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Contents contributed and discussions participated by Hannah Smith

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Hannah Smith

Neuroscience for Kids - Effects of Mercury on the Nervous System - 4 views

faculty.washington.edu/...merc.html

cfl

shared by Hannah Smith on 07 Dec 11 - Cached
  • Elemental (metallic) mercury: shiny, silver, odorless liquid used in thermometers. It is absorbed by the body through vapors. Organic mercury: mercury combined with carbon. Methyl mercury is a common form of organic mercury. These forms of mercury are soluble in lipids and cross the blood brain barrier and placenta easily. Organic mercury is absorbed through the digestive tract and also through vapors.
  • Mercury is a natural material found in the earth. Some mercury vapors are given off during volcanic eruptions. Mercury is a by-product of coal-burning power plants. Mercury is released into the air, then it falls back to the earth. Mercury is used by mining operations to separate gold from impurities in ore. Mercury is used during the manufacture of various products. For example, before 1990, mercury was added to paint.
  • Breathe mercury fumes
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  • Eat food (especially fish) or drink water that has been contaminated by mercury
  • Absorb mercury through the skin. Glass thermometers contain mercury that should be cleaned up properly
  • Eat objects that contain mercury. For example, small children may eat batteries that contain mercury. Broken high power lights and long fluorescent tubes can also contain mercury. Small amounts of mercury from these sources may be ingested accidentally.
  • Minamata Bay (Japan): Organic mercury was dumped into Minamata Bay in the 1950s. Fish in the bay were contaminated and about 2,000 people who ate these fish became poisoned. About 7% of the children born to mothers who ate contaminated fish had neurological problems. Symptoms in these children included uncoordinated movement, abnormal reflexes, seizures and speech problems. Some adults also had neurological problems such as visual disorders, shaking (tremors), weakness, nausea, hearing loss, depression, confusion, loss of appetite and memory problems. A total of 46 people died as a result of mercury exposure.
  • Iraq: In 1972, approximately 6,500 people fell ill and 459 people died after eating bread baked with wheat contaminated with a mercury-based fungicide.
  • Faroe Islands (North Atlantic): A study started in 1984 investigated the effects of methyl mercury exposure on children born to mothers who ate contaminated whale meat. Researchers found that children (seven years old) who were born to mothers with a 10-20 ppm mercury count had lower language, attention and memory scores than those children born to mothers with lower mercury levels. Interestingly, a study performed in the Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean) did not reveal any effects on children born to mothers who had mercury hair levels of 10 ppm.
  • Take off any jewelry so you don't contaminate it. Scoop up the mercury with a sheet of cardboard. Place the mercury in a small bottle or vial. Cap the bottle or vial. Dispose of the bottle or vial properly. Many communities have special hazardous waste disposals or pick-up locations. Wash your hands! NEVER use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury spills. A vacuum cleaner will get contaminated and will spread mercury vapors into the air.
Hannah Smith

Mercury: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - 4 views

www.nlm.nih.gov/...002476.htm

shared by Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Considerable damage can occur, however,
    • Hannah Smith
      Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11
       
      had 2 use yellow cause blue was acting up :(
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • if mercury is made airborne into small, little droplets and breathed
  • if mercury is made airborne into small, little droplets and breathed
  • into the lungs. This can often occur by mistake when people try to vacuum up mercury that has spilled onto the ground.
  • Breathing in elemental mercury will cause symptoms right away (acute) if enough mercury is breathed in. Symptoms wil
  • l also occur over time (chronic) if little amounts are inhaled every day. If this occurs, symptoms may include:
  • Metallic tasteVomitingDifficulty breathingBad coughSwollen, bleeding gums
  • Unlike elemental mercury, inorganic mercury is usually poisonous when swallowed. Depending on the how much is swallowed, symptoms may include:
  • Burning in the stomach and throatBloody diarrhea and vomiting
  • Organic mercury can cause sickness if breathed in, eaten, or placed on the skin for long periods of time. Usually organic mercury causes problems over years or decades, not immediately. In other words, being exposed to small amounts of organic mercury every day for years will likely cause symptoms to appear later. Regardless, a single large exposure can also cause problems.
  • Numbness or pain in certain parts of your skinUncontrollable shake or tremorInability to walk wellBlindness and double vision Memory problems
  • Seizures and death (with large exposures)
  • . It is so thick and slippery that it usually falls off your skin or out of your stomach without being absorbed.
  • Glass thermometersElectrical switchesFluorescent light bulbsOlder dental fillingsSome medical equipment
  • BatteriesChemistry labsSome disinfectantsFolk culture medicine
  • sRed cinnabar mineral
  • Older germ-killers (antiseptics) such as red mercurochrome (merbromin) -- this substance is now banned by the FDAThimerosalFumes from burning coal converted into organic mercury by certain organismsFish that have eaten a form of organic mercury called methylmercury
Hannah Smith

Dictionary - Definition of Mercury Poisoning - 1 views

www.websters-online-dictionary.org/...Mercury%20Poisoning

shared by Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Common symptoms include peripheral neuropathy (presenting as paresthesia or itching, burning or pain), skin discoloration (pink cheeks, fingertips and toes), edema (swelling), and desquamation (dead skin peels off in layers).
  • Because mercury blocks the degradation pathway of catecholamines, epinephrine excess causes hyperhidrosis (profuse sweating), tachycardia (persistently faster-than-normal heart beat), mercurial ptyalism (hypersalivation) and hypertension (high blood pressure).
  • Mercury poisoning is caused by sufficient exposure to elemental mercury or mercury compounds. The consumption of fish is by far the most significant source of ingestion-related mercury exposure in humans, although plants and livestock also contain mercury due to bioaccumulation of mercury from soil, water and atmosphere, and due to biomagnification by ingesting other mercury-containing organisms.[3] Exposure to mercury can occur from breathing contaminated air,[4] or from improper use or disposal of mercury and mercury-containing objects, for example, after spills of elemental mercury or improper disposal of fluorescent light bulbs.[5]
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  • A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered anorexia, weight loss, irritability, profuse sweating, and peeling and redness of fingers and toes. This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery. The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area for play.
Hannah Smith

LED Light Bulbs - 4 views

prolightbulbs.com

cfl

shared by Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • 23-Month-Old Toddler Suffers Mercury Poisoning from Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)!
  • –They could kill your children or pets
  • Wait….WHAT?!?  Did you say they can kill children and pets
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  • Unfortunately, yes. Compact fluorescent lights are filled with, among other things, poisonous Mercury in gaseous form. If these bulbs are dropped or break, this Mercury is released into the surrounding atmosphere.
  • “When they are broken indoors, [CFL] bulbs may emit sufficient mercury vapor to present health concerns, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends evacuating and airing out a room for at least 15 minutes after breaking a fluorescent light bulb.
  • A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered irritability, anorexia, profuse sweating, weight loss, and peeling/redness of the fingers and toes.
  • a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery.
  • This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from
  • The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area for play.”
  • For normal sized adults, breaking a fluorescent light or two simply involves evacuating a room, airing it out, and dealing with small amounts of mercury poisoning.
  • No big deal right. Just some mercury poisoning.
  • Everyday stuff. Just evacuate the room for a while, then back to work…
  • For small children and pets, mercury poisoning can be fatal.
  • But don’t worry, the manufacturers of CFL Light Bulbs assure you that it’s not enough mercury to actually kill your children. Oh good…
  • I’ll Choose the Non-Poisonous LED Light Bulbs!
Hannah Smith

Will a Broken CFL Bulb Kill Me? - Planet Green - 3 views

planetgreen.discovery.com/...cfl-broken-bulbs.html

cfl

shared by Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • The main concern with CFLs is that they contain mercury, a toxic metal, sealed within its glass tubing. Mercury could lead to sickness if you come in direct contact with enough of the substance. But if you didn’t feel sick or aren’t sick now, it’s probably a good chance you are fine, especially since CFLs only contain a small amount
  • of mercury; about 4-5 milligrams according to the EPA.
Hannah Smith

Ask TreeHugger: Is Mercury from a Broken CFL Dangerous? : TreeHugger - 8 views

www.treehugger.com/...om-a-broken-cfl-dangerous.html

cfl

shared by Hannah Smith on 22 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • real horror stories about people who have broken the bulbs in their homes which has resulted in thousands of dollars worth of
  • cleanup to remove the mercury.
  • : There has recently been some concern over the possibility that
  • ...27 more annotations...
  • broken CFLs can be an important source of exposures to mercury, a toxic
  • metal and a key component of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs).
  • Although
  • mercury is a toxic pollutant, mercury exposures from broken CFLs are not likely to harm you and your family
  • key component of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs
  • amount and duration of your exposures and the specific type of mercury that you are exposed to
  • This is due to several factors, including the
  • Once spilled, you can be exposed to elemental mercury by touching
  • it, after which it can be eaten and/or absorbed through your skin.
  • More importantly for health
  • you can also be exposed to mercury through the air, as
  • elemental mercury vaporizes readily (essentially becomes a gas) and can thus be inhaled into your lungs. Breathing elemental mercury into your lungs is generally more dangerous than if you ate the mercury or absorbed it through your skin. Once inhaled, the mercury vapor can damage the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
  • These toxic effects are why any mercury spill should be handled carefully, including one that results from a CFL breaking
  • This is because CFLs contain relatively small amounts of mercury -- EPA estimates this amount to be 4-5 milligrams (mg) in a typical CFL
  • . A spill of this amount of mercury is not likely to present any excess risk to you or your family
  • Under these relatively conservative assumptions, this level and duration of mercury exposure is not likely to be dangerous, as it is lower than the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard of 0.05 mg/m3 of metallic mercury vapor averaged over eight hours. [To equate these values, we could estimate the average indoor airborne mercury concentration for 8 hours, beginning post-spill at an estimated starting value of 0.2 mg/m3 and decreasing from there. If one assumes the the air exchanges completely in one hour (a fairly standard assumption), then the 8-hour average concentration would be 0.025 mg/m3.]
  • Even though mercury from the broken CFL is not likely to be dangerous, it would be wise to take extra precautions to minimize mercury exposures
  • The US EPA publishes guidelines about the specific steps that you should take to clean up mercury in the event that a CFL breaks in your home
  • Briefly, EPA recommends that (1) you immediately open windows to reduce mercury concentrations inside your home; (2) you do not touch the spilled mercury; (3) you clean up the broken CFL glass carefully and immediately (but not with your hands or a vacuum cleaner), and (4) you wipe the affected area with a paper towel to remove all glass fragments and mercury. EPA further recommends that you place the paper towel and glass fragments in a sealed plastic bag and bring the sealed bag to your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)Collection Site.
  • Mercury in CFLs are present as elemental (or metallic)
  • mercury
  • mercury
  • mercury.
  • mercury
  • ercury.
  • mercury
  • mercury
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