Dr. John Bassi
HEALTH EFFECTS OF MERCURY

  • 3 forms: metallic elemental, inorganic, organic
  • Exposure: inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption
  • Most hazardous when inhaled
  • Accumulates in the liver, kidney, brain and blood
  • Acute exposure not common, but can cause severe GI damage, cardiovascular collapse or kidney failure, all of which can be fatal
  • Inhalation can cause headaches, chills, cough, fevers, tremors, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, fatigue or lung irritation
  • Chronic effects include CNS effects (increased excitability, mental instability, fine tremors, personality changes, "Mad Hatter"), kidney damage and birth defects (delayed development, altered muscle tone and tendon reflexes and depressed intelligence
  • 80% of mercury released from human activities is elemental mercury It is released into the air primarily from fossil fuel combustion, mining, smelting and solid waste incineration. 5% released from industrial wastewater into the environment
  • Very small amounts of metallic mercury (a few drops) can raise air concentrations to levels that may be harmful to health
  • It's possible to be exposed to vapors from breathing contaminated air around incinerators that burn mercury-containing fuels
  • Mercury builds up in fish and human tissue
  • It poses a threat to young children and fetuses
  • Nearly all fish contain mercury
  • NH department of Health and Human Services recommend that women of child bearing age and children 6 and under have no more than one 8-ounce meal of fresh water fish per month and that all others have no more than four 8-ounce meals per month
  • NH's air and water are already stressed with mercury fall-out from the Mid-West emissions; our environment can handle no more!

HEALTH EFFECTS FROM LEAD EXPOSURE

  • No matter what the source of lead exposure, the end result is always the same.  Once lead enters the body, it is absorbed by the lungs and/or the digestive tract.  The lead then enters the bloodstream and is distributed to all tissues throughout the body.  Health effects as a result of lead exposure are directly related with the concentration of lead.  At low levels of exposure, slight changes in nervous system function and muscle and joint pain can occur.  High levels of lead exposure have been associated with memory and concentration problems, extreme tiredness, reproductive problems, kidney failure and even coma or death. [www.kdhe.state.ks.us/ables/occupation.html]
  • Lead can cause serious damage to the brain, kidneys, nervous system,and red blood cells. Children are particularly vulnerable.  Lead exposure in children can result in delays in physical development, lover IQ levels, shorten attention span and increase behavioral problems. [www.epa.gov/iaq/lead.html]

The following information was found on the EPA Region 10 website:

*      Children absorb and retain a larger percentage of ingested lead per unit of body weight than adults, which increases the toxic effects of the lead.

*      Children’s brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

*      The long-term health effects of lead can be severe.  They include decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing, and even brain damage. 

*      The body mistakes lead for calcium, so if the body does not contain enough calcium and iron, it is more likely to absorb lead. 

*      Ingestion and inhalation are the major routes of exposure for both children and adults.

*      Lead concentrates in the bones to a much greater extent than anywhere else.

*      Unlike some chemicals that are cleared from the body relatively quickly, lead stays in the body, is stored primarily in the bones and slowly leaches into the blood.

*      Although lead is stored primarily in the bones, it is particularly toxic to the reproductive system, the nervous system, the blood and the kidneys.

*      It takes more than 25 years for one half of the lead in bones to leave the body.  25 days for one half of the lead in the blood to leave, and 40 days for one half of the lead in other organs to leave.