When you think of mercury, what springs to mind? Is it the entrancing drop of shimmery liquid that flows from a broken thermometer, giving the metal the name quicksilver? Or is it the warnings of overconsumption of fish and bioaccumulation? Or perhaps it’s the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland? The story of mercury, in both its biology as well as its history, is vast and varied, and in this episode, we attempt to piece together a picture of this heavy metal. We first delve into the pathophysiological effects of the different forms of mercury exposure on the body, and then take a narrow tour of the metal’s history, focusing primarily on Minamata disease, before wrapping it all up with a look at just how widespread mercury contamination is today. Although the relationship between humans and mercury is as old as history itself, there are still so many lessons to be learned from it, especially “what is the true cost of progress?”.
| History | Biology |
| Ishimure, Michiko. Paradise in the sea of sorrow : our Minamata disease. Ann Arbor, Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2003. | Berhoft, RA. 2012. Mercury toxicity and treatment: A review of the literature. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012 https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/460508 |
| George, Timothy S. Minamata: Pollution and the Struggle for Democracy in Postwar Japan. United Kingdom, Harvard University Asia Center, 2001. | Ozuah, P.O., 2000. Mercury poisoning. Current problems in pediatrics, 30(3), pp.91-99. |
| Cronon, William, and Walker, Brett L.. Toxic Archipelago: A History of Industrial Disease in Japan. United Kingdom, University of Washington Press, 2011. | Langford, N.J. and Ferner, R.E., 1999. Toxicity of mercury. Journal of human hypertension, 13(10), pp.651-656. |
| Smith, W. Eugene, and Smith, Aileen Mioko. Minamata. United States, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, 1981. | Branco, V., Caito, S., Farina, M., Teixeira da Rocha, J., Aschner, M. and Carvalho, C., 2017. Biomarkers of mercury toxicity: Past, present, and future trends. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 20(3), pp.119-154. |
| Goldwater, Leonard J. “Mercury: a history of quicksilver.” (1972). | Asano, S., Eto, K., Kurisaki, E., Gunji, H., Hiraiwa, K., Sato, M., Sato, H., Hasuike, M., Hagiwara, N. and Wakasa, H., 2000. Acute inorganic mercury vapor inhalation poisoning. Pathology International, 50(3), pp.169-174. |
| Mrozek-Budzyn, D., Majewska, R., Kieltyka, A. and Augustyniak, M., 2012. Neonatal exposure to Thimerosal from vaccines and child development in the first 3 years of life. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 34(6), pp.592-597. | |
| Orenstein, W.A., Paulson, J.A., Brady, M.T., Cooper, L.Z. and Seib, K., 2013. Global vaccination recommendations and thimerosal. Pediatrics, 131(1), pp.149-151. | |
| Yorifuji, T., Tsuda, T. and Harada, M., 2013. Minamata disease: a challenge for democracy and justice. European Environment Agency.(Ed.), Late lessons from early warnings: Science, precaution, innovation, pp.92-120. | |
| EPA TRI National Analysis Mercury Air Releases Trend: https://www.epa.gov/trinationalanalysis/mercury-air-releases-trend (visited May 2021) | |
| UN Global Mercury Assessment 2018 https://web.unep.org/globalmercurypartnership/global-mercury-assessment-2018 | |
| US FDA: Thimerosal in Vaccines Questions and Answers. 2018. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/thimerosal-vaccines-questions-and-answers#:~:text=As%20a%20vaccine%20preservative%2C%20thimerosal,mercury%20per%200.5%20mL%20dose. Accessed May 2021. | |
| Gibb, H. and O’Leary, K.G., 2014. Mercury exposure and health impacts among individuals in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining community: a comprehensive review. Environmental health perspectives, 122(7), pp.667-672. | |
| Regarding the one gram of mercury contaminating a 20 acre lake:http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/mercurylake.pdf |
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