The Chemical

Mercury

Mercury is toxic.  It is carcinogenic (can cause cancer).  It’s in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and in lakes and streams (mostly in the Midwest near coal-fired power plants (which is the largest polluter of mercury), medical waste, and municipal waste incinerators).  It’s in some pesticides and fungicides (another reason to eat organic).  Some grains and seeds are treated with it.  It’s in cosmetics (particularly eye cosmetics), fabric softeners, inks for printers, permanent tattoos, some paints and plastics, wood preservatives, solvents, some contact lens solutions, and even some medications.  It was in children’s vaccines as thimerosal but they have since taken it out of most children's vaccines because of the alleged link to autism.  It’s still in flu vaccine and may be in others.

Look for labels that contain mercury, thimerosal, methylmercury, phenylmercuric acetate, phenylmercuric nitrate, pentachlorophenol, methiolate, mersalys, mertiolate, mercumatilin, mercuramide, mercurophylline, mercaptomerin, merethoxylline, mercury chloride, merbromin, mercurius, mercuric chloride, formaldehyde, formalin, and chlorhexidine.

Mercury is a cumulative poison and heads for the brain where it can stop nutrients from entering the cells and it can bind to immune cells and therefore can be a factor in auto-immune disorders.   Mercury accumulates in muscle tissue.  Significant levels can cause depression, arthritis, fatigue, insomnia, and mercury poisoning.  It can cause permanent neurological damage, fertility problems, and birth defects. 

We should take care to protect our children from mercury exposure.  Pregnant and nursing women must be particularly cautious of mercury intake as Mercury can pass through the placenta to harm the fetus of a pregnant woman and it can pass through breastmilk to the nursing baby.  Over 60,000 babies are born at risk for neuro-developmental effects because of methylmercury in utero.  It is estimated that 10 percent (that's about 6 million women) have mercury levels within potentially hazardous levels.

Cleaning a Mercury Spill in Your Home:

Mercury is used in the standard mouth thermometers.  Be careful if these break.  Your first inclination may be to get the vacuum cleaner, but you should NEVER use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury.  The vacuum will do little to nothing in cleaning up the mercury while forcing harmful mercury vapor to be released into the air.  The vacuum cleaner would also become contaminated and need to be disposed of properly.  Never use it to clean mercury.  NEVER use a broom or brush either as all this will do is break up the beads into smaller beads of mercury making it more difficult to clean.  NEVER put mercury down the drain.  The best thing to do is contact your local poison control center, fire department or public health board for advice.  If you choose to do this yourself, take precautions and proper care to clean this hazardous substance:

1. First take off any metal jewelry so you don't contaminate it as mercury can attach to it. Get on clothes and shoes that you can dispose of with the mercury.  If there is a chance that some of the mercury got on your clothes when it broke or when you noticed it, be ready to part with those clothes that you are wearing.   Next get (but if you have mercury on you, let someone else get these things, don't contaminate other areas of your home with mercury that may be on your person or clothes!):
   1. a flashlight,
   2. hard paper or cardboard,
   3. eye dropper or syringe (like from your child's medicine),
   4. gloves,
   5. tape,
   6. glass bottle,
   7. a ziploc or sealable bag,
   8. and plastic bag.
2. Remember that once mercury is released, it can be inhaled so close off that room from the rest of the house and open windows to ventilate it.  Shut off a/c vents in that room.  Don't use the fan until after you're done cleaning up.
3. Place the flashlight in a zip or sealable bag.
4. Put on your gloves and clothes including shoes that will all be discarded and start cleaning up. 
5. Place the pieces of glass from the thermometer into the glass jar carefully and then get to work on the mercury itself.
6. First use the cardboard or firm pieces of paper (the postcards inside of magazines to order a subscription work well) to scoop up the mercury that you see.  Use the flashlight to get all the bigger pieces you can with the cardboard.  Mercury will push together so guide it together to get up as much as you can and place it into the glass jar.
7. Remember that mercury can get in the cracks on the floor and between the tiles.  Use the flashlight to find little bits here and there that reflect in the light.  Use an eye dropper to get the pieces and place those into the glass jar.
8. Use tape to clean up the little pieces off the floor carefully that cannot be picked up with the eye dropper or syringe. 
9. Put all the mercury (even the tape attached to the mercury) in the glass bottle and seal it tight.
10. Be sure you got it all up, this will take hours as it can really get into the cracks and spread under things.  Use the flashlight to find it all. 
11. Once done, shut off the room and well ventilate the area for at least 2 days before using it again. 
12. Carefully remove the plastic surrounding the flashlight, your gloves, clothes, shoes, etc. so as not to contaminate any other areas in case there is mercury on any of them.  Place your clothes, shoes, gloves, cardboard, eyedropper or syringe, tape, glass with mercury, and anything else the mercury touched that can be picked up into the bag and tie that bag off.
13. Wash up - take a shower.
14. Dispose of the bag properly.  Mercury is hazardous waste.  Contact hazardous disposal locations under waste management or call IDEM 1-800-988-7901.
15. And get a digital thermometer. 

Mercury can be found in a number of products, in fish, in silver amalgams, vaccines, and while toxic on it's own, since it accumulates in muscle tissue, it's the cumulative effect that is of most concern and danger, especially to growing children, and babies en utero.  How to limit your exposure to mercury?

• Eat low on the food chain (i.e. animals that eat vegetables not other animals) and you'll accumulate less mercury.  But becoming a Pescetarian is not a foolproof plan.  Mercury is in fish in dangerous levels.  The larger the fish, the higher the level of mercury because it works up the food chain in predatory fish (Salmon, Tilefish, Tuna, Shark, Swordfish) and bottom feeders.  Remember, mercury accumulates in muscle tissue so bigger fish and older fish that are predatory (that eat fish) will have higher levels of mercury than smaller younger fish that have had less chance to digest it.  Delicious Organics carefully researches the fish and companies from which we provide seafood.  The Vital Choice fish, for example, has been tested by an outside company and the levels are so minute that this is the only fish we eat personally.
   

• Don't get silver filings.  Silver amalgams are almost 1/2 mercury.
   

• Read the ingredients on regularly used items like contact lens solutions (safer contact lens solutions include:  Purilens, Renu, and Opti-One) eye drops, cosmetics, medications including over-the-counter nasal sprays.  Just because it says it's fit for children does not mean that it is safe.  Many contain hidden mercury.
   

• Watch vaccines particularly childhood vaccines.  Most vaccines no longer contain thimerosal but, for example, the flu vaccine still does and and therefore children and pregnant women should be particularly cautious and not take that vaccine.  Read the "inert" ingredients of the vaccine before you agree to take the shot or before you allow your child to do that. 
   

• Avoid introducing any extra chemicals into your life including fabric softeners.
   

• Don't get tattoos as they may contain mercury.
   

• Pregnant women in particular should avoid using paint, wood preservatives and solvents. 
   

• Choose natural pest deterrents and safer ways to create a lush lawn. 
   

• Choose organic grains and seeds as conventional ones may be treated with mercury.

How to Rid the Body of Mercury?

• Consider getting your Fillings Removed.
   

• Chelation (pronounced key-la-shun) is an approach to rid the body of mercury or other toxic accumulation.  Chelation introduces a substance into the body that will bind to the mercury and then the mercury will be eliminated with that substance from the body.   First used to rid the body of lead, it is now seen as effective at removing mercury poisonings and has been shown to help treat some autism.  Before doing this, however, please make sure you are tested for mercury (or other toxic) poisoning and are working under the guide of a respected physician in this area. 
   

• Change your diet.  Food impacts our lives in big ways and we, as a society, don’t give it the respect it deserves.  I read that cilantro can help rid the body of mercury.  Garlic can help detoxify.  Vitamin E can help neutralize it.  Lecithin protects the brain from mercury.  Omega 3s in fish are critical to brain function too and we should eat fish high in Omega 3s but be careful not to eat fish with high levels of mercury.  Vitamins and proper nutrition are critical.  Consider juicing to optimize all the benefits.  Build up your immune system with a healthful diet.

  • drink water (6-8 glasses (1 gallon) of distilled water each day)

  • eat raw and organic fruits and vegetables 

  • juice

  • add fiber to your diet (pulp from the juice, bran, oats)

  • stop caffeinated products (coffee, soda)

  • eliminate processed foods, white sugar, white flour, soda, junk food

  • exercise and don't get too stressed - (walk, go to the gym, take the stairs)

Here is some additional reading:

• CHEC on Mercury

• Oral Chelation of Heavy Metals: Mercury, Lead, and Aluminum by the Kitchen Doctor

• Detox Protocol by Mercola

• Chlorella by Mercola

• Environmental Law & Policy Center - Mercury Poisoning

• http://www.noamalgam.com/ - A book on how to cure mercury poisoning

• Dental Amalgam Mercury Poisoning

• Mercury Poisoning by Symmetry

• Limiting Mercury Pollution is Focus of Hot Debate – Industry, Environmentalists Argue Over How and When to Remove Toxic Metal

• CHEC information on mercury and their letter

• Toxic Mercury Found in New England Rain & Snow

• U.S. Delays Cleaning Up Toxic Mercury in Our Fish

• New Federal Report Warns of Mercury Threat to Kids

• Which Consumer Products Contain Mercury? EPA

• Mad Hatter

• Mercury And You, A Toxic Tale, City of Vancouver Dept of Solid Waste

• The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology