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MERCURY FACT SHEET

The deadly element in your body!

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Forms of mercury. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water
and soil. It exists in several forms: elemental or metallic mercury, inorganic merc ury
compounds, and organic mercury compounds. Elemental or metallic mercury is a shiny,
silver-white metal and is liquid at room temperature. It is used in thermometers,
fluorescent light bulbs and some electrical switches. When dropped, elemental mercury
breaks into smaller droplets which can go through small cracks or become strongly
attached to certain materials. At room temperature, exposed elemental mercury can
evaporate to become an invisible, odorless toxic vapor. People can be exposed to
elemental mercury vapor when products that contain mercury break and expose mercury
to the air, particularly in poorly-ventilated spaces.

Inorganic mercury compounds take the form of mercury salts and are generally white
powder or crystals, with the exception of mercuric sulfide (cinnabar) which is red.
Inorganic mercury compounds have been included in products such as fungicides,
antiseptics or disinfectants. Some skin lightening and freckle creams, as well as some
traditional medicines, can contain mercury compounds.

Organic mercury compounds, such as methylmercury, are formed when mercury

combines with carbon. Microscopic organisms convert inorganic mercury into
methylmercury, which is the most common organic mercury compound found in the
environment. Methylmercury accumulates up the food chain.

Sources of mercury. Mercury is an element in the earth's crust. Humans cannot create or
destroy mercury. Pure mercury is a liquid metal, sometimes referred to as quicksilver that
volatizes readily. It has traditionally been used to make products like thermometers,
switches, and some light bulbs.

Mercury is found in many rocks including coal. When coal is burned, mercury is released
into the environment. Coal-burning power plants are the largest human-caused source of
mercury emissions to the air in the United States, accounting for over 40 percent of all
domestic human-caused mercury emissions. EPA has estimated that about one quarter of
U.S. emissions from coal-burning power plants are deposited within the contiguous U.S.
and the remainder enters the global cycle. Burning hazardous wastes, producing chlorine,
breaking mercury products, and spilling mercury, as well as the improper treatment and
disposal of products or wastes containing mercury, can also release it into the
environment. Current estimates are that less than half of all mercury deposition within the
U.S. comes from U.S. sources. Human activities, such as burning coal and using mercury
to manufacture certain products, have increased the amount of mercury in many parts of
the environment including the atmosphere, lakes and streams. People and animals are
exposed to mercury by eating organisms that live in places where microbes have
converted some of the natural and human mercury to a more toxic form, methylmercury.

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Exposure to mercury. Mercury in the air eventually settles into water or onto land
where it can be washed into water. Once deposited, certain microorganisms can change it
into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and anima ls that
eat fish. Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans.
Methylmercury builds up more in some types of fish and shellfish than others.The levels
of methylmercury in fish and shellfish depend on what they eat, how long they live and
how high they are in the food chain.

EPA works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with states and tribes
to issue advice to women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers
and parents of young children about how often they should eat certain types of
commercially-caught fish and shellfish. Fish advisories are also issued for men, women,
and children of all ages when appropriate. In addition, EPA releases an annual summary
of information on locally-issued fish advisories and safe-eating guidelines to the public.
Fish is a beneficial part of the diet, so EPA & FDA encourage people to continue to eat
fish that are low in methylmercury. Fish are important in a healthy diet. They are a lean,
low-calorie source of protein. However, some fish may contain methylmercury or other
harmful chemicals at sufficiently high levels to be a concern. Federal, state and local
governments issue fish consumption advisories when the fish are unsafe to eat. The
advisories may suggest that people avoid eating certain kinds or certain amounts of fish.
Some advisories apply to specific water types (like lakes). Some may focus on groups of
particularly sensitive people. Some advisories include notices of "no restriction" to tell us
that certain fish are safe to eat. As states increase the waters they monitor for
contaminated fish, both the number of advisories and the waters where it is safe to eat
fish are increasing. Visit the links below to learn more about mercury in fish, fish
consumption advisories, and state fish advisories.

If you are concerned for your health or your family's as a result of exposure to mercury,
get in touch with your health care provider. They will be able to tell you if mercury
exposure is a problem for you and what to do about it.

Another less common exposure to mercury that can be a concern is breathing mercury
vapor. These exposures can occur when elemental mercury or products that contain
elemental mercury break and release mercury to the air, particularly in warm or poorly-
ventilated indoor spaces. Outbreaks of methylmercury poisoning have made it clear that
adults, children, and developing fetuses are at risk from dietary exposure to
methylmercury. During these poisoning outbreaks some mothers with no symptoms of
nervous system damage gave birth to infants with severe disabilities and it became clear
that the developing nervous system of the fetus may be more vulnerable to
methylmercury than is the adult nervous system. Mothers who are exposed to
methylmercury and breast-feed their babies may also expose their infant children through
their milk.

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In 2004 EPA and FDA issued the first-ever joint consumer advice about methylmercury
in fish and shellfish. This advice was for women who might become pregnant; women
who are pregnant; nursing mothers; and young children. The advisory provides three
recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish to ensure that women and
young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that
they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of methylmercury. EPA also
hosts a web-based compilation of fish advisories issued by States, tribes, territories and
local governments. Fish Consumption Advisories

Terms Defined

Reference Dose (RfD): An estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of

magnitude) of a daily oral exposure to the human population (including sensitive
subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a
lifetime. It can be derived from a NOAEL, LOAEL, or benchmark dose, with uncertainty
factors generally applied to reflect limitations of the data used. Generally used in EPA's
noncancer health assessments.

No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level (NOAEL): The highest exposure level at which there

are no biologically significant increases in the frequency or severity of adverse effect
between the exposed population and its appropriate control; some effects may be
produced at this level, but they are not considered adverse or precursors of adverse
effects.

Lowest-Observed-Adverse- Effect Level (LOAEL): The lowest exposure level at which

there are biologically significant increases in frequency or severity of adverse effects
between the exposed population and its appropriate control group

Recent human biological monitoring by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in 1999 and 2000 (PDF) (3 pp., 42 KB, About PDF) shows that most people have blood
mercury levels below a level (5.8 µg/L of whole blood) associated with possible health
effects. Consumption of fish with higher methylmercury levels can lead to elevated levels
of mercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children and may harm their
developing nervous system. These disabilities have been documented in ability to use
language, to process information, and in visual/motor integration. U.S. EPA's 2001
Reference Dose (RfD) for methylmercury was calculated to protect the developing
nervous system. Currently, U.S. EPA uses a RfD of 0.1 µg/kg body weight/day as an
exposure without recognized adverse effects. A description of EPA’s Reference Dose for
methylmercury may be found at http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0073.htm.

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In U.S. EPA’s Mercury Study Report to Congress (1997) EPA estimated that 7% of
women of childbearing age would have blood mercury concentrations greater than those
equivalent to the RfD. The estimate of 7% of women of childbearing age above the RfD
was based on patterns of fish and shellfish consumption and methylmercury
concentrations present in fish and shellfish. Blood mercury analyses in the 1999-2000
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2000 NHANES) for 16-to-49
year old women showed that approximately 8% of women in the survey had blood
mercury concentrations greater than 5.8 ug/L ( w hich is a blood mercury level equivalent
to the current RfD). Based on this prevalence for the overall U.S. population of women of
reproductive age and the number of U.S. births each year, it is estimated that more than
300,000 newborns each year may have increased risk of learning disabilities associated
with in utero exposure to methylmercury. More recent data from the CDC support this
general finding.

Nearly all methylmercury exposures in the U.S. occur through eating fish and shellfish.
Microscopic organisms convert inorganic mercury into methylmercury, which
accumulates up the food chain in fish, fish-eating animals, and people.

Health effects of mercury. Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart,
kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages. Research shows that most
people's fish consumption does not cause a health concern. However, it has been
demonstrated that high levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and
young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to
think and learn. Inorganic mercury compounds take the form of mercury salts. They are
generally white powders or crystals, with the exception of mercuric sulfide (cinnabar)
which is red. Inorganic compounds and organic compounds (such as phenylmercury
acetate and ethylmercury), have been commonly used as fungicides, antiseptics or
disinfectants. They have also been used in a variety of products. Most of these uses have
been discontinued, but small amounts of these compounds can still be found as
preservatives in some medicines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains a list
of medicines that contain mercury.

Ecological effects of mercury. Birds and mammals that eat fish are more exposed to
mercury than other animals in water ecosystems. Similarly, predators that eat fish -eating
animals may be highly exposed. At high levels of exposure, methylmercury's harmful
effects on these animals include death, reduced reproduction, slower growth and
development, and abnormal behavior.

Fate and Transport and Ecological Effects of Mercury

Mercury in the air may settle into water bodies and affect water quality. This airborne
mercury can fall to the ground in raindrops, in dust, or simply due to gravity (known as
“air deposition”). After the mercury falls, it can end up in streams, lakes, or estuaries,
where it can be transferred to methylmercury through microbial activity. Methylmercury

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accumulates in fish at levels that may harm the fish and the other animals that eat them.
Mercury deposition in a given area depends on mercury emitted from local, regional,
national, and international sources. The amount of methylmercury in fish in different
waterbodies is a function of a number of factors, including the amount of mercury
deposited from the atmosphere, local non-air releases of mercury, naturally occurring
mercury in soils, the physical, biological, and chemical properties of different
waterbodies and the age, size and types of food the fish eats. This explains why fish from
lakes with similar local sources of methylmercury can have significantly different
methylmercury concentrations.

Birds and mammals that eat fish are more exposed to methylmercury than any other
animals in water ecosystems. Similarly, predators that eat fish -eating animals are at risk.
Methylmercury has been found in eagles, otters, and endangered Florida panthers.
Analyses conducted for the Mercury Study Report to Congress suggest that some highly-
exposed wildlife species are being harmed by methylmercury. Effects of methylmercury
exposure on wildlife can include mortality (death), reduced fertility, slower growth and
development and abnormal behavior that affects survival, depending on the level of
exposure. In addition, research indicates that the endocrine system of fish, which plays an
important role in fish development and reproduction, may be altered by the levels of
methylmercury found in the environment.

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The Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) monitors wet deposition of mercury at a

number of sites across the country. For more information abou t the network, see
http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/mdn/

The Mercury Study Report to Congress – EPA prepared this report to fulfill
requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Published in 1997, it is an eight
volume assessment of the magnitude of U.S. m ercury emissions by source; the health and
environmental impacts of those emissions; and the availability and cost of control
technologies.

Reducing mercury releases. EPA issues regulations that require industry to reduce
mercury releases to air and water and to properly treat and dispose of mercury wastes.
EPA also works with industry to promote voluntary reductions in mercury use and
releases, and with partners in state, local and tribal governments to improve their mercury
reduction programs. EPA works with international organizations to prevent the release of
mercury in other countries. The public can contribute to mercury reduction efforts by
purchasing mercury-free products and correctly disposing of products that contain
mercury by reducing demand for products whose production leads to the release of
mercury into the environment.

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