Health issues mercury, toxicity

The presence of mercury in fish, thermometers, dental amalgams, vaccine preservatives, and the atmosphere has increased public health concerns about adverse health effects in humans exposed to relatively low levels of mercury. The lack of a clear correlation between mechanistic research on mercury toxicity and sublethal non-cytotoxic effects and lack of consideration of mercury-induced immunotoxicily as an important health outcome have limited the application of science-based risk assessment on this issue (Silbergeld Devine, 2000). 

Mercury is a toxic environmental contaminant and is a primary issue of concern for several government agencies (e.g.. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, and Health Canada). Mercury transport and fate are global issues since, due to its dispersion and transformation into bioavailable forms, it can bioaccumulate not only in contaminated sites but also in remote freshwater lakes [1-3]. For example, Kejimkujik Park (Nova Scotia, Canada) has no known local anthropogenic inputs of mercury and yet contains fish and loons that have some of the highest blood mercury concentrations in North America [4,5]. 

Bayat, I., Raufi, N.D. and Nejat, M.(1985) Determination of mercury and other toxic elements in fish and foodstuffs using destructive neutron activation analysis. In Health-related monitoring of trace element pollutants using nuclear techniques. A technical document issued by the international atomic energy agency, Vienna. IAEA-TECDOC-330 141-146. 

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