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       Mercury Poisoning Symptoms       

  ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

Very high exposures to mercury vapor in the air can cause acute poisoning. Symptoms usually begin with cough, chest tightness, trouble breathing and upset stomach. This may go on to pneumonia, which can be fatal.

If the inorganic mercury compounds are swallowed, nausea, vomiting diarrhea and severe kidney damage can occur.

  CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

Exposure to any form of mercury on a repeated basis, or even from a single, very high exposure can lead to the disease of chronic mercury poisoning. There are three main symptoms:

1. Gum problems. The gums become soft and spongy, the teeth get loose, sores may develop, and there may be increased saliva.
2. Mood and mental changes. People with chronic mercury poisoning often have wide swings of mood, becoming irritable, frightened, depressed or excited very quickly for no apparent reason. Such people may become extremely upset at any criticism, lose all self-confidence, and become apathetic. Hallucinations, memory loss and inability to concentrate can occur.
3. Nervous system. The earliest and most frequent symptom is a fine tremor (shaking) of the hand. A tremor may also occur in the tongue and eyelids. Eventually this can progress to trouble balancing and walking.

  OTHER HEALTH EFFECTS

There are a number of other symptoms that may be caused by exposure to mercury and mercury-containing compounds.

• A skin allergy may develop. If this happens, repeated exposure causes rash and itching.
• Exposure to mercury vapor can cause the lens of the eye to discolor.
• Some of the inorganic mercury compounds can cause burns or severe irritation of the skin and eyes on contact.

Acute mercury poisoning is associated with ulcerations of the stomach and intestine and with toxic changes in the renal (kidney) tubules. Anuria (failure to form urine) and anemia may occur.

Chronic mercury poisoning can cause diarrhea, slowed reflexes, poor coordination, ataxia (wobbliness), tremor, impaired vision, and emotional instability.

• hair falls out on globs
• General nausea with no explained cause
• Debilitating fatique, weakness and exhaustion
• A metallic taste in the mouth
• Difficulty concentrating
• Heart arrhythmia atrial fibulation
• Mental fuzziness
• Fainting spells
• Anxiety attacks
• Unexplained headaches
• Tingling in the hand & feet
• Neurological problems such as numbness, muscle weakness
• Altered and Impaired vision and/or hearing.
• Difficulty walking and speaking
• Tremors
• Tinnitus
• Attention and memory difficulties
• Irritability

In advanced stages, mercury poisoning will cause convulsion, dementia and ultimately death.  

Symptoms of mercury poisoning are progressive, as attested to by the epidemics in Japan and Iraq. The first stage is known as paresthesia, and it is distinguished by a tingling or numb sensation in the fingers, toes, and face (face in particular). Paresthesia may be followed by:

 Mercury poisoning is most often signified by nervous system disorders, such as those mentioned above. Damage to fetuses may also include digestive and kidney problems, in addition to mental and nervous system disorders. Severe cases of mercury poisoning may result in coma ( this is what happened to me in France on 19 July 2002 ) or death.                      

Acute symptoms are caused mainly by mercuric chloride or methyl mercury exposure. Chronic, lower level exposure may lead to specific acute symptoms or to subtle renal and nervous system problems. Inhaled mercury has a different effect differently than ingested mercury, for which most symptoms are related to the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. Inhaling high levels of metallic mercury (in an industrial setting or a dentist's office) can cause acute symptoms, such as fever, chills, coughing, and chest pain. With low, long-term exposure, more subtle symptoms such as fatigue, headache, insomnia, nervousness, impaired judgment and coordination, emotional liability, and loss of sex drive, may be experienced. Ingested mercury may cause stomatitis and gastrointestinal inflammation, with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea, progressing to neurological problems. These symptoms, which are often confused with psychogenic causes, are referred to as "micromercurialism." 

Mild or early symptoms of mercury intoxication include fatigue, insomnia, irritability, anorexia, loss of sex drive, headache, and forgetfulness or poor memory. This may lead to other nervous system symptoms, such as dizziness, tremors, incoordination, and depression; then progress to numbness and tingling, most commonly of the hands, feet, or lips; and to further weakness, worse memory and coordination, reduced hearing and speech, paralysis, and psychosis. Mercury toxicity may be a factor in multiple sclerosis. Other problems of severe mercury intoxication are kidney and brain damage, as well as birth defects in pregnant women. Luckily, these extreme symptoms are unusual. However, the subtle and nervous system symptoms from low-level chronic exposure may be more common than we realize 

Blood levels of mercury should be below .02 ppm, while hair levels may be higher, up to about 3-5 ppm. More than 5 ppm becomes a concern. When these levels are exceeded, we should look for the sources of increased exposure and work toward avoiding or eliminating them. 

References: Mercury Poisoning symptoms

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002476.htm

http://www.cem.msu.edu/~cem181h/projects/97/mercury/