Questions and Answers
Questions and AnswersDate: 31 Aug 1998 09:39:26 -0400
23 EXPOSURE TO MERCURY I was playing with a necklace pendant filled with mercury, for ornamental purposes, and the glass casing broke open -- tiny beads of mercury splattered everywhere, on me, my keyboard, the floor, my desk, etc. These droplets were all around me. I am aware that Hg is quite toxic so I'm concerned about this. I'd say it was initially a blob a bit smaller than dime-sized prior to it breaking up into tiny beads everywhere. Can mercury be absorbed by room temperature air adding to the dangers since the vapor is bad to inhale? Also, can it be absorbed through skin and should I be concerned? Thanks a lot for any information! Answer by Mokhtari Fard, Shiraz U. Of Med Sci : In room temperature, mercury evaporates several times more than the safe level. In laboratories, we often pour some water over the mercury in the bottles to avoid its evaporation. In no condition should any person expose to naked mercury in room temperature. The inhaled mercury vapor absorbs into the bones and will be excreted quite slowly. If the intake of the vapor continues, you may encounter the accute toxicity, otherwise, the cronic toxicity will be encountered. The brain is the most sensitive organ to mercury , specially in children. Good luck. Disclaimer: The material contained here should not be considered a substitute for a physician. These are only general guidelines to help you think about the medical possibilities. We direct you to your doctor for an answer you can trust. *** See Ask the Doctors on the web at http://www.flora.org/ask-doctor/ ***