing blood and/or hair mercury for a population representative of the United States do
not exist, however, some data are available. Blood mercury concentrations, attributable to
consumption of fish and shellfish, in excess of 30 μg/L have been reported in the United States.
Hair mercury concentrations in the United States are typically less than 1μg/g, however, hair
mercury concentration greater than 10μ/g have been reported for women of childbearing age
living in the United States. U.S. EPA’s RfD is associated with a blood mercury concentration of
4-5 μg/L and a hair mercury concentration of approximately 1μg/g. The “benchmark” dose is
associated with mercury concentrations of 44μg/L in blood and 11.1 μg/g in hair. The
“benchmark” dose for methylmercury is based on neurotoxic effects observed in Iraqi children
exposed in utero to methylmercury.

We don't HAVE the data to quantify the risk or the reward.. EPA ADMITS THAT --- multiple times in this report.

Don't you think we ought to NOT BUY a couple windmills or NOT GIVE GE a couple $75 tax credits for dishwashers and DO THOSE STUDIES, before we fly off the handle??