mercury-iron


 * Background Information**

Like everything, Mercury has both good and bad qualities. It is used in things such as some mascaras, mercury thermometers, electrical switches, thermostats, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), regular fluorescent lights, street lamps, advertising sign lighting, and as supplemental lighting in areas lacking in sunlight and some greenhouses. Of course, there are some dangers. Extended exposure to Mercury is not recommended as it can cause many problems and kills areas in the brain like the visual cortex, cerebellum, and dorsal root ganglia. One of the most dangerous effects of a dangerous amount of exposure to Mercury is Mercury poisoning which can sometimes result in death.

**Human Health and Environment**
Mercury is extremely toxic. This element kills areas in the brain like the visual cortex, cerebellum, and dorsal root ganglia. Too much exposure to Mercury can cause Mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning affects the kidneys, brain, and lungs. Some symptoms of this disease include sensory impairment, disturbed sensation and lack of coordination. If you get Mercury poisoning you may get several diseases, including Acrodynia and Minamata disease. Mercury poisoning can sometimes result in death.

Some symptoms of Acrodynia include pain and pink discoloration of the hands and feet. Some symptoms of Minamata include ataxia (loss of control over body movement), numbness in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, shorter field of vision, and damage to hearing and speech.

If a large dosage of Mercury were to be released into the environment it could be disastrous. Mercury can cause deformities and death in wildlife. There have been cases in which foods have been exposed to Mercury and resulted in the death of thousands of people.

As Mercury is an element it cannot be broken down, but Mercury compounds can be broken down into their individual elements. People should be careful to not just throw light bulbs containing mercury into the trash. Mercury should be disposed of by a local or state health or environmental agency.

**Synthesis/Production**
Spain and Italy produce about half of the world's supply of Mercury. Mercury is a natural element and therefore is not made in a lab somewhere, rather, it is found on its own or it is extracted from cinnabar, corderoite, livingstonite and other minerals, cinnabar being the main one. Cinnabar ore is crushed and heated to release the mercury as a vapor. The mercury vapor is then cooled, condensed, and collected. Almost 95% of the Mercury content of cinnabar ore can be recovered using this process.

Mercury can be very useful in synthesis. One of its main uses is in metal-halide lamps such as those in modern streetlights, fluorescent lamps, advertising signs, greenhouses, or rainy areas to supplement natural sunlight. Mercury is often combined with other metals to form amalgams that can be used for many things including extracting gold from its ores, forming dental fillings and helping to extend the life of dry cell batteries.

In combination with other elements, Mercury is useful for some old remedies and antiseptics such as mercuric chloride (HgCl2), which, long ago, was used to disinfect open wounds and mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), which is used to kill bacteria. Mercury is combined with sulfur to make mercuric sulfide (HgS) which is used to make a type of red paint pigment. Lastly, when combined with oxygen, mercuric oxide (HgO) is formed and it is used to make Mercury batteries.



**Economic/Political Impact**
If Mercury were banned all together it would not be such a big deal. It is already banned is a lot of things because of its dangerous, poisonous properties. When Mercury enters the body, it accumulates which can lead to severe illness or death.

Also because of the dangerousness of Mercury there are already alternatives to using it in the things that it is used in. Mercury thermometers are already becoming outdated! If Mercury were banned, we would not have mercury thermometers, barometers and some other scientific instruments, fluorescent lighting and other lights that are made with Mercury, or mercury batteries.

Spain and Italy produce about half of the world's supply of mercury. Recently, George W. Bush signed Barack Obama’s bill banning the export of elemental Mercury from the United States, so we are no longer a major exporter of Mercury. To many, this comes with much relief.

**Abstract**
Mercury is very helpful metal. One of its main uses is in metal halide lamps such as those in modern streetlights, fluorescent lamps, advertising signs, greenhouses, or rainy areas to supplement natural sunlight. Mercury is often combined with other metals to form amalgams that can be used for many things including extracting gold from its ores, forming dental fillings and helping to extend the life of dry cell batteries. It is a liquid at room temperature and conducts electricity. Mercury is used all around the world.

Too much exposure to mercury can cause mercury poisoning. Mercury affects the kidneys, brain, and lungs. Mercury kills areas in the brain like the visual cortex, cerebellum, and dorsal root ganglia. If you get Mercury poisoning you may get several diseases, including acrodynia and Minamata disease. Mercury poisoning usually causes sensory impairment, disturbed sensation and lack of coordination. Mercury poisoning can result in death.

If Mercury were banned all together it would not be such a big deal. It is already banned is a lot of things because of its dangerous, poisonous properties. When Mercury enters the body, it accumulates which can lead to severe illness or death. Spain and Italy produce about half of the world's supply of Mercury. Recently, George W. Bush signed Barack Obama’s bill banning the export of elemental Mercury from the United States, so we are no longer a major exporter of Mercury.

Mercury is a useful element, but it’s the 21st century and new technology is being developed everyday. You would think that we would be able to find safer alternatives to use in fluorescent lighting and other items that are currently made with Mercury. We should slowly ween ourselves off of using Mercury. If there are some things that we currently can’t find alternatives to use in, we should still use Mercury, but we should eventually eliminate it where it can endanger people’s, animal’s and environmental health.

**Summary**
Mercury is used in things like modern streetlights, thermostats, electrical switches, fluorescent lamps, advertising signs, greenhouses, or rainy areas to supplement natural sunlight. Mercury is often combined with other metals to form amalgams that can be used for many things including extracting gold from its ores, forming dental fillings and helping to extend the life of dry cell batteries. But it is dangerous because too much exposure to it can lead to mercury poisoning which can result in death.

We should limit our use of mercury in society until we can learn to live without it. The risks are too high to be brushed off and ignored. Yes, mercury helps us and is used in many things and does us some good, but death is a high price for a filing in your tooth. Mercury use should eventually be eliminated or contained to being used in things that will not cause risk of mercury poisoning.

**Our Public Service Announcement About Mercury**
[|Mercury PSA]

**Sources**
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[|http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/TXSHhg.shtml]

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