What does the drug mercury do to you?
Metallic mercury mainly causes health effects when inhaled as a vapor where it can be absorbed through the lungs. Symptoms of prolonged and/or acute exposures include: Tremors; Emotional changes (such as mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness);
Which drug is used in mercury poisoning?
Dimercaprol (BAL) This is the drug of choice for the treatment of acute inorganic mercury toxicity. It is the preferred chelator for mercury salts. Dimercaprol is administered intramuscularly every 4 hours, mixed in a peanut oil base.
What happens if you are high in mercury?
When mercury enters the bloodstream, it may affect the brain and the kidneys. With a high enough concentration of mercury, you may suffer chronic kidney damage. Large amounts of mercury in the bloodstream can also result in massive blood loss and fluid loss from kidney failure.
Is mercury a drug or toxin?
Mercury is a toxic metal and has caused several large public health crises throughout the world, including in Japan and Iraq. However, depending on what form it’s in, mercury can be harmful or non-threatening. For example, methyl mercury is quickly absorbed by the gut and takes root in many of your body’s tissues.
What if I played with mercury as a child?
As long as you don’t expose your skin to the metal too much and you wash your hands after then you would be fine. If any mercury did absorb through your skin then the amount will be so small then you would urinate it out, leaving no mercury in your body and meaning it won’t build up to harmful amounts.
Is mercury toxic to humans?
All Mercury is Toxic Depending on the type and amount, exposures to mercury can damage the nervous system, kidneys, liver and immune system. Breathing mercury vapors can harm the nervous system, lungs and kidneys. Mercury vapors can pass easily from the lungs to the bloodstream.
Is there mercury in drugs?
Mercury is a major toxic metal ranking top in the Toxic Substances List. Cinnabar (contains mercury sulfide) has been used in traditional medicines for thousands years as an ingredient in various remedies, and 40 cinnabar-containing traditional medicines are still used today.
How does mercury affect the brain?
Many studies show that high exposure to mercury induces changes in the central nervous system, potentially resulting in irritability, fatigue, behavioral changes, tremors, headaches, hearing and cognitive loss, dysarthria, incoordination, hallucinations, and death.
Why is mercury toxic to humans?
The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested. Neurological and behavioural disorders may be observed after inhalation, ingestion or dermal exposure of different mercury compounds.
What does mercury do to your skin?
Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal. Mercury exposure can cause kidney damage, skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, as well as a reduction in the skin’s resistance to infections.
Does mercury burn skin?
Skin (dermal) reactions associated with skin contact with elemental mercury liquid or vapor are rare. Rash or inflammation of the skin (contact dermatitis) are possible. Acute contact with the skin does not normally result in whole-body (systemic) toxicity.
What does mercury do to the brain?