Contents
How to combat mercury in food or water
FOOD OR WATER POISONED BY MERCURY
Why is mercury harmful?
Mercury is a very polluting. It is highly toxic to humans. It can be fatal in doses of 500 mg.
Ingestion results in the form of digestive damage, mainly to the kidneys and liver.
Symptoms of being poisoned by mercury in food
Among the most characteristic symptoms of ingestion, we found:
- Belly pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Cardiac arrest and death.
External exposure to this poison can cause:
- Dermatitis
- Eczema
Inhalation of its vapors may cause:
- Serious lung problems.
Where does mercury in food come from?
Fish food is the most contaminated food by mercury
In general, at present, the incorporation of mercury in food comes primarily from polluted fish,which is the food that contains more of this poison. Other sources are contaminated water or environmental aerosols.
Mercury has been industrially widely used. I has appeared in the composition of caustic soda, and in many measuring instruments (barometers, thermometers, etc.), electricity or dental amalgam.
This has produced a large spill of mercury in the environment that has finally ended forming part of the food chain. Currently its use is much more limited in many countries, fortunately.
Water polluted with mercury
Acceptable limits of mercury in water are between 0.5 and 0.6 mg per liter. In general, most of the waters do not exceed these limits.
How to combat mercury in food
The main thing to to is avoid using mercury or using the appropriate measures not to let it to enter in the food chain.
A practical way of reducing mercury effects on human body is to ingest rich antioxidant food.
Antioxidants are able to neutralize the negative effects of this harmful substance.
More information on water.
