Mercury Poisoning, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

Mercury poisoning is a medical disorder induced by exposure to mercury or its compounds.
The consumption of fish is by far the most important source of ingestion-linked mercury exposure in humans and animals.
Plants and livestock also have mercury due to bio-concentration of mercury from seawater, freshwater, marine and sediments, soils, and atmosphere.
Mercury is a geologically occurring element that is present in air, water and soil.
It appears in several types:
1. Elemental or metallic mercury,
2. Inorganic mercury compounds, and
3. Organic mercury compounds.
Mercury is an element present in many rocks including coal in the earth's crust.
It has conventionally been used to make products like thermometers, switches, and light bulbs.
Humans cannot produce or destroy mercury.
Pure mercury is a liquid metal, occasionally known as quicksilver that volatizes readily.
When coal is incinerated, mercury is freed into the atmosphere.
Burning dangerous wastes, producing chlorine, breaking mercury products, and spilling mercury, and the inappropriate treatment and removal of products or wastes having mercury, can also release it into the environment.
Mercury in the air ultimately settles into water or on land where it can be washed into water.
Once in the water, certain microorganisms can alter it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.
Fish and shellfish are the main causes of methylmercury exposure to humans.
Mercury exposure at high levels can injure the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.
Nearly all people have at least trace amounts of methylmercury in their tissues, indicating methylmercury's prevalent presence in the environment and people's exposure through the eating of fish and shellfish.
Dental Amalgam can free small quantities of mercury vapor over time, and patients can take in these vapors by inhaling or ingesting them.
Symptoms of methylmercury poisoning may be:
1. Reduction of peripheral vision;
2. Disturbances in sensations ("pins and needles" feelings);
3. Lack of coordination;
4. Impairment of speech,
5. Walking; and
6. Muscle weakness
Symptoms of metallic mercury poisoning are:
1. Tremors,
2. Emotional changes,
3. Insomnia,
4. Neuromuscular changes
Mercury poisoning is diagnosed by Blood and urine tests for mercury
Methylmercury poisoning injuries to the body cannot be reversed.
Treatment will depend on how severe a person's condition is.
The person should be moved away from the source of exposure to methylmercury.
Treatment may involve:
1. Activated charcoal by mouth or tube through the nose into the stomach, if mercury is swallowed
2. Breathing support, including oxygen, tube through the mouth into the throat, and breathing machine
3. Dialysis (kidney machine)
4. Fluids through a vein (by IV)
5. Medicine to treat symptoms
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Mercury Poisoning
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Aluminum Toxicity
Chapter 8 Lead Poisoning
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Dec 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370950591

Kenneth Kee

Dr. Kenneth Kee is a well-known medical doctor from Singapore who has been practicing medicine since 1972. He graduated from the University of Singapore and furthered his studies with a Master of Science in Health Management in 1991, followed by a Ph.D. in Healthcare Administration in 1993. Dr. Kee established Kee Clinic in 1974, located in the Holland Drive area of Singapore. The clinic has been a prominent feature of the community, offering general medical services for 5 decades. Dr Kee also served his country Singapore as a national service police Inspector at night from 1975 to 1985 while working at his clinic during the day. He had served as a police guard to the Woodland Petroleum Tanks at night during the Indonesian Confrontation period, took part in police rounds at night in the Beach Road area and taught First aid and emergency resuscitation to Police recruits. He received the Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medallion on 1st March 2024 as recognition for his work in the Singapore Police. Even as he grew older, Dr. Kee continued to work actively in his clinic, although he eventually reduced his consultation hours. Beyond his medical career, Dr. Kee is also an author. He started writing about medical conditions in 2007, using blogs and other online platforms to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Over time, he published various books, many of which provide simple and accessible guides to different health conditions. His works include "A Family Doctor's Tale," "My Personal Singapore History," and numerous medical guides, available through platforms like Amazon. His books often combine his personal experiences as a family doctor with insights into Singapore's healthcare system and history. Dr. Kee has written extensively on health topics, contributing to both medical literature and general knowledge resources. Dr. Kenneth Kee has written numerous books, primarily focused on health education and personal experiences as a family doctor. Some of his notable titles include: "A Family Doctor's Tale" This book is a blend of Dr. Kee's personal experiences and his reflections on being a family doctor in Singapore. It's a great choice if you're looking for a narrative that combines both medical knowledge and human stories. "Specialized Medical Conditions" Books like **"Congestive Heart Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment"** focus on specific conditions, offering in-dept...

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Mercury

Poisoning,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2016 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes the Mercury Poisoning, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What The patient Need to Treat Mercury Poisoning)

This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If the patient would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank the patient for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Condition) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 700 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical conditions.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a condition or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Mercury poisoning

Mercury poisoning is a medical disorder induced by exposure to mercury or its compounds.

The consumption of fish is by far the most important source of ingestion-linked mercury exposure in humans and animals.

Plants and livestock also have mercury due to bio-concentration of mercury from seawater, freshwater, marine and sediments, soils, and atmosphere.

Mercury is a geologically occurring element that is present in air, water and soil.

It appears in several types:

1. Elemental or metallic mercury,

2. Inorganic mercury compounds, and

3. Organic mercury compounds.

Sources of mercury

Mercury is an element present in many rocks including coal in the earth's crust.

It has conventionally been used to make products like thermometers, switches, and light bulbs.

Humans cannot produce or destroy mercury.

Pure mercury is a liquid metal, occasionally known as quicksilver that volatizes readily.

When coal is incinerated, mercury is freed into the atmosphere.

Burning dangerous wastes, producing chlorine, breaking mercury products, and spilling mercury, and the inappropriate treatment and removal of products or wastes having mercury, can also release it into the environment.

Mercury in the air ultimately settles into water or on land where it can be washed into water.

Once in the water, certain microorganisms can alter it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish.

Fish and shellfish are the main causes of methylmercury exposure to humans.

Methylmercury accumulates more in some types of fish and shellfish than others.

Fish is a beneficial component of the diet, so FDA advises people to persist eating fish that are low in methylmercury.

Another less frequent exposure to mercury that can be a concern is breathing mercury vapor.

These exposures can happen when elemental mercury or products that have elemental mercury break and free mercury to the air, especially in poorly-ventilated or warm indoor spaces.

Health effects of mercury

Mercury exposure at high levels can injure the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.

Nearly all people have at least trace amounts of methylmercury in their tissues, indicating methylmercury's prevalent presence in the environment and people's exposure through the eating of fish and