Is it normal to have mercury in your blood?

Is it normal to have mercury in your blood?

The mercury concentration in whole blood is usually lower than 10 μg/L, but the value of 20 μg/L or below is considered normal. The blood mercury concentration can rise to 35 μg/L after long-term exposure to mercury vapor [10].

What does mercury do to your blood?

Share on Pinterest Mercury poisoning may cause slow reflexes, damaged motor skills, and intelligence disorders. High levels of mercury in the blood may put a person at risk for long-term neurological damage. These effects may be more pronounced in children who are still developing.

How much mercury is in your blood?

Normal whole blood mercury is usually below 10 ng/mL. Individuals who have mild exposure during work, such as dentists, may routinely have whole blood mercury levels up to 15 ng/mL.

Does mercury stay in your body forever?

Mercury does not stay in the body forever. It takes about six months to a year to leave the bloodstream once exposure stops. Some researchers think mercury can permanently damage the nervous system in children.

What mercury poisoning feels like?

Symptoms of mercury poisoning. Symptoms of mercury poisoning depend on the form of the mercury that was the source of the exposure. Early symptoms of mercury poisoning can include a metallic taste in the mouth and numbness and tingling in the hands, feet and face.

What happens if you touch mercury?

Mercury is a very toxic or poisonous substance that people can be exposed to in several ways. If it is swallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes through your body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you.

What foods get rid of mercury?

Heavy metal detox foods to eat include:

• cilantro.
• garlic.
• wild blueberries.
• lemon water.
• spirulina.
• chlorella.
• barley grass juice powder.
• Atlantic dulse.

What removes mercury from the body?

Your body naturally gets rid of mercury and other potentially toxic substances through feces. Eating more fiber helps to move things more regularly through your gastrointestinal tract, resulting in more bowel movements. Try adding these high-fiber foods to your diet.

How do you detox your body from mercury?

Mercury is also eliminated in urine, so drinking extra water can help to speed up the process. Avoiding exposure. The best way to get rid of mercury in your body is to avoid sources of it whenever you can. As you reduce your exposure, the level of mercury in your body will decrease as well.

How can I test myself for mercury?

The most commonly accepted methods of assessing mercury exposure are to test urine or blood. Both tests usually measure levels of total mercury (elemental, inorganic and organic). Elevated mercury in urine usually indicates exposure to an elemental or inorganic source of mercury, such as from a job that uses mercury.

What happens if mercury touches gold?

Freddie Mercury may have had the golden voice, but real mercury, that endlessly entertaining and dangerous liquid metal, has the golden touch. That is, if it touches gold it will immediately break the lattice bonds of the precious metal and form an alloy in a process known as amalgamation.

Why is mercury expensive?

Some part of the mercury price increase is likely due to increased demand from Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM), which is booming, along with the price in gold, and is now the world’s largest demand for mercury.

What causes high mercury levels in blood?

Certain Chinese herbal products or skin-lightening creams that contain mercury can cause your blood level to rise. Eating fish and shellfish that contain high levels of mercury can raise your mercury levels.

Why is mercury so dangerous?

Mercury is especially dangerous when it gets into Earth’s water systems, as if it is ingested by microorganisms it can pass up the food chain to humans.

What causes high mercury levels?

Nearby anthropogenic sources, such as coal burning and mining of iron, can contaminate water sources with methylmercury, which is efficiently absorbed in the bodies of fish. Through the process of biomagnification, mercury levels in each successive predatory stage increase.

What are the signs of high mercury levels?

Symptoms of high exposures to inorganic mercury include: skin rashes and dermatitis; mood swings; memory loss; mental disturbances; and muscle weakness.